These are considered to be those of a powerful _narcotic_,
_antispasmodic_, _emetic_, _cathartic_, _sudorific_, and _diuretic_.
"As a _narcotic_, it is endued with the most energetic, poisonous
properties, producing, when administered even in small doses, severe
nausea and vomiting, cold sweats, universal tremors, with extreme
muscular debility." From its exerting a peculiar action on the nervous
system, as ascertained by the well directed experiments of Mr. Brodie,
it powerfully controls the action of the heart and arteries, producing
invariably a weak, tremulous pulse, with all the apparent symptoms of
approaching death. And so different is its operation from that of other
narcotics, that it actually operates with more destructive efficacy,
when used by way of injection, than when applied either to the skin, or
when taken into the stomach.
From what has been said of its narcotic powers, you, Gentlemen, will
readily infer its virtue as an article of _medicine_. If we wish, at any
time, to prostrate the powers of life in the most sudden and awful
manner, we have but to administer a dose of tobacco, and our object is
accomplished. Hence its use in obstinate constipation, in cholic, in the
iliac passion, and in stranguary.
As it is conceded that its efficacy as an _antispasmodic_ depends upon
its power to prostrate every vestige of tone and elasticity in the
muscular fibre, prudence would dictate that it should be used with the
utmost circumspection, when the system had been previously exhausted by
the disease, or by the antecedent method of cure. Melancholy instances
are on record, of the fatal effects of this medicine when administered
without this caution, both as an internal remedy, and as an external
application in cutaneous diseases. Two instances will suffice.
"A medical practitioner," says Paris, "after repeated trials to reduce a
strangulated hernia, injected an infusion of tobacco, and shortly after
sent the patient in a carriage to the Westminster Hospital, for the
purpose of undergoing the operation; but the unfortunate man arrived
only a few minutes before he expired."
"I knew a woman," says the same learned author, "who applied to the
heads of three of her children, afflicted with scald-head, an ointment
composed of snuff and butter; but what was the poor woman's surprise, to
find them immediately seized with vertigo, violent vomiting, fainting,
and convulsions."
We next come to its effects as an _emetic_. "As such," says Professor
Chapman, "tobacco claims our attention. Cullen and many others opposed
its use, on account of the harshness of its operation. Certainly it
exceeds all others in the promptness, violence, and permanence of its
impressions. But these very qualities, unpleasant as they are, enhance
its value in many cases."
"Tobacco seems especially to be adapted to the evacuation of some
poisons; and it has this advantage, that it acts with equal certainty
and expedition, when applied to the region of the stomach in the form of
a poultice, as when internally administered." Professor Barton says, he
had recourse to an application of the moistened leaves of this plant to
the region of the stomach, with complete success, to expel an inordinate
quantity of laudanum, in a case where the most active emetics, in the
largest doses, were resorted to in vain. But most poisons, particularly
the corrosive, are attended with so much exhaustion, that it would seem
perilous to administer tobacco, lest by its own depressing effects, the
powers of vitality might be irrecoverably extinguished. In many
instances, however, it appears that it may be administered in small
doses with safety and advantage.
We are informed by a respectable writer, that while at the Cape of Good
Hope, he had a number of Hottentots, with intermittent fever, under his
care. Having few medicines, he resorted to tobacco, and found six grains
of snuff as effectual in exciting vomiting, as two of Tartar emetic.
By many it is preferred in minute doses, as a nauseating medicine. Thus
administered, it has succeeded in subduing some of the most violent
symptoms of the most furious cases of mania; and where it cannot be
given by the mouth, from the obstinacy of the patient, it may with equal
benefit be applied in the form of a poultice.
As a _cathartic_, tobacco is entitled to notice. "Some physicians have
been in the habit of prescribing this powerful substance not only for
the more dangerous cases of incarcerated hernia, but in all cases of
obstinate constipation, from whatever cause produced. To relieve these
painful diseases, it has been usually given in the form of a clyster,
regulating the dose to the age, circumstances, and strength of the
patient; and it is affirmed to have proved, in many instances, very
effectual, and to possess the confidence of practitioners."
