tions were not warranted by the facts observed. 

 He points out the fact that most writers on the 

 subject have overlooked the fact of the great 

 discrepancy between the possible effects aris- 

 ing from the administration of the amount of 

 nicotine in a cigar and the actual effect pro- 

 duced on the smoker of the cigar. He asks this 

 pertinent question : "If a cigar contains 0.085 

 grains nicotine, and if one-seventh of the nico- 

 tine of the tobacco is present in the smoke and 

 if but .004 grains is capable of causing death, 

 why does the smoker not absorb enough nicotine 

 to cause his demise?" 



As a result of his careful experiments, Bush 

 found that although nicotine was present in all 

 the samples of tobacco tested there was no 

 nicotine whatever found in the smoke, except 

 in the case of cigarettes and in this case only 

 traces were found. The reason of this is given 

 as due to the rapid burning of the cigarette 

 which did not allow sufficient time for the com- 

 plete decomposition of the nicotine. Pyridinc 

 was, however, found in the smoke of all tobacco 

 burned. Pyridine is only one-twentieth as 

 toxic as nicotine. Bush concluded, therefore, 

 that pyridine and not nicotine is the toxic fac- 

 tor in tobacco smoke. The same fact was stated 

 several years ago by Rideal (Disinfection and 

 Preservation of Food, London and New York, 



184 



