TOBACCO ON HEALTH

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 21, 1864

TOBACCO ON HEALTH

Tobacco-Using. No. 6.

TOBACCO ON HEALTH.

ONE man, who called himself a doctor, undertook even to argue, that tobacco sustained life, instead of destroying it; and in proof referred to the fact, that sometimes the Indians, in their lengthy hunting excursions, get out of food, and absolutely save themselves from starvation by the use of this article! But how is this to be accounted for? It was not because the tobacco possesses any property adapted directly to sustain life, but simply because its poison so paralyzes the stomach, that it allayed the gnawings of hunger, which of themselves were wearing out life. By killing the life of the empty stomach, hunger was not as readily felt, and therefore life was prolonged a little space.

Many instances have come before my observation, where medical men have been consulted in cases of diseases from such an origin, who, instead of searching out the primary cause, and decidedly proscribing the tobacco, have permitted the article to remain in the mouth uncondemned, and have recommended various drugs to restore health. This, by whomsoever practised, is the most consummate quackery, and should be sternly condemned by every man of common sense, whether in the profession or out of it; as a gross violation of principles of philosophy and humanity. One trouble, probably, in the way of too many in the medical practice, is, they cannot see clearly through the dingy flood, and the dense clouds of smoke, which proceed from their own mouths. Shame, SHAME on the medical profession for this! They ought everywhere and always, to be examples to the people in all righteous physical habits. They ought to be patterns of obedience to physiological laws to all beholders.

Because tobacco does not kill outright and immediately, many young men, and many in the meridian of life, suppose they have no occasion for alarm. But could they see the numberless instances of wreck in after life, which have come within the reach of my observation, and of every tobacco-discerning practitioner, they would be filled with trembling for the calamities that cluster in the path before them. Many, possessed naturally of the most solid constitutions, have, in the decline of life, under the long-continued habits of tobacco-chewing, or smoking, or snuffing, brought on themselves varied and accumulated infirmities, premature age, and a suicidal dissolution.

A gentleman, who had been my acquaintance for many years, possessing one of the most thorough athletic bodies found among men, was from early life a tobacco-chewer. Until he became forty-five or fifty years of age, he seemed not to notice the ill effects of this habit. Then his nervous system began to give away. Dyspepsia came on; he had severe and alarming turns of nightmare; symptoms of approaching palsy often appeared; he was unable to get through with daily business without an ill turn; and was finally obliged wholly to suspend his avocations. All this was evidently the fruit of tobacco. All his other habits were simple and inoffensive to health. This is only one case out of millions of like results from like habits. In all such cases, and those approaching such a destiny, the great question lies between health—even life—and the filthy, poisonous tobacco.

Tobacco is a powerful agent in the removal of vermin from cattle. Farmers have applied it in decoction to calves; and not unfrequently it has occasioned death. It might be lawful to chew it when a man should find himself internally infested with vermin, until he shall have purged himself from such an engorgement. And it ought everywhere to be restricted to such a use; so that it should always be understood, when we see a man with a cud, or pipe, or cigar, defiling the inner surface of his face, that it is because he has become internally so verminized that he finds himself obliged to resort to this desperate measure, as his last effort to remove the awful calamity.

The ordinary and general effects of tobacco are—whether by chewing, smoking, or snuffing—weakness, pain, and sinking at the stomach; dimness of sight; dizziness and pain in the head; paleness and sallowness of countenance; feebleness of the voluntary muscles; tremulousness in the hands; weakness or hoverseness of voice; disturbed sleep, by startings and a sense of suffocation; nightmare; epileptic or convulsion fits; confusion of mind; peevish and irritable temper; instability and laxness of purpose; depression of spirits; melancholy and despondency; partial, and sometimes entire and permanent insanity.

Insane hospitals have generally more or less inmates who are reported as insane from excessive use of tobacco. And doubtless a much larger portion of them would be enrolled on the same list, if the deadly workings of this article on the brain and nerves were better understood. An agent of such potency in destroying the healthy condition of the nerves is likely to find vent for its deadly poison somewhere, in some portion of the body.

If there is any one organ of the body weaker than the rest, it will be likely to manifest its disturbing qualities there. It may be upon some gland; or upon some vital function; or upon some important nerve, as the nerve of sight or hearing. It will be found that the eyesight of tobacco-eaters begins to fail earlier than that of other men. They are obliged to resort to wearing glasses at a much earlier period than would be required, if they had not in this way abused their nervous system.

Many have seriously, by this means, impaired their hearing. While traveling on the upper Mississippi, two cases of this kind came under observation. They were both young men, between, probably, the ages of thirty and thirty-five. They had been hard smokers from early life. One was on his way for medical advice. On riding with him, and investigating the history and nature of his case, it became my conviction that the seat of the trouble was in the auditory nerve, which had lost its electric energy; and that it was the tobacco that had paralyzed its tone. It was here that its destructive agency had chiefly located itself.

In the other, its direct attack on the nerves of hearing, had demonstrated itself. The man stated that a few months since, he suspended the use of tobacco for only a single month, and found his hearing essentially improved. But such was the strength of appetite, and his unwillingness to attribute the difficulty to the idol of his mouth, he entered upon its use again, and his hearing became as bad as before. Here the deadly work of this narcotic on the hearing department, had distinctly and unequivocally demonstrated itself.

Hosts of cases might be furnished of a similar character, where the agency of tobacco in paralyzing the nerves and their electric forces, has been manifested; producing dimness of sight and hearing; and many other complaints produced directly or indirectly through a morbid state of the nerves. Some of the severest cases of palpitation of the heart, have been created by the agency of deranged nerves by tobacco. Diseased liver and lungs have had the same origin: but the limits of the work will not allow their statement in detail.

As before remarked, men take advantage of a good original constitution, and go on doing violence to the laws of life, till by and by that constitution gives way, like the granite edifice when its underpinning is gone. Nature will sometimes have long patience with the offender; but we may rely upon her making signs of suffering sooner or later. She is jealous of her rights. Every infringement of her laws she will be sure to avenge. She will sometimes bear a long-continued accumulation of wrongs, but the day of retribution is sure to come. Though her fires may be long in kindling—long remain smothered and unseen—they will break forth in devouring flames, from which there is no escape. Men may possibly escape the grasp of human laws and penalties. The thief, the robber, even the murderer, may possibly outrun his pursuer; but the offender against Nature's law can never outrun, can never hide away from her civil officers. They must and will be overtaken, and when arrested they are sure of punishment. There is no reprieve and no redemption from the punishments made due in Nature's code of laws.

The tobacco-eater must sooner or later pay the debts accrued and accumulated from this unlawful, unnatural animal indulgence. Besides various ill and infirmities, while living, directly or indirectly incident to this habit, he will be obliged to die the sooner. Chewers, and smokers, and snuffers—for these habits are all about equally destructive—as a general rule, are probably putting off about twenty-five per cent. of their natural period of life. They are not content with burning the pure oil of life till all is consumed, but wickedly adulterate it with the essence of tobacco; and the lamp goes out before its time, from the ignitibility of the incongruous mixture.

(To be continued.)