The sun., 1917-09-21
NEW LIGHT ON THE CIGARETTE AND
ITS INFLUENCE ON HEALTH.
Investigations Scientists Disclose No Important Reason Why soe
Should Smoke Cigarettes


In the case Of the twenty men win
SOLDIERS heart; In the case of tho
ten healthy men 1t was six hieh.r
Slowing Of the heart was not observ.d
In any case, nor any irregular actjon
Of the heart. The rate OF breathns
In the twenty patients was Nm.
changed; in the other ten IT wa,
slightly reduced. In all Of the thirty
men the blood pressure was raised
from five to ten points on the scale
These effects appear within Az.
minutes. reaching their maximum win
the first cigarette. and this rate was
maintained throughout the smokins
period. A simple exertion test was
performed before smoking and ,..
peated on its cessation. In the tyentv
cases Of soldiers heart" the pulse ra,s
maintained higher level through.
out the test after smoking, and hal,
OF them were more brcathless Rn,
IN the ten healthy men the pulse rata
was much the same after smoking a,
before. and breathlessness was noticed
In only two. These men were inhalers
and inhaling is always injurious.
These observations" CONTINUES, N.
report. show that in health the sr,o,.
ing Of a single cigarette by a habitus,
smoker usually raises the pulse rata
and the blood pressure perceptih,y
and these effects are a little more nro.
nounced In cases of soldiers hear,
Moreover, the smoking Of a few risa.
rettes can render healthy men mo-s
breathless. but excessive cigarette
smoking Is not the essential cause IN
most cases Of soldiers heart. The re-
suits show clearly that the soldier
should be warned against inhaling, and
OF course he should avoid excess"
This is doubtless good advice. hu,
what constitutes excess? After allow.
ing for scientific ideas. it is Difficult.
to believe that conclusions based on
thirty cases. Of which only ten were
healthy. could be acceptable even to
guileless. non-smoking laymen. In
twenty the effects were the outcome
OF symptoms in men off their balance
through various excesses. The blood
pressure tests are essentially faulty
For instance. DR.. w. G. Thompson an.
piled them in numerous cases of dis.
eased arteries. His figures. published
last winter in the Ncm York stat.
Journal of Medicine, are different from
DR.. Parkinson's. According to Dr.
Thompson in fifty eight patients IN,
blood pressure rose 35 per cent. after
smoking. or what value. after all. ara
methods that give such widely differ.
ent results? Sir James Mackenz.
after an experience Of three years a,
the front. comments on blood pressure
tests as follows:
Up to the present blood pressure oh.,.
vations have yielded but little intorr..
tion OF real value. Perhaps the mos. s,r,k.
ing instance OF a lack of careful ob.erya.
ton Is seen In the reckoning of he hood
pressure In irregular action OF tn. hear,
nave never come across writer Who
recognized that in irregular heart It is. 20
a rule utterly impossible to get a correc,
instrumental reading. In place ot tho
statemen, OF the old physicians tina, n.
pulse was hrm and hard, we ge, nov /.
definite and precise figure which mos,
people imagine to be more scientihc 40
II Is supposed to represent the blood pres.
sure. Now It does nothing Of the sor,
1t may be doubted II there could he
better opinion than this. for Sir
James unites both civil and military
knowledge in the highest degree.
In these days when the cigarette s
| such solace to our soldiers every
writer should premise that nothing 10
| says in criticism is meant as a coun.
| terblast to tobacco as tobacco. Ro.
| cause cigarettes are likely 10 rslss
the blood pressure in some susceptible
persons II does not follow that they
are not good and necessary things a
moderation. AS for blood pressure.
many people feel better when II IS
| high and are depressed in energy and
spirits when it is low. Now that the
Lancet has raised the question It may
be we'll to look at the other side o,
the picture.
IL Is said that cigarettes lessen ''s
consumption Of liquor; it is also sad
that they affect the health less than
the pipe and the ever stronger ami
stronger stump of tho cigar, II 5
probable that they are less disagree.
able to non smokers than any uiNc'
forms OF the weed. They are wei 70.
ceived In the most different places, N
the trenches as we'll as In Tie res.
taurant Of d fashionable hotel. they
are mus moro universally smoked
than cigars and pipes, and there j. 4
constant excuse for smoking them
when pipe would he imposS hl5 ard
even cigar dubious. \ cigarette 4,
the cheapest, the most gen,rdlIy ip.
plicable of luxuries and the most gen
orally beneficial. If soldier ~. 20
smoke at all there is no reason nhr
they should not smoke cigarette
The real argument for rjgn"o'tes
setting popularity and fashion aside
resolves itself into the fa.' ,f -
easiness Of the enjoyment, its aGI,'..
tion to various kinds Of erp'n'r.'''
It's cheapness. its smaller demon "3.n
the human power to bear the pleasure
or tobacco. There is loss apparatus
about cigarette than about q N.sf'
and pipe. and there is less s'r'0s'7
IN II. A man can obtain cigarettes
which are very smokahc A. ton n'r'
"A package. He can smoke thow down
to point or throw them aWaN T'H
case does not take much ruom ~ 'F
pocket or kit. The ash is lU- -n.''
cant. All things are made as .o"''-
nient and comfortable for him IS g
sible. Then necessity and p0nI'ar'. y.
which few men really have ,r".r-''
OF mind to resist. come in and '''-
the matter.
PAIL RAETHoInN. ~ tn