i 7 2 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cited may be added an epidemic of this nature noted by M. Gelineau. 

 with which a great part of the crew of the Embuscade were struck. 

 The patients were all great smokers. It is worthy of notice that this 

 disease is much more common among men than women. 



Difficulty of breathing approaching asthma has also been recorded. 

 Blatin gives a case of a young officer whose asthma could be attrib- 

 uted to no other cause, and who was cured by a simple abstinence and 

 tonic medicines. 1 



Tobacco, acting upon the cardiac and pulmonary branches of the 

 pneumogastric, is not likely to leave untouched its gastric termina- 

 tions. In an animal under the influence of small doses of nicotine the 

 gastric juice is secreted with increased rapidity, and the action of the 

 walls of the stomach is more noticeable. With strong doses or long- 

 continued usage this secretion is very considerably diminished, and 

 the peristaltic motion enfeebled. That is to say, the tobacco acts 

 upon the pneumogastric, excites it in small, and paralyzes it in large, 

 doses. The smoker takes his after-dinner pipe or cigar to aid diges- 

 tion. Undoubtedly, it excites the par vagum, increases the gastric 

 secretion, and accelerates the peristaltic motion. Undoubtedly, also, 

 this daily stimulation enfeebles the nerve, and digestion becomes more 

 difficult. The swing back from the excitement causes a reaction, 

 which only an increase in the doses can overcome. The nerve is par- 

 tially paralyzed. The appetite fails, nutrition is impeded, dyspepsia 

 reigns conqueror. 



A military man of thirty-seven years fell into a consumption with- 

 out any other affection antecedent or concomitant than distaste for 

 food, and salivation. Dr. Roques, after various essays, learned that 

 he was a great user of tobacco, which had led to a sort of chronic 

 fluxion of the salivary glands, and an almost total cessation of the di- 

 gestive functions, and consequently caused the feeble and consump- 

 tive state into which he had fallen. Gradual diminution and ultimate 

 abandonment of tobacco led to a cure in about three months. 2 



The influence of tobacco upon vision is well known. One of the 

 symptoms produced in acute nicotism is blindness, and chronic nico- 

 tism gives rise to similar affections. Thus Mackenzie found that pa- 

 tients afflicted with amaurosis were mostly lovers of tobacco in some 

 form. Sichel found cases of complete amaurosis, which, incurable by 

 other means, were easily conquered by cessation from the weed. 

 Hutchinson found, out of thirty-seven patients, twenty-three were in- 

 veterate smokers. The observations of Wordsworth and others have 

 so clearly established the fact that the continued excitement of the 

 optic nerve by tobacco sometimes produces amaurosis, that it is now 

 generally cited in text-books as one of the causes of that disease. 



We have completed our brief examination of the physiological ac- 



1 Blatin, p. 159, from l'Abcille M6d., t. Hi., 1846. 



* Ibid., p. 265, from Memoire de Med., et de Chir. Prat., t. v. 



