tralbl. f.
Bakteriol., I. O., 1916, lxxvii, 339.

[37] Alcohol and Immunity, Jour. A. M. A., 1916, lxvi, p. 962, p. 1122.

SECTION V

NOTES ON TOBACCO

It is the purpose of this section to present as fairly as possible the
evidence relating to the effects of tobacco on the human body, so that
those who smoke may correctly measure the probable physical cost of the
indulgence. The extremes of opinion on this subject are well expressed
in the following verses:

"Hail! Social Pipe--Thou foe to care,
Companion of my elbow chair;
As forth thy curling fumes arise,
They seem an evening sacrifice--
An offering to my Maker's praise
For all His benefits and grace."
DR. GARTH.

"A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to
the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to
the lungs, and the black stinking fume
thereof nearest resembling the horrible
Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless."
JAMES I.

[Sidenote: What it Is]

Tobacco is a plant, Nicotiana Tabacum of the order Solanaceae, which
includes Atropa Belladonna, or "Deadly Nightshade," Hyoscyamus, or
"Henbane," Solanum Dulcamara, or "Bitter Sweet," all powerful poisons,
and likewise the common potato and tomato, which are wholesome foods.
The cured leaves are used for smoking and chewing, or when powdered, as
snuff.

[Sidenote: History]

Prior to the middle of the 16th Century, the use of tobacco was confined
to the American Indians. In 1560 the Spaniards began to cultivate
tobacco as an ornamental plant, and Jean Nicot, the French Ambassador at
Lisbon, introduced it at the court of Catherine de Medici in the form of
snuff. Smoking subsequently became a custom which spread rapidly
throughout the world, although often vigorously opposed by Governments.
In the 17th Century, smoker's noses were cut off in Russia.

[Sidenote: Composition]

Tobacco contains a powerful narcotic poison, nicotin, which resembles
prussic acid in the rapidity of its action, when a fatal dose is taken.

The percentage of nicotin present varies according to the brand and the
conditions under which it is cultured.

The following figures have been given by the various authorities.

London Lancet[38] .64 to 5.3 per cent.
French Dept. of Agriculture[39] .22 to 10.5 " "
Connecticut Agricultural Experim