CHAPTER XXII. 



TOBACCO AS A REMEDY. 



Tobacco has almost passed out of the materia 

 medica in the modern practice of medicine. Rarely is it 

 now prescribed for any ailment whatever, though at one 

 time it was thought to be a specific for many diseases. 

 Within recent years, however, attention has again been 

 directed to tobacco as a remedial agent, through the 

 efforts of the late Gen. T. L. Clingman, of North Car- 

 olina, who for many years represented that State in Con- 

 gress, first as a representative and then as a senator. 

 Gen. Clingman believes there is no remedy so effective 

 for relieving wounds, bruises, sprains, etc., as tobacco 

 applied externally, in the form of a poultice. He cured 

 a severe sprain of the ankle by poulticing it with wet 

 tobacco leaves and keeping them moist. A severe gun- 

 shot wound of the leg was cured by wrapping the limb 

 in leaf tobacco covered with wet cloths. An injury to 

 his eye was also cured by a wet tobacco poultice. Its 

 effect seems to be to take out all the inflammation, and 

 where promptly applied, Gen. Clingman claims, any 

 external wound cannot become sufficiently inflamed to 

 cause mortification. In case of his eye, sight was given 

 up by all the doctors, but after the tobacco poultice had 

 been kept on five days, the eye resumed its natural 

 appearance and the sight was fully restored. He reports 

 physicians using a tobacco poultice since then, and cites 

 many instances of its successful application for sore eyes, 

 sore throat, erysipelas (some very bad cases), sciatica, 

 bunions, corns, bites, boils, tumors, swelling of various 

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