THE TOBACCO CONTROVERSY.

Southland Times, Issue 1120, 8 March 1869, Page 3

THE TOBACCO CONTROVERSY.

A certain number of persons are so constituted that tobacco is a veritable poison to them in any dose, even the smallest. Such persons are never free throughout their whole career as smokers from symptoms which incontestibly evidence the existence of a process of narcotic poisoning. Even if they conquer the tendency to nausea which at first aftects them, they suffer, although smoking ever so moderately, from chronic languor, giddiness, dyspepsia, cold feet, or even from decided, though perhaps slight, symptoms of paralysis of sensation. It is of no use for such persons to suspend smoking for a time ; their only safety lies in giving it up at ones and for ever. We feel sure that the too prevalent habit of excessive smoking debilitates a large number of men by producing an enfeeblement of the nervous system. We are certain that it is improper to subject the organism to the action of tobacco at. ail during its period of development, and especially before and during the establishment of puberty. And we cannot ignore the fact that, over and above its graver physical effects, excessive smoking tends to withdraw men from the field of steady and serious action into that of dreamy self-enwrapped meditation, and it too of tea militates again st the performance of those unselfish' duties of social intercourse which makes" u{) the happiness of home lifer IJpdri this ground} as well as on t^atof * the- physical irtjurieg produced by excess

the enemies of tofaccc bave an unquestionable stroug case, but if they would hope to gain the support of seriotfs scientific thiukunj, they must cease to make improbable statements, and to draw illogical inferences from one set of phenomena to others which are utterly unconnected with them. — ' The Lancet.'