I was informed by a learned and ingenious friend, that, having an
obstinate case of ascaris lumbricoides in his own family, after repeated
unsuccessful efforts to dislodge the worms, he at last had recourse to
this potent remedy, a poultice of which he applied to the region of the
stomach. The worms were almost instantaneously expelled, but with very
alarming symptoms, and a complete prostration of the patient. From these
circumstances, we should be led to conclude, that its efficacy as a
vermifuge defends either upon its narcotic properties, or upon its
sudden and powerful effect as a cathartic.
Its effects as a _sternutatory_, i. e. as exciting to sneeze, are known
to all. If applied to the nostrils, in the form of a powder or snuff, it
produces violent and repeated sneezing, with a slight degree of vertigo.
The violent agitation produced in this way, together with a copious
discharge from the nostrils, often relieves catarrh, headache, and
incipient opthalmia or inflammation of the eyes. But habit soon blunts
the sensibility of the organs, and much positive injury follows the
habitual use of snuff. It has been a popular remedy in many places for
the cure of scald-head, psora, and most other cutaneous eruptions. It
has also been applied for cleansing ulcers, and for the removal of
indolent tumors. But the dreadful effects produced by it when absorbed
into the system, have induced most medical men to abandon it altogether,
and prescribe a more safe application.
Though it is said, by Dr. Brailsford, to be a _sudorific_ of
considerable efficacy, I am in possession of no facts which go to
support such a conclusion, unless indeed it be the fact, that it in an
eminent degree brings on that cold perspiration of which we have spoken,
and which is, in many instances, the immediate precursor of death.
But of all others, its _diuretic_ properties have been the most lauded.
Dr. Fowler was the first to bring them extensively into notice. In
dropsy, dysury, gravel, and nephritis calculosa or inflammation of the
kidneys, the infusion and tincture were given by him with astonishing
success. In spasmodic asthma, the same distinguished physician found it
to afford relief.
Mr. Earle, a surgeon of some eminence, has more recently treated several
inveterate cases of retention of urine on the same plan and with similar
effects, and adds his testimony to its efficacy in tetanus, trismus, and
other spasmodic affections. Of its power to relieve spasm there can be
no doubt. What has been related of its sedative qualities, is abundantly
sufficient to establish that fact. Cramps, convulsions, and even the
vital principle itself, give way before the exhibition of this deadly
narcotic. Hence, to its power of prostrating the muscular energy, it
owes its efficacy in preventing retention of urine.
We have now gone through with an examination of the medicinal properties
of tobacco, and have arrived at the following conclusion, viz. that few
substances are capable of exerting effects so sudden and destructive, as
this poisonous plant. Prick the skin of mouse with a needle, the point
of which has been dipped in its essential oil, and immediately it swells
and dies. Introduce a piece of common "twist," as large as a kidney
bean, into the mouth of a robust man, unaccustomed to this weed, and
soon he is affected with fainting, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and loss
of vision. At length the surface becomes deadly pale, the cold sweat
gathers thick upon his brow, the pulse flutters or ceases to beat, a
universal tremor comes on, with slight spasms and _other_ symptoms of
dissolution. As an emetic, few articles can compare with it for the
promptness and efficiency of its operation; at the same time there are
none which produce such universal debility. As a cathartic, it produces
immediate and copious evacuations, with great prostration of strength;
but its dose can with difficulty be regulated.
If such be a fair statement of its effects on the human system; if it
requires all the skill of the most experienced practitioner to guard
against those sudden depressions which uniformly follow its use, when
administered with the utmost circumspection; and if, with all this
caution, its operation is still followed by the most alarming, and even
fatal consequences--what shall we say of those who habitually subject
their constitutions to the destructive influence of this worse than
"Bohan Upas?"
