Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-06-24
TOBACCO PIPES.
A Medical Authority That Says Clay IL
Preferable to Wood.

A Medical Authority That Says Clay IL
Preferable to Wood.
II tobacco smoking Is justifiable at all
ON hygienic grounds, says The Lancet,
it is generally conceded that the pipe Ia
the least injurious means. But tobacco
7ipes differ considerably in material
aud shapes, both Of which must be i'm
portant factors in determining the char
aoter Of the smoke. Thus there are the
clay, the meerschaum and the various
wooden pipes, the brier, cherry or my
Ill. Next to the tobacco, therefore,
which should always be- pure and free
from added flavoring, an expedient
which IL resorted to far too commonly
nowadays. probably in many instances
to cover an inferior quality Of tobacco,
the best kind of pipe Is a point to be
considered. Even assuming that no Is
smoking good tobacco. the smoker knows
how different in character the smoke is
when drawn from clay or a wooden
bowl. There is probably scientific ex-
Jianation Of this fact which must have
some bearing ON the noxious or innoou-
Gus character Of the smoke associated
with other products Of combustion.
A soft clay Is invariably cool smok-
ing because the acid oils obtained on
the destructive distillation of the tobao-
co are absorbed instead of collecting In
u little pool, which must eventually
either by the volatilization or by me-
ohanical conveyance reach the mouth
A particular pipe smokes hot" not
necessarily because the temperature Of
the smoke Is high, but because il favors
the passage by ono Of these means of
the oils into the mouth. Meerschaum is
another porous material. Again. an old
wooden pipo or brior, 80 dear to invot-
crate smokers, becomes smooth smok-
ing" because the pores Of the wood
widen and 80 absorb. as IL the case with
olay or meersohaum, large proportion
Of the tobacco oil
Thus All old pipe "sweats" AZ IL is
Sermed-that is. the oil intrudes into
the expanded pores Of the wooden bowl
and at length exudes Similarly hook
shaped pipe must be better than IA pipe
the bowl of which IL ON the same level
with the mouth, for the simple reason
that In the former a considerable guam.
tity Of the oil IL kept back In the U
shaped part Of tho pipe. while In the
latter the oil travels easily down the
stem. Ebonite stems are IN general oh
Fashionable because they commonly spoil
the true flavor Of tobacco smoke. This
10 most probably due TO the sulphur Of
the ebonite combining with the volatile
oils In the smoke. We know instances
where ebonite stems have produced dis.
tinotly Objectionable symptoms In the
throat, most probably for the reason
just given.
Bone or real amber makes much
more satisfactory stem. or tho pipes
should be Of wood throughout. Amber
substitutes. and especially oelluloid.
should DO discarded entirely an danger
GUS, while the flavor Of oamphor which
these invariably communicate to the
smoke forms very unpleasant oombi-
nation. Pipes Of special construction
cannot DO regarded with much favor,
such AZ those which are said to DO by
g1enio and usually contain u SO called
nicotine absorber. Those smokers who
require such auxiliary attachments had
better not smoke ut all. As matter Of
fact tobacco yields little nicotine in tho
smoke produced on its partial oombus.
uion. 1t IL mainly TO oils Of tarry and
acrid character that the toxic symptoms
of tobacco smoking are due.