TOBACCO. BY F. N. WRIGHT, M. D., of New York city. I wish to call your attention for a few moments to a habit which has become the besetting sin of the day, and, of all oral indulgences, is the greatest enemy of physical life. The habit I refer to is the use of tobacco. This is the most potent enemy of right physical, if not right moral, character which is making popular warfare against the interests of the American people. There is no foe to human society that is so enticing, so enslaving or so invincible. The question is often propounded, "for what was tobacco made?" It is asked evidently for the purpose of proving that because it is a natural production it is proper to use it for smoking, chewing and snuffing. But is every thing that is made, or, in other words, that is a natural product every thing that grows on the soil-to be used as a luxury? If so, opium grows, and, therefore, should be chewed, or otherwise habitually used. Deadly-nightshade and henbane are productions of nature, and should these, therefore, become habitual luxuries? Tobacco, doubtless, with other kindred poisons, was intended for medicinal purposes. It is one of the most powerful agents that grows. It is one of the very strongest of poisons. It possesses about three times the power of opium in the same form. Tobacco is a narcotic and stimulant. Its character in this respect resembles that of opium, but, as just stated, is greater. It gives an unhealthy stimulus to the nervous system, which is followed by a narcotic or deadening influence. Its narcotic and paralyzing power is not easily discerned while its stimulus is kept up, nor is the reacting and debilitating influence of alcohol detected while some degree of its intoxication is continued. But let any one long accustomed to the stimulus of tobacco cease to use it for forty-eight hours, and he will probably have a fair experience of its narcotic and destroying power. The whole nervous system will be found prostrated, the power of muscular exertion greatly diminished, and the mind exceedingly deranged and prostrated. It gradually supplants the vital energies of the body. Natural vitality is being driven out and the narcotic stimulus of tobacco is taking its place. Genuine vitality is being dispersed and wasted and a counterfeit is being furnished. Instead of a healthy electric fluid circulating throughout the nerves, instead of a healthy vital force pervading the nervous system, there is found the deadly narcotic power of this poison sending its exciting and paralyzing influence into every nerve of the body. Tobacco destroys life by its direct attack on the vital forces; in other words, the nervous circulation or electrical currents of the body. It strikes a deadly blow upon the very foundation of animal vitality. Its first attack is on the nervous system, and then, through the medium of the nerves, it sends by degrees its destroying power into all the fluids and solids of the whole body. Look at its exhibitions in those who, for the first time, use it. See what awful prostration of the nerves follow. See how the powers of Nature rouse themselves to repel the attack. Not only extreme prostration of the nerves of the stomach ensues, but we find that organ rousing all its crippled energies to oppose the attack, by vomiting up the deadly foe. It is one of the most unnatural and poisonous things that can be taken into the mouth. Its principal chemical ingredient is Nicotine. It belongs to the same order of poisonous plants with Thorn Apple, Henbane and Deadly Night-shade. Tobacco as truly intoxicates the nerves and brain as does Alcohol. The word "intoxicate" is derived from the Greek words 66 en " and "toxon." The toxon was an arrow dipped in poison to render its wound more certainly fatal. He who had received this into his flesh was intoxicated. He, too, who receives any other poison into his system has a measure of intoxication proportioned to its power and quantity. Tobacco being a more powerful poison than any other used by the known world as a luxury, it therefore more powerfully intoxicates the system than any other. Though it is not now pushed to an extent which results in immediate insanity like alcohol, yet its tendency is that way. The degree of morbid excitement which it produces is not generally known. The smoking of a single cigar will create such a degree of fever as to increase the number of the pulse from fifteen to twenty beats in a minute. The pulse which beats naturally seventy strokes per minute, will be increased to eighty-five or ninety. Such, too, is the effect of chewing. No one can be constantly provoking such a febrile action of the system without gradually exhausting the forces of physical life. The habit of using this article tends to lessen its immediately perceptible effect. But what is the true philosophy of this? How is it that a man by habit can use such a quantity and not kill himself outright? The answer presents a fearful truth. It is this: The habit of using it tends to stupify and paralyze the immediate sensibility of the nervous system to its properties. The more it is used the less vivid are the nervous susceptibilities to it. This deadening process is going on as long as the tobacco continues to be used. And in the latter part of life, if not before, its deadly workings