Evening journal., 1899-12-21
CIGARETTES ANALYSED.


ANALYTICAL SANITARY COMMITS
SION.
In 1898 a rumor gained currency that
cigarettes contained large proportion
Of opium and "an unclassined aka
loid," and, further, that the paper con-
tanned arsenic, copper or chlorine, says
the London Lancet. The subject was
obviously of great public interest, and
the Lancet Analytical Sanitary Com
mission was appointed in 1883 to make
inquiry on these heads. with the re-
suit that we were able to say that there
was no trace Of opium or any "un-
classified alkaloid" in the tobacco, not
a trace of chlorine or arsenic in the
paper. but that there was a faint trace
OF copper, due to the metallic letter
ing on the paper wrapper. The in
dictment to which we have referred
nevertheless gained ground and even
tually, about the year 1891, disturbed
the minds OF many people in the
United States, where a large proportion
Of the tobacco supply OF the world is
produced. This ultimately led TO a
very remarkable movement against the
use OF the cigarette. which seems to
show no signs OF abatement at the pres
ent time in the states. The tactics
adopted by the leaders of this move
ment are decidedly odd and, to put it
mildly, somewhat illogical Apparently
an endeavor has been made to prove
that cigarette smoking is responsible
for the high mnacy returns, the ranks
Of the insane and criminal classes be-
ing, Il is alleged, recruited from the
boys who have been cigarette smokers.
Acting under our instructions our cor
respondent secured various brands of
cigarette in shops in New York city
and dispatched them to the Lancet
llaboratoryfor examination and analysis
AT the same time our commissioners
purchased cigarettes of American
manufacture at shops in London bear
ing In the majority Of instances the
same brands.
The results which have recently been
lobtained in the Lancet laboratory show
no foundation whatever for the exag-
gerated statements that have been
made. Foreign toxic substances were
not found in a single instance, and
among those looked for, both I'm the
paper wrapper and I'm the tobacco. were
lmorphia. phosphorus, arsenic. mercury
copper and other heavy metals. The
lonly evidence of n metal being present
was, as appears in the table, in the case
of copper in the paper. This metal
however, was just barely indicated and
having regard to the extreme delicacy
Of the chemical test for copper the
II quantity present must be so excessive.
lily minute as to put any question of its
being injurious beyond consideration
Apart from the fact that our exami.
nation shows that the allegations in
regard to the presence of foreign poi.
sonous materials in cigarettes are en-.
tirely unfounded, the figures recording
the composition of tobacco and the
, ratio OF tobacco to paper in the cigar
cite are Of interest.
!, The average weight Of the cigarett,
bought In New York was 1888 grains
and of that purchased in London 17.3.
| grains. The weight of paper was tn,
!, same in both cases--viz., 0.63 grain,
( the percentage Of mineral matter il
. paper was 29S and 3.21; the ratio o.
b weight Of paper to tobacco as I to % In
: New York and the same ratio in Londor
r The per centage of nicotine in the New
York cigarettes was 0.94: in the Lon
y don cigarettes It was los. The per
I centage of moisture in N. Y. cigarettes
was 11.53 and in the London cignrette
1882. The percentage amount Of min
eral matter in tobacco from New Yorl
cigarettes was 11.S1 and in LondoI
, cigarettes 1900.
Z Tobacco normally contains organi
I bodies, sticky substances, which be
4 have like sugar, but glucose or saccha
rine matter is sometimes added TO to
: bacco for practical purpose. The ad
d dition is harmless. IL would appea
that the American cigarettes purchases
( in London contained a slightly in
: creased amount OF saccharine matters
I We are Of opinion that neither glycer
o inc nor glucose in the extremely lin
a tied amounts shown in our analyses
4 in the smallest degree injurious.
To sum up, there is not a single fac
a tor in these numerous results upo
4 which can be fairly based any allega
: tion Of tho presence Of a substance pre-
a ducing injury to health. II is possibl
: that cigarette smoking in particular
h lmore injurious than any other form {
o smoking. but this in the majority {
) instances may be referred to tn
method rather than to the materials
the cigarette