"THE DREADFUL WEED"

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1815, 30 July 1913, Page 10

"THE DREADFUL WEED"

EVILS OF SMOKING.

VIEWS OF A LADY DOCTOR. (13y Tclegrapli.-Special Corrcspfindent.) Auckland, July :!!). A lecture on tobacco and its evils was given by Dr. Florence Keller, which contained interesting matter dealing with tho history of tobacco. Dr. Keller pointed out that tho "dreadful weed" had been a gift from tho heathenism of the West Indies to the .so-called Christian nations of tlie world. Sho showed how the tobacco {libit had prevailed over tho prohibitory laws of smcli rulers as James I of Lngluml, and tlie all-powerful Duke of Aloscuw, She stated her opinion that smoking was a habit both I liought-destroyiiiy, and foul-dc.stroying. When the burning of tobacco in cigars and cigarettes produced such poisonous products as iin.-isio acid, carbonic acid, nicotine, and the oil of tobacco, most ol w.'ndi products caino in contact with the absorbent cells of llio lungs, she could nut see that smoking could be other than harmful to the system. S'lio had seen dozens of small boys picking up cigar and cigarcttc "butts" oil the sidewalks and in the gutters of Chicago, and had been credibly informed that these "butts" w.cro sold to manufacturers, who treated them and had them made into cigars and cigarettes. for tho market. Then, too, tho papers of the cigarettes were frequently soaked in cocaino in order to malts tho smoke "soothing." A remarkable thing was the growth of cigarotto smoking. T'lio iirst cigarette was manufactured in 187(i, only 1)7 years ago, yet last year' in New York alone fifteen million cigarettes were sold tho, men, women, and children of New York. Dr. Keller remarked that in every case of cancer of tlie lips the patient hod been, a smoker, and that it was the general opinion of tho medical profession .that smoking was injurious. Respecting its menial effect, sho referred to the banishment of tobacco from tho I'olytcchnio School of Paris by Napoleon 111, becauso ho had discovered that every boy who failed in the school was a smoker, and she stated that for the last 15 years not a student had graduated with honours at Harvard University who had used tobacco. Incidentally she deplored the spread of tho tobacco habit to women, and mentioned that she frequently observed tho telltale yellow tingo on the lingers of women ■ who caino to consult her at her office in Auckland. Eveji thoso engaged in tho tobacco business, she said, recognised that smoking was injurious, and in support of that sho quoted an instanco that had oome under her notice. Sonio of tlie tobacco firms offered premiums for tlie collection of tags from boxes of cigarettes of their make. A boy collected 15,000 tags of a particular brand, and w.roto to tho manager of tho firm in Pennsylvania, asking wliero lie should send them, and what tho premium or priae would be. Tho reply was, "Our firm does not give premiums, but if you smoke 15,000 mora boxes of cigarettes wo will send you a coffin. When yon have smoked 10,000 semi its your measurement, so that it will be a sure lit." After quoting other personal observations of the effect of using tobacco, Dr. Keller concluded by saying that sho liad, when a child, heard an old couple say, "Tobacco is a filthy weed, of wliicii the devil sowed tho seed," and sho believed it was true.