will more clearly develop themselves in local diseases, or in the form of a broken constitution. The habitual use of any poison will produce analogous results. Habitual opium-eaters so overcome the susceptibility of the nervous system to an immediate recognition of the narcotic power of this drug, that they only perceive its stimulating properties, and verily think they are made better by its use. So, too, persons may for a long time continue taking arsenic till they can bear a quantity that would destroy the life of two or three persons who should divide the same quantity between them for a first dose. In like manner as the continuance in crime tends to stupefy the conscience, so the continuance of poisons to the body blunts its susceptibility to impressions. Want of conscience, or its obtuseness by oft repeated crime, does not relieve the weight of real guilt, nor do oft repeated poisons to the body diminish their intrinsic power. Though unseen for a time their inundating forces upon the foundations of health and life will finally manifest themselves. Although men paralyze the susceptibility of their nerves to its perceptible power, yet its poison is there, and takes permanent lodgment in the system. The habit of using it does not lessen its really poisonous property, but only the susceptibility of the nerves to take cognizance of its presence and destructive potency. The use of tobacco, as already stated, not only strikes a deadly blow on the nerves, but sends its essences throughout all the fluids of the body. The tobacco flavors, denoting the presence of its essential properties, can be detected in the blood taken from a tobacco user's veins. Every drop of blood that passes through his heart, that circulates through his arteries and flows back through his veins, is flavored and impregnated with the essence of this drug. From this tobacconized blood the secretions of the various glands and membranes of the whole body are made; so that every drop of the fluids of the whole system becomes saturated with it. It has already been stated that the proper place for tobacco is upon the list of medicinal agents. But it has too often been proposed for such a purpose where it was exceedingly ill-advised. Medical men have often shown themselves, in this respect, great novices in science and in matters of common sense. This article has often been prescribed where the remedy was infinitely worse than the disease. Many have said: "Tobacco was recommended to me by a physician to cure a watery stomach." The first objection to its use in any such case, or, indeed, in any other case by mouth, is, it never cures the disease. The second objection is, it is never taken like other medicines and then laid aside. All that can be done or that is generally needed in such a case is abstaining from the cause which produced and prolonged the difficulty, and giving nature a chance to relieve herself of the disease. Instead of advising this, some medical men have not only allowed their patients to continue the unlawful burden upon nature's back, but have piled on an additional and heavier one in the form of habitual drugging with tobacco. And yet they never in this way obtain a cure. A man takes this so-called medicine for forty years, perhaps, but gets no cure. Let him cease tobacco and he will find his disease still in existence. Tobacco only covers up the fire, but never puts it out. He has taken the doctor's medicine faithfully, many times a day, for forty years, but has yet gained no cure. How long would a man of common sense take the physician's prescription of any other medicine, and finding no cure be willing to continue it? Should he be willing to take ipecac, calomel or jalap thirty or forty years, eight or ten doses per day, without any signs of cure? Tobacco allays the morbid state of the stomach, not by creating a healthy action, but by creating a greater morbid action. The tobacco disease is so much greater than the one for which it was taken, that it puts the former complaint into the shade; it merely covers it up, where it is not noticed till the tobacco is discontinued. There is no medical man that will deny that tobacco must, in all cases, whether used as a luxury or preventive, or cure, create, of itself, a morbid action of the system. It would be strange policy for the world to adopt that for fear of some disease which might come, we must create some disease to forestall it. Following this reasoning, men have used tobacco and alcohol for the professed purpose of warding off contagions and epidemics. But such a course is an outrage on nature, reason and science. If we want nature to stand her ground through thick and thin, let her have her own way unmolested; do not abuse her in any way; do not disturb her healthy functions; create no morbid actions in any of her departments. She is bound to make the best efforts to ward off disease and maintain her healthy condition. Let her do it in her own way. If she falters or is overcome, then, and not till then, give her help. While she can stand on her own feet all help is hindrance. If we are afraid of disease, obey all the laws of nature, and we are in the best possible condition to remain in health. Tobacco destroys health in several ways. One way is, by its immediate attack, as already shown, on