AN ESSAY ON THE INFLUENCE OF TOBACCO UPON LIFE AND HEALTH. BY R. D. MUSSEY, M. D. Price ten cents. AN ESSAY ON THE INFLUENCE OF TOBACCO UPON LIFE AND HEALTH. BY R. D. MUSSEY, M. D. Professor of Anatomy and Surgery in the Medical Institution of New Hampshire, at Dartmouth College; Professor of Surgery and Obstetrics in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in the Western District of the State of New York; President of the New Hampshire Medical Society; Fellow of the American Academy of Sciences; and Associate of the College of Physicians at Philadelphia. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY PERKINS & MARVIN. PHILADELPHIA: HENRY PERKINS. 1836. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1836, By PERKINS & MARVIN, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. ESSAY ON TOBACCO. In the great kingdom of living nature, man is the only animal that seeksto poison or destroy his own instincts, to turn topsy-turvy the laws ofhis being, and to make himself as unlike, as possible, that which he wasobviously designed to be. No satisfactory solution of this extraordinary propensity has beengiven, short of a reference to that-- "first disobedience and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world and all our wo, With loss of Eden. " While the myriads of sentient beings, spread over the earth, adhere, with unyielding fidelity, to the laws of their several existences, man exerts his superior intellect in attempting to outwit nature, and to show that she has made an important mistake, in his own case. Not satisfied with the symmetry and elegance of form given him by hisCreator, he transforms himself into a hideous monster, or copies uponhis own person, the proportions of some disgusting creature, far downin the scale of animal being. Not content with loving one thing andloathing another, he perseveres in his attempts to make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter, till nothing but the shadow is left, of his primitiverelishes and aversions. This is strikingly exemplified in the habitualuse of the narcotic or poisonous vegetables. _History. _ Tobacco is generally regarded as having originated in America. Its nameappears to have been derived from _Tabaco_, a province of _Yucatan_, inMexico, from which place it is said to have been first sent to Spain;or, as some assert, though with less probability, from an instrumentnamed _Tabaco_, employed in Hispaniola in smoking this article. Cortez sent a specimen of it to the king of Spain in 1519. Sir FrancisDrake is said to have introduced it into England about the year 1560, and, not far front the same time, John Nicot carried it to France; andItaly is indebted to the Cardinal Santa Croce for its first appearancein that country. Traces of an ancient custom of smoking dried herbs having been observed, it has been suggested that tobacco might have been in use in Asia, longbefore the discovery of America. The fact, however, that this plantretains, under slight modifications, the name of tobacco, in a largenumber of Asiatic as well as European dialects, renders almost certainthe commonly received opinion, that it emanated from this country, andfrom this single origin has found its way into every region of theearth, where it is at present known. If this be the fact, the Westernhemisphere has relieved itself of a part of the obligation due to theEastern, for the discovery and diffusion of distilled spirit. Early in the history of our country, the cultivation and use oftobacco were by no means confined to central America. In Hawkins' voyageof 1655, the use of this article in Florida is thus described: "TheFloridians, when they travele, have a kind of herbe dryed, which, witha cane and an earthen cup in the end, with fire and the dryed herbesput together, do sucke thorow the cane the smoke thereof, which smokesatisfieth their hunger. " Still earlier, viz. In 1535, Cartier found itin Canada: "There groweth a certain kind of herbe, whereof in sommer, they make great provision for all the yeere, making great account of it, and onely men use it; and first they cause it to be dried in the sunne, then weare it about their necks wrapped in a little beaste's skinne, made like a little bagge, with a hollow peece of stone or wood like apipe; then when they please they make powder of it, and then put it inone of the ends of said cornet or pipe, and laying a cole of fire uponit, at the other end sucke so long, that they fill their bodies full ofsmoke, till that it cometh out of their mouth and nostrils, even as outof the tonnele of a chimney. " In Great Britain the progress of the custom of using tobacco was notunobserved. The civil and ecclesiastical powers were marshalled againstit, and Popish anathemas and Royal edicts with the severest penalties, not excepting death itself, were issued. In the reigns of Elizabeth, ofJames and of his successor Charles, the use and importation of tobaccowere made subjects of legislation. In addition to his Royal authority, the worthy and zealous king James threw the whole weight of his learningand logic against it, in his famous 'Counterblaste to Tobacco. ' Hespeaks of it as being "a sinneful and shameful lust"--as "a branch ofdrunkennesse"--as "disabling both persons and goods"--and in conclusiondeclares it to be "a custome loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black andstinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke ofthe pit that is bottomlesse. " In the English colonies of North America, it is no wonder thatlegislation was resorted to, for the purpose of regulating the use ofthis article, when it had become an object of so much value, as that"one hundred and twenty pounds of good leaf tobacco" would purchasefor a Virginian planter a good and choice wife just imported fromEngland. In one of the provincial governments of New England, a law waspassed, forbidding any person "under _twenty-one_ years of age, or anyother, that hath not already accustomed himself to the use thereof, totake any tobacko untill he hath brought a certificate under the handsof some who are approved for knowledge and skill in phisick, that itis useful for him, and also that hee hath received a lycense from theCourte for the same. And for the regulating of those, who either bytheir former taking it, have to their own apprehensions, made itnecessary to them, or uppon due advice are persuaded to the usethereof, -- "_It is ordered_, that no man within this colonye, after the publication hereof, shall take any tobacko publiquely in the streett, high wayes or any barne yardes, or uppon training dayes, in any open places, under the penalty of six-pence for each offence against this order, in any the particulars thereof, to bee paid without gainsaying, uppon conviction, by the testimony of one witness, that is without just exception, before any one magistrate. And the constables in the severall townes are required to make presentment to each particular courte, of such as they doe understand, and can evict to bee transgressors of this order. " In the old Massachusetts colony laws, is an act with a penalty for those, who should "smoke tobacco within twenty poles of any house, or shalltake tobacco at any Inn or victualling house, except in a private room, so as that neither the master nor any guest shall take offence thereat. " In the early records of Harvard University is a regulation ordering that"no scholar shall take tobacco unless permitted by the President, withthe consent of his parents, on good reason first given by a physician, and then only in a sober and private manner. " At a town-meeting in Portsmouth, N. H. In 1662, it was "ordered thata cage be built, or some other means devised, at the discretion of theSelectmen, to punish such as take