IS SMOKING INJURIOUS TO HEALTH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 16 May 1884, Page 2

IS SMOKING INJURIOUS TO HEALTH .

Although the above important question ;<is so • frequently asked, more especially of medical men, yet ;their replies are as a general rale.either, of a vague or dogmatic nature ; . that' is' anything but satisfactory. There has been unlimited discussion respecting the injurious effects of smoking, lever, since the introduction of tobacco; and a great deal of nonsense has unfortunately been' urged by enthusiasts on both sldesi Home have praised tobacco far beyond its merits; while others have so enlarged upon its injmiouaand

poisonous qualities as to make one wohder that auybody who smokes should be left alive at all. The chemical constituents of tobacco are three, the due consideration .of Ywhich is highly important. They are :■-(]) A volatile oil; (2) a volatile alkali; (3) an empyreumatic oil. .The volatile oil, although in minute quantities, has a most powerful action on the physical system, even in tho smallest dose; and when taken :int«rnally,, gives rise to nausea with,giddiness, The volatile alkali is.nicotine, -possessing narcotic and very poisonous qualities; so much so indeed, that a single drop of it is sufficient to kill a. dog. 'ln a purely physiological sense,. smoking, acts as follows:—(1) The heart's action becomes lowered ; (2): the elimina--tion of carbonic acid is diminished, thus interfering with the respiratory power; (3) the waste of the body is checked, and .digestion to a certain extent impeded. Instances are recorded of persons killing themselves by smoking, seven teen or even eighteen pipes at. a" sitting. In the course of unimportant discussion that took place between Sir .Roland Martin, Mr Solly/ Dr Banking,..and other scientific physicians, the following important results were arrived at with respect to smoking:—(l) That tho habit is only prejudicial when carried to excess; (2) that tobacco is innocuous as compared with alchohol, and in no case worse than ten, and by the side of high living, contrasts most favorably. Whether smoking is or is riot injurious to health depends principally upon tho following conditions:—(l) The kind of tobacco smoked; (2) the manner in which it is consumed; (3) the amount of tobacco smoked; and lastly, when it is indulged in,; The object is to obtain a tobacco which possesses tho least percentage of nicotine. It was,form believed that the best varieties Havana and Turkish tobacco were tho most innocuous. According, however, to the recent exhaustive researches of Dr George Harley, F.R.S.,it appears that the more delicate the-aroma of tobacco, the more poisonous it becotr.es. Dr Harley is also of opinion that "Caporal" tobacco contains ■; the least nicotine, and is consequently to bo preferred by those desirous of health. Pipes made of clay and meerschaums —not foul—are, Dr Richardson considers, in a hygienic point of view, far superior to cigars and cigarettes. N either cigars nor cigarettes should ever bo smoked near the end, as the nicotine then is discharged into the mouth in larger proportions. 51, Melsens, a very distinguished chemist, is of the opinion that a plug of cotton-wool saturated with a solution of strong citric or tannic acid should be inserted in the stem of the pipe, cigar, or cigarette holder, By this precaution the smoko' is effectually, filtered ere it reaches the month, as the nicotine would then be seized by and combined with the acid, It is impossible to lay down any rule as to the amount of tobacco which may be consumed without a deleterious effect upon the health, What would be moderation to one is often excess to another, according to temperament, habit, and individual peculiarities. Each person ought to l;e able to judge for himself as to what is moderation, The best time for smoking is undoubtedly after a meal, and the most injurious on an empty stomach.—" Chambers' Journal."