To an individual unacquainted with the fact, it would seem incredible
that a weed, possessed of properties so poisonous, should ever have been
sought as an article of luxury. Yet it has not only been sought, but
even credulity startles at the extent to which it has been used. "Like
opium, it calms the agitations of our corporeal frame, and soothes the
anxieties and distresses of the mind." Its powers are felt and its
fascinations acknowledged, by all the intermediate grades of society,
from the sot who wallows in the mire of your streets, to the clergyman
who stands forth a pattern of moral excellence, and who ministers at the
altar of God. For it the Arab will traverse, unwearied, his burning
deserts; and the Icelander risk his life amidst perpetual snows. Its
charms are experienced alike, by the savage who roams the wilds of an
American forest, and the courtier who rolls in luxury and prescribes
rules of refinement to the civilized world; by the miscreant who wrings
from the cold hand of charity the pittance that sustains his life, and
the monarch who sways his sceptre over half the globe; by him who is
bent with woes and years, and him whose cheek is covered yet with
boyhood's down. Hence we might conclude it capable of giving strength to
the weary, vivacity to the stupid, and wisdom to men void of
understanding; capable of soothing the sorrows of the afflicted, of
healing the wounds of the spirit, and assuaging the anguish of a broken
heart. But how it fulfils these desirable indications, will be our next
business to inquire.
Tobacco, as a luxury, has been used for the two last centuries over all
the civilized, and the greater portion of the uncivilized world. The
modes have been _snuffing_, _smoking_, and _chewing_. Its effects, when
habitually used in each of these modes, will now be examined. As far as
my observations extend, few, if any, of all the devotees to this
stupefying substance, ever resort to its use without some supposed
necessity; and often, alas _too often_, by the advice of physicians.
The benefit to be derived from the exhibition of a medicine in the cure
of disease, should not alone induce us to prescribe it, without due
regard to the injury which may result to the constitution. Had this rule
been observed relative to the subject under consideration, I apprehend
the use of this baneful drug would have been less extensive.
Snuff has been prescribed for a variety of complaints, among which are
headache, catarrh, and some species of opthalmia, and no doubt sometimes
with very good effect; as I have, in a very few instances, witnessed.
But the fact seems to have been overlooked, that its only power to
relieve these complaints arises from the copious discharge of mucus from
the nostrils, during the violent paroxysm of sneezing which invariably
attends its first application; and that its salutary influence ceases,
whenever these peculiar effects cease to accompany its exhibition. Hence
in all cases where it is continued an indefinite time, or until the
schneiderian membrane loses its sensibility, it not only fails of its
medicinal effect, but actually becomes pernicious; aggravating the very
disease it was intended to cure. It not only does this, but goes on
committing great ravages on the whole nervous system, superinducing
hypocondria, tremors, and premature decay of all the intellectual
powers. A thickening of the voice, is also the unavoidable result of
habitual snuff-taking. This disagreeable consequence is produced, either
by partially filling up the nasal avenues, or by destroying the
sensibility of the parts. Be that as it may, we would say of the change,
in the forcible language of Cowper: "O! it is fulsome, and offends me
more than the nasal twang, heard at conventicle from the pent nostril,
spectacle bestrid."
It also occasions loss of appetite, frequent sickness at the stomach,
with many other disagreeable symptoms. A case in point, is related by
Dr. Cullen, of a woman who had been in the habit for twenty years. At
length she found on taking a pinch before dinner, she had no appetite.
This having frequently occurred, she was induced to postpone her pinch
till after dinner, when she ate her meal with her accustomed relish, and
went on snuff-taking in the afternoon without inconvenience.
Another instance is related by the same author, of the injurious effects
of this habit. A lady, who had been accustomed to take snuff freely, was
seized with a severe pain in her stomach, which continued unabated
notwithstanding many remedies were applied; until accidentally her snuff
was omitted for a few days, when the pain was found to subside, and did
not return until she again had recourse to her snuff. Then, to her utter
astonishment, it immediately came with all its former severity, and
would yield to no treatment without a relinquishment of the snuff-box,
which (strange to tell) the woman laid aside, and recovered her health.
Most persons in the constant habit of taking snuff, are led on
insensibly, until they consume enormous quantities. But as they are
accustomed both to its stimulant and narcotic effects, they are not
aware of the pernicious consequences. In the midst of interesting
conversation, they frequently transcend the bounds assigned them by
habit, and the consequence is, sickness, faintness, and trembling, with
some vertigo and confusion of head. During this paroxysm of snuffing,
particles of the powdered tobacco are carried back into the fauces, and
thence into the stomach; which occasions not only sickness at the time,
but is long after followed with dyspepsia and other symptoms of
disordered abdominal viscera.
