Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-01-06
TOBACCO IS NOT BAD
Professor of Columbia University
Makes Numerous Tests.
Physical WeII-Being of Mature Men
Little Affected by It's Use-Appre-
ciable Differences Between
Non-Smokers and Smokers.

New York.-The results Of an inves-
tigatlon Of the effects Of smoking on
students Of Columbia university, which
was made by DR.. George L. Meylan,
head Of the Columbia gymnasium.
have been made public in the Popu-
lar Science Monthly.
They show that on the whole those
who smoke are not injured seriously,
II at all. DR.. Meylan "experimented"
on something more than 200 students,
about So per cent. of whom smoked.
DR.. Meylan points out at the be-
ginning Of his article that his chief
aim was to determine If smoking ex-
erted aky influence upon the physical
and mental characteristics of college
students. He does not try to present
the moral or economic sides Of the
question. He examined 223 students.
115 of whom smoked. The age at
which they acquired the habit varied
from one at seven years to Is at six
teen years. 30 at seventeen, 16 at nine
teen and one at twenty-one.
The average physical measurements
Of 145 students form the basis for a
table of their development over a pc
riod of two years. Sixty-six students
who smoked gained about eight
pounds in weight, against a gain Of six
pounds by II non-smokers.
The same students made a net In
crease Of IL centimeters in height for
the smokers and IL for the non-smok-
ers. In lung capacity however, the
non-smokers surpassed the smokers,
strength the smokers were ahead
again, however, having an increase OF
lob units, as against 101.
1T appears from the tables" says
Dr. Meylan, that there is no appreci
able difference between the measure
ments Of smokers and non-smokers in
the matter Of age, where the smokers
are the older The slight advantage
In the average measurements Of the
smokers is undoubtedly due to the
fact that they are eight months older
The slightly larger gain made BY
smokers in weight, height and tota
strength during the first two years ir
college Is really too small to have any
significance"
In scholarship the non-smokers hac
distinct advantage. The smokers
averaged 80 per cent in their studies
at entrance, 81 per cent. during the
first two years, and per cent of fail
ures
The on-smokers got 81 per cent II
their entrance examinations and 6!
per cent. in their first two years IL
college, while only per cent. were
failures.
In this respect DR.. Meylan think!
there is a distinct relation between
smoking and scholarship.
Of the same set of students At PEI
cent of the smokers won places OF
varsity athletic teams, while only g
per cent. of the non smokers could ge
places. 1t was discovered that Sc pc
cent of all the varsity athletes at Co
| lumbia were smokers, as compared
with SO per cent. of all students.
In conclusion DR.. Meylan says:
"All scientists are agreed that tn
use of tobacco by adolescents Is injuri
ous parents. teachers and physician
should strive earnestly against its use
There is no scientific evidence tina
| the moderate use of tobacco b.
| healthy, mature men produces an
beneficial or injurious physical e1
fects that can be measured.
1T has been shown that the use O
tobacco by college students Is closet
associated with idleness, lack Of amb
ton and application, and how scholar
ship"