$3 
have any medicinal properties at all, and that practically none cure; at best 
they ean give but transient relief. Relieving is not curing. Our native 
plants are chiefly remarkable in what they will not cure. The man who 
gets the most benefit is the one who gathers them. Some of you may recall 
O. Henry’s story. 
BIOGRAPHY AND THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT. 
1908. Short case reports there cited have been continued into biographies. 
You will readily understand that the longer a history, a biography, is con- 
tinued the more valid the conclusions that can be drawn. Two of the 
individuals mentioned have since died, and died just as predicted, not to 
them however. The value of a theory is in enabling one to predict. By 
the way, Case 3 was a man who could not do without tobacco. He had 
used it all his life. He readily saw my reasoning, how, if he did not harm 
himself, he at least harmed others. He attempted to quit but found it 
impossible; he had to use a little tobacco, shall one say medicinally?* 
THOUGHT STIMULATION. 1909. The reference to tobacco is 
very brief, but there is a relatively long mention of high blood pressure. 
This is a very interesting phase of the tobacco problem, especially to those 
who use their brains rather than their hands to make a living. Under what 
conditions can a man work at his best and when is he disabled? What will 
tide him over? I have already referred to this. 
Years ago I had a discussion with a physician who did more or less 
surgery. He wasa warm advocate of tobacco; even advised me to use it—the 
old story of “Take Something” in place of ““‘Do Something.’’ Whenever he 
did work under high tension tobacco soothed him, he said. When he had 
an unusual case he would be under high tension, very nervous, and tobacco 
would steady his nerves, he asserted, or, in other words, steady his hand 
when he operated. On investigating I found this state of affairs: 
Ordinarily he was not under “‘high tension,’ but this was produced when 
he locked himself in a small room full of dusty books for several hours, looking 
over the latest literature regarding such operations, and at the same time 
filling himself with infected dust. Then his mind would run riot during the 
night, he was sleepless, of course thinking about the operation in the morning. 
*Coming down on the interurban with me was an old patient. We had a discussion 
of dust victims and tobacco victims. Heis alow pressure man. His observations bore 
out my own. The advantage of discussion over a printed paper is that one can answer 
questions and make obscure points clear. 