The second mode of habitually using this drug, is _smoking_. This, too,
has been prescribed by reputable members of the faculty. And for what
purpose has this disgusting practice been recommended? "For weakness of
the stomach," to be sure. Persons who have a craving appetite, and
consume more food, particularly at dinner, than their stomach will
readily digest, experience considerable uneasiness for some time after
eating. The mouth and fauces sympathize with the overloaded organ, and
an increased quantity of fluid is poured from the mucous follicles and
salivary glands, to aid in the process of digestion. Under these
accumulating difficulties, the man calls on the "_Doctor_," who very
wisely imagines these symptoms are sufficient evidence that he has a
"weak and watery stomach," and the pipe and cigar are recommended to
carry off the superabundant humors, which still are unable to assimilate
the enormous load with which, from time to time, the stomach is crowded.
But as the application of the burnt oil of tobacco to the mouth and
fauces, from its stimulant and narcotic qualities, benumbs the senses
and renders the individual less conscious of his distress, he takes it
for granted that he is materially relieved, and knows not, poor man,
that it is all delusion. Thus, instead of taking the only rational
method, that of adapting the quantity of food to the powers of
digestion, he pursues a course which continues to weaken the organs of
digestion and assimilation, and at length plunges him into all the
accumulated horrors of dyspepsia, with a complete prostration of the
nervous system.
But it has been said, that smoking will cure the tooth-ache; and we
should have recourse to any means for the removal of so painful a
disease. That it will, as a powerful sedative, lessen the pain, and
sometimes even altogether remove tooth-ache, is probably true; but why
continue the practice after the occasion has ceased? Opium and calomel,
judiciously administered, will relieve _cholera morbus_; but whoever
thought of making them an article of diet, because from their
application he had experienced relief in that dangerous complaint? Or
whoever dreamed of using them constantly, lest he might again be
attacked with it? Would not prudence dictate to lay them aside, that
they might not lose their influence on the system, and consequently
their medicinal virtues?
But smoking sometimes diminishes the secretions of the mouth, producing
dryness and thirst, instead of moisture; still it is used with the same
perseverance as in the former case, and to obviate the same difficulty,
an overburdened stomach. And such is the united influence of its
stimulant and narcotic qualities, that the _thirst it occasions is not
to be allayed by ordinary drinks, but wine, ale, and brandy must be
taken, to satisfy this unnatural demand_. Hence, smoking has, in many
instances, been the sad precursor to the whiskey-jug and brandy-bottle,
which together have plunged their unfortunate victims into the lowest
depths of wretchedness and woe.
I am well acquainted with a man in a neighboring county, whose
intellectual endowments would do honor to any station, and who has
accumulated a handsome estate; but whose habits, of late, give unerring
premonition to his friends of a mournful result. This man informed me
that it was the fatal thirst occasioned by smoking his cigar, in
fashionable society, that had brought him into his present wretched and
miserable condition. Without any desire for ardent spirit, he first
sipped a little gin and water, to allay the disagreeable sensations
brought on by smoking, as water was altogether too insipid to answer the
purpose. Thus he went on from year to year, increasing his stimulus from
one degree to another, until he lost all control over himself; and now
he stands as a beacon, warning others to avoid the same road to
destruction.
Smoking has been prescribed for spasmodic asthma, and undoubtedly with
some success; and the manner in which it affords relief in this
distressing disease has been pointed out, when speaking of the narcotic
and antispasmodic effects of this drug. But suppose it capable of
relieving the paroxysm, when administered to a person unaccustomed to
its deadly stimulus, it will by no means be followed by the same happy
effect, when once its use becomes habitual.