tobacco on the Lord's day, in timeof publick service. " But it does not appear that this measure had allthe effect intended, for, ten years afterwards, the town "voted that ifany person shall smoke tobacco in the meeting-house during religiousservice, he shall pay a fine of five shillings for the use of the town. " But all these forces have been vanquished, and this one weed is theconqueror. Regardless of collegial and town regulations, of provinciallaws, and of royal, parliamentary and papal power, tobacco has kept onits way, till it has encircled the earth, and now holds in slavery alarger number of human minds than any other herb. _Effects of Tobacco upon Animal Life. _ To the organs of smell and taste in their natural condition, it is oneof the most disgusting and loathsome of all the products of thevegetable kingdom. [1] [Footnote 1: This is proved by applying it to these organs in infancy, among those children whose parents do not use tobacco. Caspar Hausser, who was fed wholly on farinaceous food and water, from infancy to theage of sixteen or seventeen years, was made sick to vomiting by walkingfor a "considerable time by the side of a tobacco field. "] Dr. Franklin ascertained, that the oily material, which floats upon thesurface of water, upon a stream of tobacco smoke being passed into it, is capable, when applied to the tongue of a cat, of destroying life ina few minutes. Mr. Brodie applied one drop of the empyreumatic oil of tobacco to thetongue of a cat; it occasioned immediate convulsions and an acceleratedbreathing. Five minutes after, the animal lay down on the side, andpresented, from time to time, slight convulsive movements. A quarter ofan hour after, it appeared recovered. The same quantity of the oil wasapplied again, and the animal died in two minutes. In December, 1833, aided by several gentlemen of the medical class, andoccasionally in the presence of other individuals, I made a number ofexperiments upon cats and other animals, with the distilled oil oftobacco. EXPERIMENT 1. A small drop of the oil was rubbed upon the tongue of a large cat. Immediately the animal uttered piteous cries and began to froth atthe mouth. In 1 minute the pupils of the eyes were dilated and the respiration was laborious. " 2-1/2 do. Vomiting and staggering. " 4 do. Evacuations; the cries continued, the voice hoarse and unnatural. " 5 do. Repeated attempts at vomiting. " 7 do. Respiration somewhat improved. At this time a large drop was rubbed upon the tongue. In an instantthe eyes were closed, the cries were stopped, and the breathing wassuffocative and convulsed. In one minute the ears were in rapidconvulsive motion, and, presently after, tremors and violent convulsionsextended over the body and limbs. In three and an half minutes theanimal fell upon the side senseless and breathless, and the heart hadceased to beat. Slight tremors of the voluntary muscles, particularly of the limbs, continued, more or less, for nineteen minutes after the animal was dead. Those of the right side were observed to be more and longer affectedthan those of the left. Half an hour after death the body was opened, and the stomach andintestines were found to be contracted and _firm_, as from a violentand permanent spasm of the muscular coat. The lungs were empty andcollapsed. The left side of the heart, the aorta and its great brancheswere loaded with black blood. The right side of the heart and the twocavæ contained some blood, but were not distended. The pulmonary arterycontained only a small quantity of blood. The blood was every wherefluid. EXPERIMENT 2. A cat was the subject of this experiment. The general effects were verymuch like those in the last, excepting, perhaps, that the oil operatedwith a little less energy. This cat was said to have lived for severalyears, in a room almost perpetually fumigated with tobacco smoke. Thehistory of the animal employed in Experiment 1, was unknown. EXPERIMENT 3. Three drops of the oil of tobacco were rubbed upon the tongue of afull-sized, but young, cat. In an instant the pupils were dilated andthe breathing convulsed; the animal leaped about as if distracted, andpresently took two or three rapid turns in a small circle, then droppedupon the floor in frightful convulsions, and was dead in _two minutes_and _forty-five_ seconds from the moment that the oil was put upon thetongue. EXPERIMENT 4. To the tongue of a young and rather less than half-grown cat, a drop ofthe oil of tobacco was applied. In fifteen seconds the ears were throwninto rapid and convulsive motions, --thirty seconds fruitless attemptsto vomit. In one minute convulsive respiration; the animal fell upon theside. In four minutes and twenty seconds violent convulsions. In fiveminutes the breathing and the heart's motion had ceased. There was noevacuation by the mouth or otherwise. The vital powers had been toosuddenly and too far reduced to admit of a reaction. The tremors, whichfollowed death, subsided first in the superior extremities, and in fiveminutes ceased altogether. The muscles were perfectly flaccid. EXPERIMENT 5. In the tip of the nose of a mouse, a small puncture was made with asurgeon's needle, bedewed with the oil of tobacco. The little animal, from the insertion of this small quantity of the poison, fell into aviolent agitation, and was dead in six minutes. EXPERIMENT 6. Two drops of the oil were rubbed upon the tongue of a red squirrel. Thisanimal, so athletic as to render it difficult to secure him sufficientlylong for the application, was in a moment seized with a violent agitationof the whole body and limbs, and was perfectly dead and motionless inone minute. EXPERIMENT 7. To the tongue of a dog rather under the middle size, five drops of theoil of tobacco were applied. In forty-five seconds he fell upon theside, got up, retched, and fell again. In one minute the respiration waslaborious, and the pupils were dilated. In two minutes the breathing wasslow and feeble, with puffing of the cheeks. In three minutes the pupilswere smaller but continually varying. The left fore leg and the righthind leg were affected with a simultaneous convulsion or jerk, corresponding with the inspiratory motions of the chest. This continuedfor five minutes. In nine minutes alimentary evacuations; symptoms abated; and the animalattempted to walk. At ten minutes two drops of the oil were applied tothe tongue. Instantly the breathing became laborious, with puffing ofthe cheeks; pupils much dilated. The convulsive or jerking motions ofthe two limbs appeared as before, recurring regularly at the intervalof about two seconds, and exactly corresponding with the inspirations. In twelve minutes the pupils were more natural; slight frothing at themouth, the animal still lying upon the side. At this time a drop ofthe oil was passed into each nostril. The labor of the respiration wassuddenly increased, the jaws locked. In twenty-two minutes no material change; the jaws were separated andfive drops of the oil were rubbed on the tongue. In one minute thepupils were entirely dilated, with strong convulsions. In one and anhalf minutes, in trying to walk, the animal fell. In three minutes theeyes rolled up, and convulsions continued. In six minutes, the plicasemilunaris so drawn as to cover half the cornea. In seven minutes, slight frothing at the mouth. In forty minutes the inspirations wereless deep, the convulsions had been unremitted, the strength failing. From this time he lay for more than half an hour nearly in the samestate; the strength was gradually sinking, and as there was no prospectof recovery, he was killed. In this case, the true apoplectic puffing ofthe cheeks was present the greater part of the time. * * * * * From the foregoing, and from additional experiments, which it is