The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1916-04-07
How Tobacco Smoking Affects The
Rlnnn-

Blood.
In the preceding article it was
shown how carbon mOnOXide affects
the red corpuscles of the blood. There
are, however, other constituents of
the blood and there are other pois-
ons in tobacco smoke.
AS showing the general effects of
tobacco smoke upon the blood the
following is quoted from an authora-
tive treatise, Diseases of Modern Life,
written by nr. B. W. Richardson:
On the blood the prolonged inhal-
alton of tobacco produces changes
which are very marked in character.
The fluid is thinner than usual, and in
extreme cases paler. In some in
stances the deficient color of the
blood is communicated to the body
altogether, rendering the external
surface yelloWish white and puffy.
The blood being thin, also eXudes to
freely, and a cut surface bleeds for
a long time, and may continue to
bleed incOnreniently, even in OPPOSE
ton to remedies. But the most i'm
pOrtant influence is eXerted over
those little bodies which float in
myriads in the blood and are known
as red corpuscles. These bodies have
naturally a double concave surface,
and at their edges perfectly smooth
outline. Thu absorption of fumes of
tobacco necessarily leads to rapid
changes in them; they lose their
round shape becoming oval and ir-
regular; and instead of having a
mutual attraction for each other and
running together, a good sign of
physical health, they lie loosely scat
tered before the eye, and indicate to
the learned observer, as clearly as
| though they spoke to him and said
the words, that the man from whom
they were taken is physically de-
pressed and deplorably deficient both
in muscular and mental power
Blood will tell.
When DIR. Richardson, in 1883,
wrote the above statement there were
comparatively few boys who smoked
cigarettes. It. is not uncommon now
to see youth with yellowish white
complexion. Superintendent H. D.
Hervey found twenty such youths in
the schools of Maiden, Mass. Each
of these bows was a user OF cigar
cites. Not sallow youth was found
among those who did not use to-
| the cigarette are cooperating to rob
the youth Of our land of their rudy
complexion.
Whether tobacco smoke has any
direct degcnerating effect on the
white cOrpuscles of the blood is not
definitely known. There is no ques-
ton that it interferes with their
! function At least five different
/ of oil N-
present in human blood They may
! be roughly classed as leucOcytes and
| the lymphocvtes. The leucocytes are
! the most interesting constituents OF
| the blood, since one of their chi
| functions is to protect the body from
diSease-prOdncing germs. They may
APPLY be called the human body S
army of the interior" in the fight
/ against disease-causing agents. In
this defensive warfare they destroy
| the invading germs, or elaborate Ger
| tain poisons (antitOXins) to counter
act the germ poisOns, or, better still,
manufacture certain bodies for the
! hlCOd-serum and thus produce I'M
fmunity to the attacks OF disease pro-
! ducing germs. BY tobacco smoke
these white corpusclcs are so affect
Gu lHdl IllSN CdIlllDN pei III NSlI
their functions Hence the smoker
falls IL NOR" ready prey to the at
tacks Of disease germs than the non
smoker. and the chances for his re
covery are not SO good
The lymphocyt2s and the blood
plates aid in the cOagulation of the
blood. They constitute, in the human
body, the army of the Red Cross.
Where there is an injury they rush
to repair it. Drugs seldom cure a
diseased body. They assist the leucO-
cytes in destroying the agents of
disease or iii counteracting the pOis-
Ons which such agents produce.
Nature itself must do the repair
work. All the healing properties of
the body are found in the blood.
Tobacco smoke so effects these heal
ing agents that to perform an opera
ton on ono who habitually smokes
is much more dangerous than would
be such all operation on nom
smoker. There is greater danger of
bleeding as IS indicated in the quota
ton from flr. Richardson. There is
also less probability that the wounds
will heal promptly. DR.. T. J. Harris,
of the New York City dispensary,
where more diseases are treated than
in any othe~ place in America, says:
1t is scarcely possible to unite a
fractured bone in a devoted smoker"
Dr. o. NJ Stone, of Boston, writes
thus: "A tobacco users chances of
recovery from malignant diseases
are lesseneG fifty per cent"
(To be continued
c. E. FORLINES.