Evening star., 1943-01-27
Hypo Cigarettes
Found 10 Relieve
Smokers Coughs
Glasgow University
Doctor Conducts Tests
With Nicotine Groins
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Staff Correspondent.

cigarettes for persons with per-
siStent cigarette coughs. asthma and
similar conditions may develop
from series of experiments Just
completed at the University of GlaS-
gov.
Injection with hypodermic
needle Of 50th of grain of
nicotine three or four times a dav
mas about the same psychological
and physical effect as a pack of
cigarettes and in few days re-
moves or greatly lessons the de-
sire to smoke, according to a report
Just made to the British Medical
Association by Dr.. LennOx NJ. john
son OF the university faculty. He
used himself and 35 volunteers as
subjects
After little practice. he says, in
lection OF from a 500th to a 750th
Of a grain gave him about the same
| satisfaction as couple of deep in
halatlonS Of cigarette smoke.
Cigarette Cough.
In the majority Of persons. he eX-
plains. the cigarette cough" is prac-
lcally impossible to cure since this
requires giving up smoking. Few
confirmed smokers will do so for
more than few days at time.
If they protest that they have, the
chances are they are lying.
Also, he says, the average patient
refuses to believe the physician
when he is told that cigarettes are
responsible for his persistent. hack
ing cough which is likely to be worse
here during the damp British winter
than almost anywhere else on earth.
Instead, they will try to convince
themselves and try to convince the
doctor also that the condition is
due to damp, draughtS, dust fumes.
colds or gassing during the last war.
Now, DR.. johnson says, there is
no reason why men should be made
to endure what is often the torture
of enforced abstinence. He himself
and about half of his volunteer sub
jectS were heavy cigarette smokers.
Now some Of them actually prefer
the hypodermic injections. They
get no more nicotine than before
into their systems and hence are
not doing themselves any more
harm, and the irritation to the
throat is ended.
Describes Sensation.
For the non-smoker given
f1ftieth of a grain, he saws, there is
a curious sensation which is entirely
unlike that obtained from injections
Of codeine or morphine 1t is usual
" described as a Eight headed
muzziness" and is rather disagree
able. The veteran smoker does not
get this sensation and almost in
variably is pleased with the effect.
This begins to be noticed in about
a fifteenth of a second and may
last for l to minutes.
The only disagreeable feature, he
says, is a temporary burning at the
site Of the injection. A similar
effect, he found. can be obtained
by drinking about a fifteenth Of a
grain well-diluted in water. but it
usually takes about IS minutes to
makes its appearance.
Allowing for the varying nicotine
content of different tobaccos, DR..
johnson says, it can be calculated
that heavy smoker gets into his
system about a tenth of a grain
daily, and there need be no concern
if the dosage does not exceed this.
The experiments leave little
doubt, he says, that what smokers
fundamentally crave is the nicotine
itself, not the mere satisfaction of
smoking. They also throw light on
the nature of the smoking habit.
Vicious Cycle.
The first effect of nicotine. he
says, seems to be a stimulation of
the SenSory cells Of the brain. The
craving for fresh cigarette comes
as soon as this begins to give way
as almost any kind of stimulation
invariably doeS-to an equal degree
Of depression.
The heavier the smoking the
greater the stimulation. and hence
the greater the depression engen-
dered craving. 1t is the familiar
vicious cycle Of all drug habits
But DR.. johnson is not cruSading
against cigarettes per Sc, or urging
that they be replaced by his hypo-
dermic injections except in special
cases and then under the direction
OF physicians. He has only sought to
find one way in which cigarettes.
at least temporarily, can be done
without.