notnecessary to give in detail, it appeared, that when applied to a woundmade in the most sensitive parts of the integuments, the oil of tobacco, though it caused a good deal of pain, had a far less general effect thanwhen applied to the tongue. Rats were less affected than cats. _Two_and sometimes _three_ drops rubbed upon the tongue of a rat, did notkill in half an hour. _Three large_ drops rubbed upon the tongue of a full-sized cat, usuallycaused death in from _three_ to _ten_ minutes, and in one instance, already stated, in _two_ minutes and _forty-five_ seconds. One droppassed into the jugular vein of a large dog, occasioned an immediatecry, followed in a few moments by staggering, convulsive twitchings ofthe voluntary muscles, and vomiting. In those cases in which full vomiting occurred, evident relief followed. Young animals suffered much more than those, which had come to theirfull growth and vigor. In those animals, whose lives were suddenlydestroyed by the tobacco, no coagulation of the blood took place. Thebodies of several cats were examined the next day after death, and onlyin a single instance was a slight coagulum observed; and this was in acat, whose constitution possessed strong powers of resistance, and whosedeath was comparatively lingering. It is not improbable, that the charge of inhumanity may be made againstexperiments prosecuted upon defenceless animals, with a poison sopainful and destructive in its operation as tobacco; the justice of thischarge is freely admitted, if such experiments be made merely for thegratification of curiosity, and not with the object and reasonable hopeof making them useful to mankind, and of influencing, at least, somefew individuals, to abandon the practice (humane can it be called?) ofadministering this poison to themselves and their children, till itoccasions disease and death. Indeed, there are but few, who wouldwillingly witness more than a single experiment of this kind, with noprospect of benefit to result from it. When applied to sensitive surfaces of considerable extent, even in aform somewhat dilute, tobacco often produces the most serious effects. The tea of tobacco has been known to destroy the life of a horse, whenforced into his stomach to relieve indisposition. When used as a wash, to destroy vermin upon certain domestic animals, tobacco tea has beenknown to kill the animals themselves. A farmer not long since assuredme, that he had destroyed a calf in this manner. "A woman applied to the heads of three children, for a disease of thescalp, an ointment prepared with the powder of tobacco and butter; soonafter, they experienced dizziness, violent vomitings and faintings, accompanied with profuse sweats. " [Orfila. ] The celebrated French poet, Santeuil, came to his death through horriblepains and convulsions, from having taken a glass of wine, with whichsome snuff had been mixed. The tea of twenty or thirty grains of tobacco introduced into the humanbody, for the purpose of relieving spasm, has been known repeatedly todestroy life. The same tea, applied to parts affected with itch, has been followed byvomiting and convulsions. The same article, applied to the skin on thepit of the stomach, occasions faintness, vomiting, and cold sweats. I knew a young man, who, only from inhaling the vapor arising from theleaves of tobacco immersed in boiling water, was made alarmingly sick. A medical friend assured me that he was once thrown into a state ofgreat prostration and nausea, from having a part of his hand moistened, for a few minutes, in a strong infusion of tobacco. Col. G. Says, that during the late war, under hard service on theCanadian frontier, the soldiers not unfrequently disabled themselves forduty, by applying a moistened leaf of tobacco to the armpit. It causedgreat prostration and vomiting. Many were suddenly and violently seizedsoon after eating. On investigation, a tobacco leaf was found in thearmpit. Dr. M. Long, of Warner, N. H. , writes me, under date of April 26, 1834, that, on the 6th of May, 1825, he was consulted by Mrs. F. On accountof her little daughter L. F. , then five years old, who had a smallring-worm, scarcely three-fourths of an inch in diameter, situated uponthe root of the nose. Her object was to ascertain the Doctor's opinion, as to the propriety of making a local application of tobacco in thecase. He objected to it as an exceedingly hazardous measure; and, toimpress his opinion more fully, related a case, a record of which he hadseen, in which a father destroyed the life of his little son, by the useof tobacco spittle upon an eruption or humor of the head. Immediately after the Doctor left the house, the mother besmeared thetip of her finger with a little of the "_strong juice_" from thegrandmother's tobacco pipe, and proceeded to apply it to the ring-worm, remarking, that "if it should strike to the stomach it must go throughthe nose. " The instant the mother's finger touched the part affected, the eyes of the little patient were rolled up in their sockets, shesallied back, and in the act of falling, was caught by the alarmedmother. The part was immediately washed with cold water, with a viewto dislodge the poison. But this was to no purpose, for the jaws werealready firmly locked together, and the patient was in a senseless andapparently dying state. The Doctor, who had stopped three-fourths of amile distant, to see a patient, was presently called in. The symptomswere "coldness of the extremities, no perceptible pulse at the wrists, the jaws set together, deep insensibility, the countenance deathly. "He succeeded in opening the jaws, so as to admit of the administrationof the spirits of ammonia and lavender; frictions were employed, andevery thing done, which, at the time, was thought likely to promoteresuscitation, but "it was an hour, or an hour and an half, before thelittle patient was so far recovered as to be able to speak. " "Till this time, " says Dr. S. , "the child had been robust and healthy, never having had but one illness that required medical advice; but, since the tobacco experiment, she has been continually feeble andsickly. The first four or five years after this terrible operation, she was subject to fainting fits every three or four weeks, sometimeslasting from twelve to twenty-four hours; and many times, in thoseattacks, her life appeared to be in imminent danger. Within the lastthree or four years, those turns have been less severe. " The foregoing facts serve to show, that tobacco is one of the mostactive and deadly vegetable poisons known; it acts directly upon thenervous power, enfeebling, deranging, or extinguishing the actionsof life. Is it possible, that the _habitual_ use of an article of soactively poisonous properties can promote health, or indeed fail toexert an injurious influence upon health? It will readily be admitted, that the daily use of any article, which causes an exhaustion of thenervous power, beyond what is necessarily occasioned by unstimulatingfood and drink, and the ordinary physical agents, as heat, cold, light, together with mental and corporeal exertion, &c. , is not only uselessbut hurtful, tending directly to produce disease and premature decay. Such is tobacco. Ample evidence of this is furnished by a departure, more or less obvious, from healthy action, in the organic, vitalmovements of a large majority of tobacco consumers. From the _habitual use_ of tobacco, in either of its forms of snuff, cud, or cigar, the following symptoms may arise; a sense of _weakness_, _sinking_, or _pain_ at the pit of the _stomach_; _dizziness_ or _pain_in the _head_; occasional _dimness_ or _temporary loss of sight_;_paleness_ and _sallowness_ of the _countenance_, and sometimes_swelling_ of the _feet_; an _enfeebled state_ of