But smoking has been the grand resort to secure the system from the
influence of contagion; and perhaps no power ascribed to it, has ever
been so universally acknowledged. But upon what series of experiments
are these pretensions founded? From all the attention which I have
bestowed on this investigation, I have been unable to discover any
evidence of its utility in this respect, except what arose from the
prejudices of the ignorant, or the obstinacy of those who are slaves to
the practice of it. The bare assertion of Deimerbroek, "that it kept off
the plague," without a single corroborative fact, would hardly be
sufficient authority on which to establish a conclusion so important;
especially when we have the united experience of Rivernus, Chemot, and
Cullen, to prove the opposite of this position. Hence we conclude, that
its properties in keeping off contagion, depend on its sedative powers,
which it possesses in common with other narcotics, wine, brandy, and
opium. As these lessen sensibility, and sometimes allay anxiety of the
mind, it is not impossible that in a very few instances they may have
prevented the exciting causes of disease from taking effect. But what
are these few, when compared with the multitudes whose nervous systems
have been destroyed by this pernicious habit, and thus exposed to all
the horrors of malignant disease.
Smoking also assuages the _tedium_ of life. Here is the grand secret.
Man fears to be alone; and when left to his own solitary reflections, he
dreads the result of self-examination. He flies for relief to his pipe,
his cigar, his quid, or his bottle, with the vain hope of escaping from
himself. To accomplish an object so desirable, he hesitates not to
_stupify_ those noble faculties which he cannot hope to extinguish, and
with which he has been endowed by the God of nature, for wise and
benevolent purposes. And will you, gentlemen, by precept and example,
longer sanction _such_ a course of conduct,--conduct so degrading to us
as intelligent beings, and as conservators of the public health?
The third mode of habitually using tobacco, is _chewing_. In this manner
all its deadly powers are speedily manifest, in the commencement of the
practice, as has been already shown. In this mode, too, its nauseous
taste and stimulant property excite and keep up a profuse discharge from
the mucous follicles and salivary glands. Probably to this circumstance
alone, is owing the superior efficacy of this mode of using this drug in
the cure of tooth-ache. But whether this enormous waste of the
secretions of the mouth and fauces can be borne by the constitution with
impunity, you, Gentlemen, are abundantly competent to judge.
Physiologists agree that these secretions are intended to assist in
preparing the aliments for deglutition, by rendering them sufficiently
fluid, and afterwards, by their peculiar properties, to promote
digestion and assimilation. The great increase of these just before and
after eating, and the large quantities swallowed about that time, are
unequivocal evidence of their importance to the digestive economy. Then
what must be the state of that man's digestion, who, until seated at
table, keeps his quid in his mouth, and immediately returns it thither,
after rising from his meal? And when we reflect, that large quantities
of saliva strongly impregnated with this poison, and even particles of
the substance itself, are frequently swallowed, what, again I ask, is
the probable condition of such a person's digestive organs?
I know it may be said in reply, that such persons often consume large
quantities of food, without experiencing any perceptible inconvenience;
and I also know that they are often emaciated, notwithstanding the
enormous portion of aliment they daily consume. Under these
circumstances the emaciation arises, either from the profuse discharge
of saliva, or an imperfect digestion, or the combined influence of both.
Hence, when a man of a corpulent habit, with a keen appetite, who is
unwilling to forego his wine and to use moderation in his roast beef,
applies for professional advice to prevent corpulence, medical men very
naturally and philosophically direct him, if he persists in his excess,
to the use of tobacco, as a temporary relief, against the direful
effects of his gluttony and intemperance.
A clergyman of high standing informed me, that he acquired the habit of
using tobacco in college, and had continued the practice for a number of
years; but he found, by experience, his health materially impaired,
being often affected with sickness, lassitude, and faintness. His
muscles also became flabby and lost their tone, and his speaking was
seriously interrupted by an elongation of the uvula. His brother, an
intelligent physician, advised the discontinuance of his tobacco. He
laid it aside. Nature, freed from its depressing influence, soon gave
signs of returning vigor. His stomach resumed its wonted tone, his
muscles acquired their former elasticity, and his speaking was no more
annoyed by a relaxation of them.
