Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1918-12-04
A Few Facts About Tobacco.
Result Of the Life Extension lnsti-
tute's Investigation as Given in
Nicotine Next" by Fred
erick William Roman.

Suggestions for Lesson on Anti-Nar-
cotics.
Tobacco is plant quite as poison
Gus as the deadly night-shade. Indeed
its active principle, nicotine, is the
second only to pruss'c acid in the
rapidity of its fatal effect. One drop
on the unbroken skin of a rabbit has
caused death, and fatal results from
external application of tobacco to
human beings are recorded. One cigar
may contain enough nicotine to kill
a man if the entire quantity be taken
internally.
1t is claimed by some that the nico
tine is destroyed in the process of
smoking, but the weight of evidence
is against this conclusion. a sufficient
amount of nicotine is absorbed be-
fore it is destroyed by burning to
make it drug factor. There is also
formed in the process of burning,
pyridin, a poisonous substance used
to denature alcohol and render it I'M
fit for internal use. Furfural is also
formed in the process Of burning to-
bacco. This substance is found in fu
sci OIL and is a source of danger in
improperly aged whisky. The smoke
of one cig&ret may contain as much
furfural as two ounces of bad whisky.
Experiments on rabbits which have
been compelled By an ingenious appa-
ratus to smoke cigaret tobacco from
SIX to eight hours daily, showed the
of degenerative chang
es similar to those produced by the
injection of nicotine, the most i'm
portant being hardening OF the blood
vessels.
Nicotine at first Slows the heart
and increases the blood pressure, sub
seQuently the blood pressure is low
cred and the heart action becomes
rapid. The effect on the brain is es
sentially narcotic, or depressing.
Those whose thoughts flow more rea-
Oily under the use of tobacco are
simply in the same case with any
other habitue whose thoughts can not
flow readily except under the accus-
toned indulgence. That sound and
healthy man, who has never been ac-
customed to the use of tobacco, can
do better mental or physical work
with tobacco than without it has new
er been shown. Indeed, the expert
ments that we have quoted show the
contrary.
Experiments on animals with nico-
tine extracts of tobacco, and the in
halation of tobacco smoke, have pro-
duced hardening of the large arte
ries. Many clinicians have observed
these same conditions apparently
brought about in man by heavy smok-
ing.
Some of the unfavorable effects
noted by physicians are as follows:
Heart and Circulation: Disturb
ance of the blood pressure rapid
heart action, shortness of breath, pal
pitation of the heart, pain in the re-
gion Of the heart. So-called tobacco
heart is a very serious condition.
While the cessation of the use of to-
bacco may restore normal conditions
death may occur as a result of any
strain while the condition Is
present. How many deaths have oc-
Cured from typhoid and from Sur
gical operations among those who
have injured the nervous mechanism
of their circulation by tobacco will
never be known, but surgeons have
noted instances of failure to rally
after operations among cigaret smo-
kers. In such cases recovery has been
postponed until the accustomed in
diligence was supplied.
Acid dyspepsia, insomnia, catarrhal
conditions of the nose, throat and ear
and even blindness, have followed the
excessive use of tobacco.
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