24 TOBACCO LEAF. 



truth seems to lie between these extremes. "With per- 

 sons of weak bodies or nervous temperaments, the use of 

 tobacco is unquestionably injurious, while persons of 

 full habit and sluggish minds frequently derive great 

 benefit from its use. 



Norman Kerr, M. D., F. L. S., of London, Eng- 

 land, who is probably the highest authority among the 

 English-speaking peoples in all matters pertaining to 

 the effects of narcotics and stimulants upon the human 

 system, says : " With persons of a certain temperament 

 the use of tobacco produces concentration of thought, 

 mental satisfaction, protection against infection, and 

 domestic happiness." "There are persons," he says, 

 " so constituted that the intellectual powers require to 

 be arrested and concentrated before any definite intel- 

 lectual effort can be even entered upon. To such per- 

 sons tobacco smoking has proved invaluable, the advan- 

 tages far outweighing the disadvantages. No other 

 substance, narcotic or anaesthetic, is yet known which 

 would serve this purpose and do so little damage." 

 "Were tobacco not known," he continues, "the idiosyn- 

 crasies of snch individuals would interfere with the 

 achievement and excellence of their work. All those 

 with whom tobacco does not disagree realize fully the 

 pleasure and mental satisfaction afforded by its use." 



"No language," says Dr. Kerr, "can accurately 

 describe the comfort enjoyed from a pipe, when exposed 

 to severe weather in trenches, or the power it has to 

 stay the stomach-crave when no food is to be had, and 

 this action of tobacco, under such circumstances, cannot 

 be harmful." 



Tobacco, as a powerful and efficient disinfectant, 

 has long been known, and within recent years this has 

 been fully demonstrated by an ingenious series of exper- 

 iments performed by Tazzinari, of Rome, which are 

 reported in the Annual of Universal Medical Science for 