the _voluntarymuscles_, manifesting itself sometimes by _tremors_ of the _hands_, sometimes by _weakness_, _tremulousness_, _squeaking_ or _hoarseness_of the _voice_, rarely a _loss_ of the _voice_; _disturbed sleep_, _starting_ from the early _slumbers_ with a _sense_ of _suffocation_or the feeling of _alarm_; _incubus_, or _nightmare_; _epileptic_ or_convulsion fits_; _confusion_ or _weakness_ of the _mental faculties_;_peevishness_ and _irritability_ of _temper_; _instability_ of_purpose_; seasons of great _depression_ of the _spirits_; long _fits_of unbroken _melancholy_ and _despondency_, and, in some cases, _entire_and _permanent mental derangement_. [2] [Footnote 2: I have recently seen two cases; one caused by theexcessive use of snuff, the other by the chewing of tobaccoand swallowing the saliva. ] The animal machine, by regular and persevering reiteration or habit, is capable of accommodating itself to impressions made by poisonoussubstances, so far as not to show signs of injury under a superficialobservation, provided they are slight at first, and gradually increased, but it does not hence follow that such impressions are not hurtful. It is a great mistake, into which thousands are led, to suppose thatevery unfavorable effect or influence of an article of food, or drink, or luxury, must be felt immediately after it is taken. Physicians oftenhave the opportunity of witnessing this among their patients. The confirmed dyspeptic consults his physician for pain or wind in thestomach, accompanied with headache or dizziness, occasional pains of thelimbs, or numbness or tremors in the hands and feet, and sometimes withdifficult breathing, disturbed sleep, and a dry cough, and huskiness ofthe voice in the morning. The physician suggests the propriety of hislaying aside animal food for a time; but the patient objects, allegingthat he never feels so well as when he has swallowed a good dinner. He is then advised to avoid spirit, wine, cider, beer, &c. ; the replyis, "it is impossible, that the little I take can do me hurt; so farfrom that, it always does me good; I always feel the better for it. I do not need any one to tell me about that. " He is asked if he usestobacco. "Yes, I smoke a little, chew a little, and snuff a little. "You had better leave it off altogether, Sir. "Leave it off? I assureyou, Doctor, you know but little about it. If I were to leave offsmoking, I should throw up half my dinner. " That might do you no harm, Sir. "I see you do not understand my case, Doctor; I have taken allthese good things, for many years, and have enjoyed good health. Theynever injured me. How could they have done so without my perceiving it?Do you suppose I have lived so long in the world without knowing whatdoes me good, and what does not?" It would appear so, Sir, and you arein a fair way to die, without acquiring this important knowledge. The poor man goes away, in a struggle between the convictions of truthand the overwhelming force of confirmed habit. Under the sustainingpower of a good constitution, and in the activity of business, he neverdreamed of injury from the moderate indulgence, as he regarded it, inthe use of stimulants, as spirit, wine, tobacco, &c. , till the work wasdone. His is the case of hundreds of thousands. The vital principle, in the human body, can so far resist theinfluences of a variety of poisons, slowly introduced into it, thattheir effects shall be unobserved, till, under the operation of anexciting or disturbing cause, their accumulated force breaks out, in theform of some fearful or incurable disease. The poison, which comes fromvegetable decompositions, on extensive marshes and the borders of lakes, after being received into the body, remains apparently harmless, in someinstances, a whole year, before it kindles up a wasting intermittent, ora destructive bilious remittent fever. Facts of this nature show, that pernicious influences may be exertedupon the secret springs of life, while we are wholly unconscious oftheir operation. Such is the effect of the habitual use of tobaccoand other narcotics, and of all stimulants which, like them, makean impression upon the whole nervous system, without affording thematerials of supply or nutrition. It is an alleged fact, that, previously to the age of forty years, a larger mortality exists in Spanish America than in Europe. The verygeneral habit of smoking tobacco, existing among children and youthas well as adults, it has been supposed, and not without reason, mightexplain this great mortality. Like ardent spirits, tobacco must bepeculiarly pernicious in childhood, when all the nervous energy isrequired to aid in accomplishing the full and perfect developement ofthe different organs of the body, and in ushering in the period ofmanhood. I once knew a boy, eight years of age, whose father had taughthim the free use of the tobacco cud, four years before. He was a pale, thin, sickly child, and often vomited up his dinner. To individuals of sedentary habits and literary pursuits, tobacco ispeculiarly injurious, inasmuch as these classes of persons are, in ameasure, deprived of the partially counteracting influence of air andexercise. I have prescribed for scores of young men, pursuing eithercollege or professional studies, who had been more or less injured bythe habitual use of this plant. In the practice of smoking there is no small danger. It tends to producea huskiness of the mouth, which calls for some liquid. Water is tooinsipid, as the nerves of taste are in a half-palsied state, from theinfluence of the tobacco smoke; hence, in order to be tasted, an articleof a pungent or stimulating character is resorted to, and hence thekindred habits of smoking and drinking. A writer in one of the Americanperiodicals, speaking of the effect of tobacco, in his own case, says, that smoking and chewing "produced a continual thirst for stimulatingdrinks; and this tormenting thirst led me into the habit of drinkingale, porter, brandy, and other kinds of spirit, even to the extent, attimes, of partial intoxication. " The same writer adds, that "after hehad subdued his appetite for tobacco, he lost all desire for stimulatingdrinks. " The snufftaker necessarily swallows a part of it, especiallywhen asleep, by which means its enfeebling effects must be increased. The opinion that tobacco is necessary to promote digestion is altogethererroneous. If it be capable of soothing the uneasiness of the nervesof the stomach, occurring after a meal, that very uneasiness has beencaused by some error of diet or regimen, and may be removed by othermeans. If tobacco facilitate digestion, how comes it, that, after layingaside the habitual use of it, most individuals experience an increase ofappetite and of digestive energy, and an accumulation of flesh? It is sometimes urged, that men occasionally live to an advanced age, who are habitual consumers of this article; true, and so do some men whohabitually drink rum, and who occasionally get drunk; and does it thencefollow that rum is harmless or promotes long life? All, that either factproves, is, that the poisonous influence is longer or more effectuallyresisted, by some constitutions than by others. The man, who can livelong under the use of tobacco and rum, can live longer without them. An opinion has prevailed in some communities, that the use of tobaccooperates, as a preservative against infectious and epidemic diseases. This must be a mistake. Whatever tends to weaken or depress the powersof the nervous system predisposes it to be operated upon, by the causesof these diseases. If tobacco afford protection, in such cases, why doesit not secure those who use it, against cholera? In no communities, perhaps, has that disease committed more frightful ravages, than whereall