The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1906-06-01
Tobacco as a DlSinfectant,

Tobacco as a DiSinfectant.
Although there Is general I'm
preston that tobacco smoke b
germicide, this property has ut baea
assigned hitherto 70 any one par
dcular constituent OF the smoke
The author Of note on tho sabac
in The Lancet d.ondon, April p gives
reason for believing iha, among o,hyg
germlcldal constituents ,hc uoap
contains formaldehydc Hc ay
eThe composition q tobacco moka
Il. of course, complex. bll everybody
knows that larry oils are q prladpl
constituent, aud certH1ly many al.
are powerfully aatisnptlc Nicotine
again, Is strong didptrrilni tr
the quantity Of this poison IA Dac
90 smoke & minute. ~ indeed 81 d
present az an At least a number ~
chemical analysis u tubarcu gm1kc
made at different ,imes Il WIS diff
cult 10 declare with absolute on.
ainly that nicotine was an import
taut constituent The oils matter
which accumulatcs In tobacco p.pe
is decidedly poisonous, bat Il durs
not contnin any apprccIable quantity
Of nicotine, the chief constituent
being the very poisonous oil pyridin
Tcbacco smoke contains decided
quantity Of the very poisonous Fas
carbon monoNid which has been used
for preserving purposes and which
therefore must posses germicidlal pro
prieties Some simple experiments
which We have recently made Would
seem to confirm the observation that
one Of the principal constituents ac-
counting for the germicldal pruprls-
ties II tobacco smoke Is the powerful
antiseptic formaldehyde. The amount
present Is more than just apprecIa
BILE. for II water through which a
few puffs OF tobacco smoke have
been passed is tested for formalde-
hyde the result IS strikiugly positiye
The quantity Of formaldchyde IN to-
bacco smoke would appear 70 depcnt
on the quality and Kind Of tobacco
smoked Thus the cigar appears 10
Yield more formalGehyde than tho
pipe, and the ripe more than the
cigarette. Possibly the peculiarly lrri-
Eating property Of the smoke issuing
from the glowing end Of cigarette
or cigar or from the bowl ~ o pipe
is due to formaldehyde Il has more
than once been stated that tobacco
smokers enjoy an immunity from GER
tain diseases; and the frequent pres
ence OF a powerful antlseptlc In the
mouth, nasal PASSAGE, and sometimes
the lungs las IN the case Of those
who foolishly lnhalc tubacro smoker
would 90 some extent justify the
statement When II q considered
that IN the nose vast number Of
microbes are hourly deposited ii is
conceivable that these may be ef.
fectiyely destroyed ~ the frequent
passage OF tobacco moke through
the organ. In the same way the
organisms exposed to tobacco smoke
In the mouth would mccumb Form
aldehyde is one Of the most powerful
dlsinfectants we possess. one part in
10000 parts of water serving To de.
stroy all microbes. while such a d.
lute solution has practically no poi
sonous action on the human organ.
ism. All the same, It is most u,de.
sirable that this fact should stimulate
the practice Of smoking tobacco 10
absurd excess for tobacco poisoning
Is greater reality Than many per.
sons think, and to employ tobacco
In abHsipe' quantities ioq ibe,eu,rs q
destroying microbes might amount
possibly 70 kA!srs the seeds of one
disease only to contract another ~
Literary Digest.