NICOTIANA TABACUM. 
Tobacco is narcotic, sedative, emetic, diuretic, cathartic, and 
errhine, whether it be taken into the stomach, or externally 
applied. The three first mentioned properties are sufficiently 
obvious, even from the effects which smoking or chewing it 
produces on persons unaccustomed to its use. From Mr. Brodie’s 
experiments, the infusion of tobacco produces its effect in the 
heart through the medium of the nerves. The symptoms are 
very severe, sickness, headache, extreme. debility, cold sweats, 
and sometimes even convulsions. The production of such a 
state of the habit, however, being useful for relieving violent 
spasmodic constriction, tobacco is advantageously employed in 
obstinate constipation, ileus, suppression of urine, and incar- 
cerated hernia, when other remedies fail of affording relief. The 
smoke is either thrown into the rectum by means ofa pair of 
bellows of peculiar construction, or an infusion of the leaves is 
exhibited in the form of enema. From its narcotic power also, 
the smoking or chewing tobacco has been found useful in allay- 
ing the pain of toothache; and smoking is sometimes found 
useful in shortening and rendering more supportable the parox- 
ysm of spasmodic asthma. The infusion has been used as an 
emetic, but the practice cannot be recommended, and notwith- 
standing the success of some practitioners, who employ it in 
dropsy and dysuria, its general effects are too violent for internal 
exhibition, and it is not equal as a diuretic. either to squill or 
foxglove, which are more manageable remedies. In dysuria, 
however, its antispasmodic properties are of advantage, and con- 
sequently its use in that complaint is less objectionable, The 
external application of a strong infusion of tobacco, or of a cata- 
plasm of the moistened leaves themselves is sometimes employed 
as a lucal stimulant in porrigo, scabies and some other cutaneous 
eruptions, but even in this mode of using it, tobacco is apt to 
induce the same effect as when internally administered. 
_ Topacco, as a sternutatory is the basis of all the kinds of 
snuff generally used. The powdered leaves snuffed up the 
nostrils, excite vehement sneezing, and promote a considerable 
discharge from the nostrils, answering all the purposes for which 
errhines are employed. As a luxury, snuff has been used for 
_ more than two hundred years in Britain, in great quantities, 
After the use of it has become habitual, it cannot be relinquished 
without considerable risk, arising from the suspension of the — 
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