classes of persons are addicted to the free use of this article. In Havana, in 1833, containing a stationary population of about _onehundred and twenty thousand_, cholera carried off, in a few weeks, ifwe may credit the public journals, _sixteen thousand_; and, in Matanzas, containing a population of about _twelve thousand_, it was announcedthat _fifteen hundred_ perished. This makes one-eighth of the populationin both places; and if, as in most other cities, the number of deaths, as published in the journals, falls short of the truth, and aconsiderable deduction be made from the whole population on accountof the great numbers who fled on the appearance of the disease, themortality will be still greater. In Havana, after the announcement ofthe foregoing mortality, and after a subsidence of the epidemic, forsome weeks, it returned, and destroyed such numbers as to bring back thepublic alarm. The degree, in which the practice of smoking prevails, maybe judged of by a fact, stated by Dr. Abbot in his Letters from Cuba, namely, that, in 1828, it was then the common estimate, that, in Havana, there was an average consumption of _ten thousand dollars' worth ofcigars in a day_. Dr. Moore, who resides in the province of Yucatan, in Mexico, assuresme that the city of Campeachy, containing a population of _twentythousand_, lost, by cholera, in about thirty days, commencing early inJuly, _four thousand three hundred and a fraction_, of its inhabitants. This is a little short of one-fourth of the population; although Dr. Moore says that the people of Campeachy make it as a common remark, "wehave lost one in four of our number. " With reference to the habits ofthe people in that part of Mexico, Dr. Moore says, "every body smokescigars. I never saw an exception among the natives. It is a common thingto see a child of two years old learning to smoke. " The opinion, that the use of tobacco preserves the teeth, is supportedneither by physiology nor observation. Constantly applied to theinterior of the mouth, whether in the form of cud or of smoke, thisnarcotic must tend to enfeeble the gums, and the membrane covering thenecks and roots of the teeth, and, in this way, must rather acceleratethan retard their decay. We accordingly find, that tobacco consumers arenot favored with better teeth than others; and, on the average, theyexhibit these organs in a less perfect state of preservation. Sailorsmake a free use of tobacco and they have bad teeth. The grinding surfaces of the teeth are, on the average, more rapidlyworn down or absorbed, from the chewing or smoking of tobacco for aseries of years; being observed in some instances to project but alittle way beyond the gums. This fact I have observed, in the mouthsof some scores of individuals in our own communities, and I have alsoobserved the same thing in the teeth of several men, belonging to theSeneca and St. Francois tribes of Indians, who, like most of the otherNorth American tribes, are much addicted to the use of this narcotic. In several instances, when the front teeth of the two jaws have beenshut close, the surfaces of the grinders, in the upper and lower jaw, especially where the cud had been kept, did not touch each other, butexhibited a space between them of one-tenth to one-sixth of an inch, showing distinctly the effects of the tobacco, more particularlystriking upon those parts, to which it had been applied in its mostconcentrated state. The expensiveness of the habit of using tobacco is no small objectionto it. Let the smoker estimate the expense of thirty years' use ofcigars, on the principle of annual interest, which is the proper method, and he might be startled at the amount. Six cents a day, according tothe Rev. Mr. Fowler's calculation, would amount to $3, 529 30 cents; asum which would be very useful to the family of many a tobacco consumerwhen his faculties of providing for them have failed. Eighty thousand dollars' worth of cigars, it was estimated, wereconsumed in the city of New York in 1810; at that rate the presentannual consumption would amount to more than _two hundred thousanddollars_. The statement of Rev. Dr. Abbot, in his Letters from Cuba, in 1828, already alluded to, is, that the consumption of tobacco, in that Island, is immense. The Rev. Mr. Ingersoll, who passed thewinter of 1832-3 in Havana, expresses his belief that this is not anoverstatement, he says, "call the population 120, 000; say half aresmokers; this, at a bit a day (i. E. 12-1/2 cents) would make betweenseven and eight thousand dollars. But this is too low an estimate, sincenot men only but women and children smoke, and many at a large expense. "He says, that "the free negro of Cuba appropriates a bit (i. E. 12-1/2cents) of his daily wages, to increase the cloud of smoke that risesfrom the city and country. " This, in thirty years, would amount to$7, 058 72, a respectable estate for a negro, or even for a white man. The Rev. O. Fowler, from considerable attention to the statistics of tobacco consumption in the United States, estimates the annual cost at $10, 000, 000 The time lost by the use of it, at 12, 000, 000 The pauper tax which it occasions, at 3, 000, 000 ___________ $25, 000, 000 This estimate I must believe to be considerably below the truth. It hasbeen estimated, that the consumption of tobacco in this country is eighttimes as great as in France, and three times as great as in England, inproportion to the population. The habit of using tobacco is uncleanly and impolite. It is uncleanlyfrom the foul odor, the muddy nostril, and darkly-smeared lip itconfers, and from the encouragement it gives to the habit of spitting, which, in our country, would be sufficiently common and sufficientlyloathsome without it. "True politeness, " said a distinguished English scholar, "is kindness, kindly expressed. " The using of tobacco, especially by smoking, is anything but kindness or the kindly expression of it, when it creates anatmosphere, which, whether it comes directly from the pipe, the cigar, or deeply imbued clothing, or worse than alligator breath, is absolutelyinsupportable to many, who do not use it, causing depression ofstrength, dizziness, headache, sickness at the stomach, and sometimesvomiting. By what rule of politeness, nay, on what principle of commonjustice may I poison the atmosphere my neighbor is compelled to breathe, or so load it with an unhealthy and loathsome material as to make himuncomfortable or wretched so long as I am in his company? What wouldbe said of the physician, who, having acquired a strong liking forasafetida, should allow himself in the constant habit of chewing it, to the great annoyance, from his foul breath, of many of his patients, as well as more or less of the healthy individuals of the families whoemploy him? Or how would a _gentleman_ traveller be regarded, who shouldnot only keep his breath constantly imbued with this asafetida, but alsoinsist upon spurting successive mouthfuls of the tincture of it upon thefloor of a stage-coach, or of the cabin of a steam-boat? Would he becommended, either for his cleanliness, politeness, or kindness? Nay, would he be tolerated in such a violation of the principles of goodbreeding? I have seen numbers, who have been made sick, dizzy, and pale, by the breath of a smoker; and I have seen a person vomit out of astage-coach, from _the influence_ of that indescribable breath, whichresults from alcoholic liquor and tobacco smoke. How painful to see young men in our scientific and literaryinstitutions--men, who are soon to lead in our national councils, toshape the morals and the manners of the circles of society, in whichthey will move--making themselves downright sick, day after day, andweek after week, in order to form a habit of taking a disgusting