A respectable man of my acquaintance, about forty years of age, who
commenced chewing tobacco at the age of eighteen, was for a long time
annoyed by depression of spirits, which increased until it became a
settled melancholy, with great emaciation, and the usual symptoms of
that miserable disease. All attempts to relieve him proved unavailing,
until he was persuaded to dispense with his quid. Immediately his
spirits revived, his countenance lost its dejection, his flesh
increased, and he soon regained his health. Another man, who used
tobacco very sparingly, became affected with loss of appetite, sickness
at stomach, emaciation, and melancholy. From a conviction that even the
small quantity he chewed was the source of his trouble, he entirely left
it off, and very soon recovered.
I was once acquainted with a learned, respectable, and intelligent
physician, who informed me, that from his youth he had been accustomed
to the use of this baneful plant, both by smoking and chewing. At
length, after using it very freely while indisposed, he was suddenly
seized with an alarming vertigo, which, without doubt, was the result of
this destructive habit. This afflicting complaint was preceded by the
usual symptoms which accompany a disordered stomach, and a relaxation of
nerves, with which, Gentlemen, you are too familiar to need a
description here. After the application of a variety of remedies to
little or no purpose, he quit the deleterious practice, and though his
vertigo continued long and obstinate, he has nearly or quite recovered
his former health. And he has never doubted but that the use of tobacco
was the cause of all his suffering in this disagreeable disease. Many
more cases might be cited, but sufficient has been said to establish the
doctrine here laid down.[C]
[Footnote C: And here I am happy in having permission to give
the opinion of one of the ablest physicians in Massachusetts,
as to the use of tobacco. "The chewing of tobacco," says he,
"is not necessary or useful _in any case that I know of_: and
I have abundant evidence to satisfy me that its use may be
discontinued without pernicious consequences. The common
belief, that it is beneficial to the teeth, is, I apprehend,
entirely erroneous. On the contrary, by poisoning and relaxing
the vessels of the gums, it may impair the healthy condition
of the vessels belonging to the membranes of the socket, with
the condition of which, the state of the tooth is closely
connected."]
Having gone through with an examination of the _physical_ influence of
tobacco, let us now, for a few moments, attend to its _political_ and
_moral_ influence.
1. _It is a costly practice._ The whole adult population in the United
States is estimated at six millions, one half of which are males.
Allowing but one half of these to use tobacco in some form, we shall
have one and a half millions to be taxed with this consumption. If we
take into the account all who are in its use before they arrive at the
period of adult age, it would swell the amount to two millions. Lest we
should be accused of exaggeration, we will estimate the whole number of
devotees at one million, who pay their daily homage at the shrine of
this stupifying idol. The expense to the consumers of this drug varies,
according to the quantity and mode of using. Those who are in the habit
of smoking freely, and use none but the best Spanish cigars, pay a tax,
I am informed by good judges, of not less than fifty dollars a year.
While the moderate consumer of Scotch snuff pays from one to two
dollars. Somewhere between these wide extremes, may be found the fair
estimate of an average cost. If one fifth of the whole number of
consumers should pay the highest estimate, it would amount to ten
millions annually. Then if three-fifths pay but ten dollars apiece, it
will amount to six millions; and if the remaining one-fifth pay but one
dollar each, we shall have two hundred thousand dollars more. These
added together will make an aggregate of _sixteen millions two hundred
thousand dollars_. In this estimate nothing has been said of another
class of consumers, which delicacy forbids me to mention, (and I hope I
shall receive their forgiveness for my neglect;) nor of the time wasted
in procuring and devouring this precious morsel. But lest even this very
moderate calculation should be considered extravagant, which is by many
competent judges believed to be far too low, we will reckon the
consumers at one million, and the average cost at ten dollars each a
year, for the whole; and then we have _the enormous tax of three
millions of dollars_, to be annually paid in these United States for the
useless consumption of this loathsome drug.
2. _This practice paves the way to drunkenness._ A few reasons have
already been given, why _smoking_ tends strongly to favor the
introduction of ardent spirits. The dryness of mouth induced in some, is
not the only case where a thirst for strong drink is produced. The great
waste of saliva, occasioned both by smoking and chewing, has the same
dangerous tendency. The fact that few of all the consumers of this plant
are fond of those simple beverages so grateful to the unvitiated taste,
and that most are inordinately attached to ale, wine, and brandy, is
sufficient evidence of the dreadful truth, that it is the faithful
pioneer to intemperance. What though there are some few and honorable
exceptions; and what though there are _many_, who for a long time have
used the poisonous plant, and have escaped the yawning gulf; still, a
sufficient number have been swallowed up, to warrant the general
conclusion. The few specifications already made above, might easily be
increased a hundred fold.
