A CIGAR SCIENTIFICALLY DISSECTED.
In Which Is Found Only Evil.
To THE world in general a cigar is merely a tightly-rolled packet, having brittle fragments of dry leaves within, and a smooth, silky leaf for its outer wrapper. When it is burnt, and the pleasantly-flavored smoke inhaled, habitual smokers claim for it a soothing luxury that quiets the irritable, nervous organism, relieves weariness, and entices repose. Science, scouting so superficial a description, examines first, the smoke; second, the leaf; third, the ash. In the smoke is discovered water in vaporous state, soot (free carbon), carbonic acid and carbonic oxide, and a vaporous substance condensed into oily nicotine. These are the general divisions which Vohl and Eulenberg have still further split up; and, in so doing, have found acetic, formic, butyric, valeric, and propionic acids, prussic acid, creosote and carbolic acid, ammonia, sulphureted hydrogen, pyridine, viridine, picoline, lutidine, collodine, parvoline, coridine, and rubedene. These last are a series of oily bases belonging to the homologues of aniline, first discovered in coal tar. Applying chemical tests to the leaves other chemists have found nicotia, tobacco, camphor or nicotianine, a bitter extractive matter, gum, chlorophyll, malate of lime, sundry albuminoids, malic acid, woody fiber, and various salts. The feathery white ash, which in its cohesion and whiteness is indicative of the good cigar, yields potash, soda, magnesia, lime, phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, silica, and chlorine. This as to a good cigar; as to a poor cigar, here is the list from an English parliamentary report on adulterations in tobacco: Sugar, alum, flour or meal, rhubarb leaves, saltpeter, fuller's earth, starch, malt-commings, chromate of lead, peat moss, molasses, burdock leaves, common salt, endive leaves, lamp-black, gum, red dye, a black dye composed of vegetable red, iron and licorice, scraps of newspaper, cinnamonstick, cabbage leaves, and straw brown paper. Returning now to the smoke, or rather its ingredients, Dr. B. W. Richardson, in his "Diseases of Modern Life," considers the effect of the same on the body at considerable length, basing his conclusions on actual investigations. He tells us that water, of course, is harmless; free carbon acts mechanically as an irritant, and tends to discolor the secretions and the teeth. Ammonia bites the tongue, exercises a solvent influence on the blood, excites the salivary glands, and thus causes a desire to drink while smoking. The tendency of carbonic acid is to produce sleepiness, headache, and lassitude. When a cigar is smoked badly, that is, when the combustion of the tobacco is slow and incomplete, carbonic oxide is produced in small quantities, and is an active poisoning agent, resulting in irregular motion of the heart, vomiting, convulsions of the muscles, and drowsiness. The nicotine tends to cause tremor, palpitation of the heart, and paralysis. The volatile empyreumatic substance produces a sense of oppression, and taints the breath and surroundings of the smoker with a well-known "stale tobacco-smoke" smell. The bitter extract causes that sharp nauseous taste peculiar to a re-lighted cigar or old pipe.—The Hesperian.