poison, steeping their nerves and their intellects in its narcotic influence, the direct tendencies of which are to impair their health, to enfeebletheir minds, and to disqualify them for a place in cleanly and politesociety. The use of tobacco, like that of alcoholic liquor, should be abandonedtotally and forever. The plan of taking less and less daily, is seldomsuccessful. This is what is called "trying to leave off. " If a littleless be taken one day, generally a little more is taken the next. Arespectable patient, for whom I have prescribed on account of a severenervous affection, has been "_trying_" for the last six months to quither snuff, and she is apparently no nearer the accomplishment of herobject than when she began. It does not answer to treat, with the leastdeference, an appetite, so unnatural and imperative as that createdby a powerful narcotic; it must be denied abruptly, totally, andperseveringly. In several of our penitentiaries, tobacco is not allowed to the inmates, almost all of whom were consumers of it. The testimony of the agents ofthese institutions is, that none are injured by quitting this narcotic, but, that in a few days, seldom over twenty, their uneasiness andagitation subside, their appetite is increased, and their appearance ismanifestly improved. A distinguished physician has assured me, that henever knew a person sustain the least permanent injury from the disuseof tobacco, but, on the contrary, every one had received decided benefit. My own observation is in perfect accordance with this remark; I haveknown a large number of this description, and can say that I have neverconversed with an individual, who, after having been freed from thehabit a year, did not confess that an advantage, greater or less, hadresulted from his self-denial. _Cases Illustrative of the Effects of Tobacco. _ A gentleman of distinction, in the profession of law in New Hampshire, wrote me under date of Dec. 10, 1833, as follows. "At the age of twelve years, misled by some boyish fancy, I commenced the use of tobacco, and continued it with little restraint for about _nineteen years_. Generally I was in the habit of chewing tobacco, but sometimes for two, three or four months together, I exchanged chewing for smoking. I have always led a sedentary life. After attaining to manhood, my ordinary weight was about 130 pounds; once or twice only rising to 135, and falling not unfrequently to 125, and sometimes to 117. My appetite was poor and unsteady, the nervous system much disordered, and my life was greatly embittered by excessive and inordinate fear of death. My spirits were much depressed. I became exceedingly irresolute, so that it required a great effort to accomplish, what I now do, even without thinking of it. My sleep was disturbed, faintings and lassitude were my constant attendants. "I had made two or three attempts to redeem myself from a habit, which I knew was at best useless and foolish, if not prejudicial. But they were feeble and inefficient. Once, indeed, I thought I was sure that the giving up the use of tobacco injured my health, and I finally gave up all hopes of ever ridding myself of this habit. "In the summer of 1830, my attention was called to the subject, by some friends, whom I visited, and by the advice and example of a friend, who had renounced the practice with the most decided advantage. I thought seriously upon the subject, and felt what had scarce occurred to me before, how degrading it was to be enslaved by a habit so ignoble. I threw away my tobacco at once and entirely, and have not since used the article in any form. Yet this was not done without a great effort, and it was some months before I ceased to hanker for the pernicious weed. Since then my health has decidedly improved. I now usually weigh 145 pounds, and have arisen to 152; rarely below 145. My spirits are better. There is nothing of the faintness, lassitude, and fearful apprehensions before described. My appetite is good and my sleep sound, I have no resolution to boast of, yet considerably more than I formerly had. "In fine, I cannot tell what frenzy may seize me; yet with my present feelings, I know not the wealth that would induce me to resume the unrestrained use of tobacco, and continue it through life. " To Dr. A. Hobbs, I am indebted for the following case which occurred inhis own family connection. "Mr. J. H. Began to chew tobacco at an early age, and used it freely. When about fifty-five years old, he lost his voice and was unable to speak above the whisper for _three_ years. During the four or five years which preceded the loss of his voice, he used a quarter of a pound of tobacco in a week. He was subject to fits of extreme melancholy; for whole days he would not speak to any one, was exceedingly dyspeptic and was subject to nightmare. When about fifty-eight years old, that is, about thirteen years ago, he abandoned his tobacco. His voice gradually returned, and in one year was pretty good; his flesh and strength were greatly increased, and he now has a younger look than when he laid aside his narcotic. " _April, 1834. _ The case of Mr. L. B. , a shoemaker, now about fifty-two years of age, exhibits strikingly the injurious effects of tobacco. About fourteenyears ago, he consulted me on account of dyspepsia, obstinatecostiveness, and palpitation of the heart, which symptoms had existedfor several years. The palpitation he had observed about seven yearsbefore. In a small degree it occurred almost daily. For years a slightfluttering was generally felt, in the morning, for a short time afterbreakfast, which compelled him to sit still, avoiding mental as wellas muscular exertion. After an hour or more, he was better. He was, besides, subject to severe paroxysms of palpitation, occurring atirregular periods. Six or seven of these took place in a year. Theseturns were excited under stomach irritations or oppression fromindigestible food. They came on instantaneously, and often left ina moment; 'the pulse was nothing but a flutter. ' So great was theprostration, that, during the paroxysm, he was obliged to lie stillupon the bed. The length of the paroxysm was various; sometimes anhour, sometimes several hours. He was in the habit of using tobacco in all its forms of cud, cigar andsnuff; he drank tea and coffee freely, and spirit and cider moderately. I advised him to the entire disuse of tobacco, tea, coffee, and allother drinks, save water, and to live on plain and unstimulating food. He followed the advice in regard to drinks, in so far as to confinehimself to water, and threw away the cud and cigar, but continued totake snuff. Under this change his health was improved, and the turns ofpalpitation were less frequent, and generally less severe. Two yearsafterwards, he abandoned flesh meat as an article of diet, and stillindulged himself in the habit of snuff-taking. In this way he continuedfor about six years, his general health being considerably improved; hewas subject, however, to an occasional attack of palpitation. At lengthhe had a paroxysm, which was so terribly severe and protracted, as tokeep him nine hours and an half motionless upon his back, under theincessant apprehension of immediate dissolution. In the course of thisnine and an half hours he made up his mind to take no more snuff. Hehas kept his resolution, and has not had an attack since, now about sixyears. He says he has sometimes felt a slight agitation or tremor, butthis has been rare. He continues to exclude flesh meat from his diet. His breakfast consists of roasted potatoes and toasted bread, witha little butter; his dinner, bread and milk; supper, the same as thebreakfast. His only drink is water. Once his fingers were tremulous, now they are perfectly steady; and his memory, which