the nervous system; it gives an unnatural impetus to the circulation; it excites unwonted speed of action which it has no power to sustain. In this respect it acts like any other stimulant. Stimulants of any kind are unnatural agents; they push on, but cannot support the electric forces of the animal economy; they excite temporarily, but exhaust ultimately; they push nature beyond her wonted speed and then leave her to react and fall back into ultimate exhaustion and debility. Besides its stimulating properties, tobacco possesses a powerful narcotic agency. Like opium, after its exciting properties are exhibited, there follows a stupefying quality. This preys powerfully, yet often for a long time imperceptibly, on the brain and nerves. It is often very difficult to get men to perceive this effect. While they keep themselves excited by its stimulus, they cannot easily recognize its stupefying and paralyzing powers; but let them cease for a little space to use as before stated, and its paralyzing influence will manifest itself. Tobacco also enters into the circulation and destroys the properties of the blood. It enters into the secretions of all the glands. Hence, tobacco users are often found having diseases of the liver, kidneys and other glandular organs. The secretions of the mucous membrane which lines the mouth, stomach and bowels are often severely affected by it. In this way, together with its prostration influence on the nervous and muscular coats of the stomach, and its agency in producing torpidity of the liver, many a case of chronic indigestion has occurred, even in persons of active habits, where nothing else could have produced it. Not only is dyspepsia, with its train of thousand ailments, produced by its effects on this continuous mucous membrane which lines the mouth, stomach and bowels, but piles, of the severest character, are often suffered. Such is the sympathy of this membrane, one portion with another, that the paralyzing influence due from tobacco on the membrane of the mouth is transmitted to its opposite extremity, and develops itself in the form of piles. Cases have not unfrequently come under observation, where men have seemed as yet to enjoy health in all respects, except that of extreme suffering of this kind, and this from no other apparent cause than the use of tobacco. In such cases all attempts at cure without removing the cause would be like trying to prevent a man's hand from blistering while he was holding it in a flame of fire. This poison disturbs the natural tone of all the solid parts of the body. It is diffused throughout all the matter composing the system. It so disturbs the natural secretion and deposit of healthy matter that where the flesh sustains an injury by cuts or bruises, it cannot as readily heal as in cases of healthy flesh. The more perfectly healthy the habits of the person who has sustained the injury of wounds, the more easily and rapidly will they heal. But where a morbid state of the fluids, and consequently of the flesh by such a powerful agent, exists, the healing of wounds is liable to be greatly retarded. The same rule obtains also in the healing of bones. In addition to its deadly work on internal organs, and the general circulation of the fluids of the body, its effects are found on the surface. The skin is constantly impregnated with it, and is giving off its essences through the exhalent vessels. The perspiration, whether sensible or insensible, is tinctured with it. It prepares the skin to imbibe other hurtful agencies from the atmosphere; and not only this, but the skin of the user of tobacco is constantly giving off influences detrimental to those who are in close contact with him. The man who uses it-other things being equal - is more liable to be affected by any atmospheric disease. The morbid condition of the skin, as well as internal surfaces, exposes the system to miasmatic and epidemic influences, which otherwise nature could wholly or comparatively ward off. Tobacco injures the constitution materially, also, by perverting the healthy activity of the glands of the mouth. These glands are made for a specific purpose; to supply saliva, to be mixed with the food intended for nourishment of the body. While the food is being finely masticated by the teeth, these glands throw out their fluid, and it becomes intimately mixed with the fine particles of the morsel, and prepares it for the labor of the stomach. Without the intimate mixture of this fluid with the finely broken particles of the food, it is impossible that what we eat shall fully answer the purpose for which it should be taken. The organs intended for its digestion cannot faithfully perform their several offices upon it. They cannot extract the proper amount of nourishment from it. The food consequently passes through the system without imparting that amount of nutrition for which nature has designed it. Tobacco usurps the whole service of these glands, and stealthily carries off their secretions from their appropriate purpose. It causes the chewer to throw away this health-sustaining, life-preserving fluid. He is spitting away an essential element of his vitality. This shows the great value of saliva for the purposes of life and health; its great service in the digestive process, and the extraction |