The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1916-04-14
The Effeet OF Tobacco Smoking Upon
The Heart and the arteries.

The effect Of tobacco upon the
heart Is indicated by the pulse.
sSsrough the action ols fhe irritating
I toisuas upon the neSSsu lie heart Il
greatly atsnulatels Inc pulse L
stronger and much more rapid. Nor
ma1Iy there are about sepenty-two
pulsaIions per minute. Under the
stimulus of tobacco smoke there are
frequently cases in which the pulse
rises to more than one hundred
Within about fifteen minutes after
the indulgence the irritation ceases
and the narcotic effects begin to mani
fest themselves. The strength OF the
heart beat falls far below the normal.
The pulse Is described as small. !.
feeble and Irregular. There Il
a partial paralysis OF the heart. It
sometimes misses a beat In the
habitnal smoker this enfeebled action
of the heart Is continuous, except
when the habit is being INDUCED.
Hence it is that one smoke calls for
another. This Is especially true Of
the cigarette. The boy whose heart
has become thus enfeebled lacks en-
ergy He is physically and mentally
lazy. It would be dangerous for him
10 uHueTtdht dma lnitiB iEIuih hB ha1as
exertion. The extra strain thrown
upon the heart might result in sud
den death. From boys having such
hearts nature wisely takes away the
ambition to exertion. 4 little extra
exertion produces palpitation OF the
heart and shortness OF breath.
There Is a diseased condition of the
heart which Is so characteristic Of
chronic tobaeeo=poisoning that 1t has
been appropriately called tobacco
heart Medical statistics show that
about one in every four smokers have
this condition. During the Spanish
American war about three=fourtns Of
those who volunteered for services in
our army had 10 be rejected because
of unfitness for service. Ninety per
cent. of these rejected volunteers
were smokers When call was made
for our young medical men 10 enter
the army, of sixty-seven who voiun=
teered. forty-three we're rejected be
cause they had tobacco heart When
England called for volunteers during
the Boer war. out Of twelve thousand
who applied al Manchester, nine
thousand had to be rejected, chiefly
because of tobacco heart. They
come to u.s." said the examiners, with
their fingers stained with nicotine
during the last thirty years the
death rate from diseases Of the heart
and arteries has Increased monre than
one hundred per cent. There has
been a larger increase IN the death
rate from diseases of the kidneys and
from cancer The increase In NOR
tally from these diseases Is confined
to the male population. Women live
longer than men. The death rate be
tween the ages OF forty and fifty i
growing rapidly among men. That
there Is a coz neetion between this In
crease In the mortality Of men and
the smoking habit there Is no room
for doubt. The cigarette did not find
It's way into the United States until
about fifty years ago. 70 are nov
beginning TO reap the effects from II
use.
DR.. ]. Pawlnslsi. head Of hospital
in Warsaw has made a careful study
of 3.lb6 cases of hardening OF the
arteries. They were studied In Two
groups. The first group consisted Of
l.075 cases N which the hardening
was located In the arteries that sup
ply the heart Smoking. obesity. and
alcohol were The chief causes OF thIa
disease. Smoking was 4 simple fac
tor n 20g cases. combined factor IN