was alarminglyimpaired, is very much improved. A physician, with whom I was intimately acquainted, during the greaterpart of his medical pupilage, which included the latter part of histobacco experience, has given the following account of his own case. He has a preference for withholding his name from the public, and hasdescribed himself as 'the patient. ' The circumstances of the case asrelated, may be relied on. I was present each time when he threw awayhis tobacco. "The patient, " says he, "at the early age of fourteen, under the impression that it was a manly habit, commenced chewing tobacco; and a long and painful course of training was required before the stomach could be brought to retain it. At length the natural aversion of this organ to the poison was so overcome, that an exceedingly large quantity might be taken without producing nausea. For several years the patient continued its uninterrupted use, swallowing all the secretions of the mouth saturated with this baneful narcotic, without experiencing much disturbance of health. At length he began to be harassed with heart-burn, attended with copious eructations of an intensely acid fluid, together with other indications of dyspepsia. A watery stomach was suspected, and smoking was at once recommended in addition to chewing, to alleviate the accumulation of water in the stomach and to assist digestion. Smoking was accordingly practised after every meal, with little alleviation of the difficulty. The patient, however, being determined to be benefited by its use, resorted to it more frequently, smoking not only after eating, but several times between meals. Yet to his great surprise, his troublesome symptoms were gradually augmented, notwithstanding his strenuous adherence to the practice. "To the heart-burn and acid eructations, soon succeeded nausea, loss of appetite, a gnawing sensation in the stomach, when empty, a sense of constriction in the throat, dryness in the mouth and fauces, thickening or huskiness of the voice, costiveness, paleness of the countenance, languor, emaciation, aversion to exercise, lowness of spirits, palpitations, disturbed sleep; in short, all the symptoms which characterize dyspepsia of the worst stamp. He was well nigh unfitted for any kind of business, and his very existence began to be miserably burdensome. "At last, being advised to abandon the use of tobacco in all its forms, and being fully persuaded that he either must relinquish it voluntarily, or that death would soon compel him to do it, 'he summoned all his resolution for the fearful exigency, and after a long and desperate struggle, obtained the victory. ' 'All the inconvenience' he experienced, 'was a few sleepless nights, and an incessant hankering after the accustomed fascinating influence of the cigar and cud. ' "In a few days a manifest improvement in health was apparent, his appetite and strength returned, his sleep became more sound and refreshing, and he directly found himself in the enjoyment of better health than he had possessed at any time during ten years of vile submission to a depraved and unnatural appetite. "After abstaining from it about two months, he again, by way of experiment, returned to the cud, cigar, and pipe; and but a few days were requisite to recall all his former dyspeptic symptoms. He again relinquished the habit, under the full conviction that tobacco was the sole cause of his illness, and he firmly resolved never to make further use of it. " After recovering a second time from the effects of his poison, thisgentleman assured me that, at times, his feelings had bordered on thoseof mental derangement; he thought every body hated him; and he in turnhated every body. He had often, after lying awake for several hours inthe night, under the most distressing forebodings, arisen, smoked hispipe to procure a temporary alleviation of his sufferings, in fitful andhalf delirious slumbers. He even thought of suicide, but was deterredby the dread of an hereafter. In a few weeks after relinquishing theindulgence, all these feelings were gone; and when I last saw him, abouttwo years, I believe, after quitting his tobacco, he was in fine healthand spirits. The following letter from Dr. Moore describes his own case. "_Wells, (Me. ) April 10, 1833. _ "DEAR SIR, -- "It was not until this late hour, that I received your letter of the 4th inst. With pleasure I hasten to answer your inquiries with regard to my experience in the use of tobacco. "In the autumn of 1817, I commenced (I know not why) the use of tobacco. It was not until the spring of 1825, that I experienced any ill effects from it, except now and then, heart-burn, acid eructations, and occasional fits of melancholy. At that time I became dyspeptic. My food gave me much uneasiness; I had a sinking sensation at the pit of the stomach, wandering pains about the limbs, especially by night, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, great difficulty of breathing from slight exercise, debility, emaciation, depression of spirits. Such have been my symptoms and feelings the last seven years; and in that time I have had two attacks of hæmoptysis, [spitting of blood, ] which I attribute solely to the relaxing effects of this narcotic. "The various remedies for dyspepsia were all tried in my case without the least benefit. About the first of December last, I gave up the use of tobacco, and to my astonishment, within the first twenty-four hours, my appetite returned; food gave no uneasiness and strength returned. I have been generally gaining flesh, so that now my weight is greater than it ever was except once. "I never was in the habit of using more than half an ounce of tobacco a day. This would be but a moderate allowance for most persons, who use the cud. I never was a smoker; my use of it was wholly confined to chewing. "A gentleman called a few weeks ago to consult me. His countenance was pallid and ghastly. He said that he had no appetite, was extremely debilitated, had palpitation of the heart, and copious perspiration on slight exercise, wakefulness by night, and was gloomy. Sir, said I, do you use tobacco? 'I do. ' How much on an average daily? 'One fig. ' I told him he must renounce its use, which he promised to do. He took no medicine. I saw him again in ten days. He said he was well and was _fully_ satisfied that his complaints were owing to the use of tobacco. "A friend of mine in this town, who has made a constant use of tobacco, by chewing for more than _thirty_ years of his life, was prevailed upon, a few months ago to lay it aside, in consequence of having constant vertigo, [dizziness]; he is now well, and all who knew him are astonished to witness the increase of his flesh, since he desisted from its use. "I can now count ten persons who were in a feeble state of health, and who have renounced tobacco by my advice, most of whom were troubled with nervous diseases and dyspepsia. They have all acquired better health. "You are at liberty to make what use of these remarks you please, and I will vouch for the truth of them. "Your obedient servant, "E. G. MOORE. "PROF. MUSSEY. " Dr. Moore's case is peculiarly interesting, inasmuch as for some yearshe was regarded by many of his friends, as near a fatal consumption. In the February preceding the date of his letter, I met him in astage-coach, and was struck with his healthful appearance, andinterested with the account of his restoration. The following letterfrom the same gentleman confirms the views contained in his firstcommunication. "_Wells, May 7, 1836. _ "DEAR SIR, -- "Yours of the 3d inst. Has just been received; and in answer to your inquiry I have to say, that my health is better than when I last saw you in 1833; although, since that time I have been afflicted