Semi-weekly herald., 1913-05-26
ANTISEPTIC PROPERTIES OF TO.
BACCO.

Like many other narcotic poisons,
nicotine has certain properties which
give it definite value in medicine when
employed in the proper way and by
competent agents.
Thus poultices of fresh tobacco
leaves have long been employed to
give relief in cases of gout, neuralgia,
and rheumatic pains. A concentrated
solution of the fresh leaves is said to
be good for dudruff, ringworn, etc.
Tobacco is also employed as remedy
for skin diseases of cattle, and is COM
monty used to destroy parasites in
vineyards and orchards. Recent iHf
vestigations showing its high value
as an antiseptic agent are summarized
in LIE Correspondent (Paris) from
which we quote: The researches of
Tassinari and Molisch have now dem
onstrated the actual antiseptic value
of tobacco with regard both to verte-
brates and to inferior creatures.
Tobacco smoke serves to retard or
arrest the development of certain pa
biological bacteria. Amoeba, ciliated
infusoria, etc., soon die in the tiny
glass cage in which they are placed
for study under the microscope, if
single puff of tobacco smoke be in
jected therein. 1t seems to act upon
them as an anesthetic, exactly as do
the vapors of ether and chloroform.
This bactericidal and antiseptic ac-
ton has not yet been fully elucidated,
but the Italian Psychologist Cavarallo
has proved that smoking not only in
creases the flow OF saliva (Which prob
ably explains the uneasiness of smo-
kers after eating until they are able
to indulge in pipe or cigar) but also
sterilizes it. He also declares that
tobacco is never the cause of oral in
flammation and epithelial tumors of
the mouth and tongue, though it may
be the determining agent which makes
such causes, which are many and
complex in character, active.
When these statements of Cavarallo
were published they reused much con-
troversy, being bitterly attacked by
the enemies of tobacco, though they
were supported by a series of clini-
cal experiments. His conclusions, how
ever, have just been brilliantly con-
firmed by the work of Prof. Weneke of
the Imperial Institute of Berlin, who
made many experiments during the
recent cholera epidemic at Hamburg.
Prof. Wencke was struck by the fact
that the workers in the cigar factories
of that city were not attacked by
the scourge, even when living in sur
roundings similar or identical with
those of its victims.
On making investigation he found
that the water employed in one of
these factories contained considerable
numbers of septic vibrions, yet none
of these was found alive on the fin-
ished cigars. This led him to definite
experiments. Some of the tobacco
leaves were moistened with water con-
tanning the bacilli o, cholera in the
number of 5OO,0O0,O00 to the cubic
centermeter. At the end Of twenty
four hours there were all found to BE-
dead.
A second experiment was made with
saliva containing cholera germs,
placed on glass plate and exposed
for five minutes to tobacco smoke,
which completely sterilized it.
Finally it was found that fumi-
CATION of from twenty-five to thirty
seconds with tobacco smoke suffleed
to disinfect the dejecta of patients
seriously affected by attacks of chol-
era.
1t is believed that other harmful
microbes will be shown by future ex-
periments to be similarly destroyed.