Though every lover of tobacco is not a slave to rum, yet _almost every
drunkard is a slave to tobacco_; and this is indirect evidence that the
habits are in a manner associated, or have a sort of natural affinity.
If such be its tendency, what moral responsibility rests upon the man
who shall recommend it, either by professional advice, or by his own
example! What an infinitude of moral evil _must_ follow in its train, if
drunkenness be its legitimate effect! What woes, what sorrows, what
wounds without cause, may spring into existence at your bidding, when
you prescribe the habitual use of this baneful plant! By such a
prescription you incautiously open a fountain from which may issue
streams, disturbing the peace of private families, pouring the waters of
contention into peaceful and harmonious neighborhoods, embittering every
condition of life, and poisoning every department of human society.[D]
[Footnote D: An eminent writer in favor of Temperance, has
given it as his opinion, that at least one tenth of all the
drunkards were made such by the use of Tobacco.]
3. _It is an indecent practice._ To say nothing of the disagreeable
contortions of countenance assumed by the great variety of snuffers,
smokers, and chewers; to say nothing of the pollution, inseparable from
these habits, to the mouth, breath, and apparel, to the house and its
furniture, (all which are too familiar to require description;) I ask,
where is the man making any pretensions to refinement, who would not
blush to offend the delicate sensibilities of the _fair_, by smoking his
pipe or cigar in their presence? True politeness would seem to require,
moreover, that even the feelings of _gentlemen_ should be respected. But
all sense of propriety seems to have fled before the indulgence of this
foolish habit. To such an extent has it obtained, that we meet it in the
kitchen, in the dining-room, and in the parlor; in every gathering of
men of business; in every party of pleasure; in our halls of
legislation; in our courts of justice; and even the sanctuary of God is
sometimes polluted by this loathsome practice. It is impossible to walk
the street without being constantly assailed by this noxious vapor, as
it is breathed from the mouths of all classes in community, from the
sooty chimney-sweep, to the parson in his sacerdotal robe. You can
scarcely meet a man in the street, with whom you have business, but he
pours a stream of smoke into your face, exceedingly disgusting. And this
he does too, without imagining that he transgresses the rules of
politeness, or gives you any cause of offence.
In these habits we resemble the _Aborigines_ of our country. They load
their huge pipes with the dried leaves of this plant, and when lighted,
they breathe the dark cloud of smoke from their mouth and nostrils, and
as it curls around their head, ascending towards heaven, they present it
as an offering to appease the anger of the Great Spirit. A mutual
influence has resulted from our intercourse with the Indian. We have
taught him how to debase himself below the brute, and destroy the quiet
of savage life by the use of our _whiskey_; and he, in return, has
taught us to destroy our constitutions, and interrupt the harmony of
civilized society, by the habitual use of his deadly narcotic.[E]
[Footnote E: The counsel given by the Journal of Health, is,
therefore, in perfect accordance with the principles of
medical philosophy. "Our advice is, to desist, immediately and
entirely, from the use of tobacco in every form, and in any
quantity, however small."--"A reform of this, like of all evil
habits, whether of smoking, chewing, drinking, and other
vicious indulgences, to be efficacious, must be _entire, and
complete_, from the very moment when the person is convinced,
either by his fears or his reason, of its pernicious tendency
and operation."]
Gentlemen, I have done. The subject, with a slight examination, is
before you. I have plainly and fearlessly expressed my opinion, without
intending to wound the feelings of a single individual. If your
sentiments correspond with mine, you will assist in bringing this odious
practice to the bar of public opinion. There let it be subjected to a
severe, but dispassionate trial; and if on a cool and deliberate
investigation, its pernicious tendency shall fully appear, then let the
American people rise up, and with united voice pronounce its sentence of
final condemnation.