with all my former unpleasant symptoms, viz. Loss of appetite, debility, tremors, dizziness, palpitations of the heart, anxiety of mind, melancholy, &c. &c. "You may ask what could be the cause of all these unpleasant sensations. I will tell you. It was returning to the gratification of a depraved appetite in the use of tobacco; and I have no hesitancy in declaring it as my opinion, that could the causes of the many acts of suicide, committed in the United States, be investigated, it would be found, that many instances were owing to the effects of _tobacco_ upon the nervous system. "It is now nearly two years since I have had any thing to do with this enemy of the human race, and my health has never been better. I have a good appetite for food. My dyspeptic affection troubles me so little, that I hardly think of it. I never weighed so much before by several pounds. "One of the persons of whom I wrote before, is still in this vicinity, and uses no tobacco; he enjoys uninterrupted health. The others do not now reside in this place. "Yours, "E. G. MOORE. " It is presumed that, henceforward, Dr. Moore will retain so little doubtas to the effects of tobacco, as to avoid making further experimentswith it upon his own constitution. Jonathan Cummings, Esq. , an intelligent farmer, now living in Plymouth, N. H. , in a letter to Dr. Chadbourne, about three years ago, says thathe was accustomed to manual labor from childhood, and enjoyed almostuninterrupted health, till he was twenty-five years old, about whichtime he commenced chewing and smoking tobacco; having for some timetaken snuff for _weakness of his eyes_. His stomach soon becameaffected, he had faintings and tremblings, and was unable to perform thelabor he had been accustomed to do. "I went on in this way, " says he, "for thirty years; tobacco seemed to be my only comfort; I thought thatI could not live without it. "Two years ago, finding my strength still more rapidly declining, Idetermined to be a slave to my appetites no longer, and I discontinuedthe use of tobacco in every form. The trial was a severe one, but theimmediate improvement in my general health richly paid me for all Isuffered. My appetite has returned, my food nourishes me, and after_thirty_ successive years of debility, I have become _strong_. "My weight, during the time I used tobacco, varied from 130 to 140pounds, but never exceeded 150; I now weigh over 180 and am a vigorousold man. I am in a great measure, free from those stomach and livercomplaints, which followed me for thirty years. I do more work than Idid fifteen years ago, and use none of what you Doctors call artificialstimulants; for I have more recently reformed as to tea, which I haddrank, at least twice a day, for forty-five years. It is useless, therefore, for folks to tell me that it won't do to break off oldhabits; I _know_, for I have tried it. " In an estimate of the expenses, incurred by what he calls his _badhabits_, he puts his _tobacco_ only at _two dollars_ a year, (which hesays, is much below its actual cost, ) his _snuff_ at _one dollar_, andhis tea at _four dollars_. At annual interest he computes that theamount would be $615; "not reckoning loss of time and, now and then, a Doctor's bill any thing. " "A pretty little sum, " says he, "for onein my circumstances, having always been pressed for money. " In a letter I received from him about a year ago, he remarks, that, among the symptoms of ill health, while he used tobacco, were "a hollow, faint feeling at the stomach, want of appetite, and sometimes severespasms at the stomach. All the time I used tobacco my complaint wassupposed to be liver complaint, and I took medicine for it. I wastroubled with my food lying in my stomach, for hours after eating;frequently I took rhubarb and salæratus, to help digestion; when theweight passed off, it left my stomach debilitated and full of pain, andI then took my pipe to relieve it. " There were frequent seasons when hewas obliged to quit labor, although this was his whole dependence fora living. Some additional particulars I recently obtained, viz. In April, 1836, in a personal conversation with Mr. Cummings. He remarked, that he continued to take a little snuff for about four months afterdiscontinuing smoking and chewing. "While in the habit of smoking, " saidhe, "there was a hollow place in my stomach large enough to hold my twofists, which nothing could fill; food would not do it; drink would notdo it; nothing but tobacco smoke. " After quitting the tobacco "thehollow place was gradually filled up;" the appetite increased, fooddigested better, and all the unpleasant symptoms were removed in abouta month after the entire disuse of the snuff. He observed to me that he never in his life used tobacco to excess, but always "temperately"; although he admitted, the employing it inthree forms might have been equivalent to a rather free use of it inone mode. The effects of tobacco on the senses of seeing and hearing, in his case were very striking. He used spectacles for several years, during his indulgence in tobacco, and he assured me that at the age offifty-five years, he could not read a word in any common book, even inthe strongest sunshine, without spectacles. He had also a ringing anddeafness in both ears for ten years, and at times the right ear wasentirely deaf. During the last year of his tobacco life this difficultyvery perceptibly increased. "In about a month, " said he, "after quittingtobacco in its last form, that is, snuff, my head cleared out, and Ihave never had a particle of the complaint since; not the least ringing, nor the least deafness. " And it was not many months before he coulddispense with his spectacles, and "from that time to the present, " sayshe, "I have been able, without spectacles, to read very convenientlyand to keep my minutes, having been a good deal engaged in surveyinglands. " He remarked, however, that when compelled to employ his eyesupon a book for some hours in succession, especially at evening, hefound his spectacles convenient. He certainly hears quick, and his eyeis altogether keener and stronger than usual with men of his age. He isnow in his _sixty-third_ year. That the defective vision and hearingwere owing, in a great degree, to the tobacco, must be inferred fromthe fact of his food and drinks having been nearly the same, before andsince quitting that article, with the exception of tea, which, as hedrank it twice a day for many years, may doubtless claim a share in themischief done to the organs of the senses. Said he, "I never lived high, my food was always plain, and I eat now the same things I did formerly. "For organs so enfeebled as his, and for so long a time, to regain theirpowers to so great an extent, denotes a native energy of constitution, far above the standard of mediocrity. * * * * * How can a temperance man use tobacco? With what consistency can heask his neighbor to abstain from alcohol, on the ground of its beinginjurious to body and mind, while he indulges himself in the habitualgratification of an appetite, unnatural and pernicious, and holding, in some respects, a strong alliance with that produced by an alcoholicbeverage? How long shall the widow's mite, consecrated, under manypersonal privations, to the great object of doing good to mankind, beperverted to sustain a disgustful and hurtful habit, by the beneficiaryof an Education Society? How long are the sacred altars of God to be polluted with thisunhallowed offering, and the garments of the priesthood to remainuncleansed from its defilements? How long shall transgressors be calledupon to listen, with a spirit of conviction and repentance, to sermonson the great duties of Christian _self-denial_, prepared and pronouncedunder the inspiration of this poison?