TOBACCO AS A MILD STIMULANT.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 170, 25 November 1876, Page 2

TOBACCO AS A MILD STIMULANT.

[cope’s tobacco plant.] Cosimon stimulants, such as tea and coffee, afford us a marvellous instance of an ignorant physiological instinct, for we find that vegetable infusions containing the same principles as these common beverages have been resorted to by the natives of every known country. In Central America the Indian of native blood indulges in his ancient chocolate ; the North American tribes have their Appalachian tea and their tea of Salvador. In the United States, and through all the West India Isles, the European races now naturalized quaff their cups of coffee, Europe, as well, has chosen its common beverages. Spain and Italy drink chocolate; France, Germany, Sweden, and Turkey, coffee ; Holland, England, and Russia, tea; whilst miserable Ireland makes its drink of cocoahusks, the refuse of the chocolate mills of Italy and Spain. . Everywhere, in fact, non intoxicating,, slightly stimulating drinks are consumed. . The habit must supply some general want ©f our nature, as these beverages contain essentially the same chemical compounds; and surely parallel facts can be gathered respecting the use of tobacco. The North American Indians are described by Fennimore Cooper as smoking their calumet in solemn silence ; the Chinese, the Russians, the Italian, the negro, and

all races smoke. The ■ Irish men (and women in the poorer districts) are pictured by Leech and others with their inseparable pipes. The poor of this country consume large quantities of tobacco ; the rich, the student; the idler, the soldier, sailor, and traveller) almost without exception, find comfort in their pipe. A story is told of Dr Johnston, of M T hom it is said that he never smoked his pipe, without first thanking God for the blessing. Surety, from all this it is manifest we have yet to learn what is the special function of tobacco, and why it has been used and is used in all countries) that everywhete the poor and wretched, the aged and the cripple, will make a sacrifice, even of nutritious food, for tobacco in some form. All this looks like the influence of some deep-seated necessity. In discussing such a subject as this, it is only fair to the opponents of smoking to consider their chief objection to its use. A terrible form of blindness called amaurosis has been ascribed to the use of tobacco ; but the evidence of cause and effect is so difficult to rightly adjust, that probably the extreme scarcity of instances of this form of blindness is ■ a sufficient proof that there has been some other cause for this condition, or surely, amongst a nation of smokers, we should find but few with perfect sight; whereas, it must be evident to the most superficial reasoning, that many great smokers live to a great age without any impairment of vision. Indigestion is another malady which is frequently attributed to tobacco; but here again the same reasoning will hold true, as our utterly unscientific and often disgusting way of living, to which we are all subject, must necessarily be responsible for any derangement of that important function, far more than smoking. Even the most earnest opponents of tobacco must accept the evidence of those who use tobacco, that it is a sedative either to the mind or body. A man conics in after an anxious day in the City, sits down in his chair, far from the busy hum of men, and, if he be a smoker, he can take his pipe and rest; and undoubtedly the positive gain to his body by this repose far overcomes any objection which can possibly be raised to the injurious effects of tobacco. And here it will be worth while to think, how and by what means we can surety enjoy smoking. The simple fact of chewing tobacco must necessitate the swallowing of a small portion of nicotine; and for this reason, .no doubt, the humble pipe is far preferable to the cigar, because in using the latter we of course chew as well as smoke, unless, of course, a holder is used ; whereas, witli a pipe, it is only the smoke which comes into contact with us. Here a word may be said as to the urgent necessity of keeping ohr pipes clean, which can be readily managed by means of a little sjairit, which will at once, by being placed in the bowl of the pipe (the end of the stem being plugged), dissolve the essential oil of the tobacco, and leave the pipe clean and sweet.