THE USE AND ABUSE OF TOBACCO 93 



selecting the smoking compartments when travelling by 

 rail, and not a few have even in severe cases while waiting 

 upon their relatives trusted to tobacco as a safeguard. I 

 am happy to add that so far they have rejoiced in an 

 immunity from the most contagious disease with which the 

 present age is acquainted.' 



Drs. Klein, Tassinari, Werke and other distinguished 

 bacteriologists have carried their investigations into this 

 interesting field of research with marked success. 



Dr. Klein, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, says that 

 ' direct experiment proves that tobacco-smoke has a decided 

 germicidal effect; it is not known, however, which is the 

 active principle in the tobacco-smoke.' He also remarks 

 that the popular idea which has again sprung up of 

 tobacco's prophylactic powers, ' is well supported by 

 laboratory experiment.' Dr. Tassinari, adopting the 

 microscopical methods of Pasteur, illustrates his investiga- 

 tions into the subject and the results obtained by a series 

 of charts. These results may be briefly summarised. He 

 found that the smoke of tobacco in some cases entirely 

 destroyed, in others retarded the development of, micro- 

 organisms. For example, the bacilli of Asiatic cholera 

 and pneumonia were in every instance destroyed by the 

 smoke of tobacco irrespective of the kind or quality of the 

 tobacco used. Anthrax bacilli and the bacilli of typhoid 

 offered greater resistance, the latter indeed were but little 

 affected by the smoke. He makes an odd remark about 

 the surprising growths of germs found by the microscope 

 adhering to the coating of the teeth, and says that as 

 tobacco-smoke destroys them, it is a preventive of decay ; 

 should it darken the enamel, the ashes of the weed used as 

 a dentifrice will make them whiter than before. 



Similar investigations have been made in Spain and 



