GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 21 



8ome cases purging, extreme weakness, and relaxation 

 of the muscles, depression of the vascular system (mani- 

 fested by feeble pulse, pale face, cold sweats, and ten- 

 dency to faint), convulsive movements, followed by 

 paralysis, and a kind of torpor terminating in death." 



9. As an accompaniment to these physiological effects, 

 I may here give an extract from the newly published 

 pamphlet by Monsieur Fi^v^e, showing the mental or 

 moral effects of this deleterious agent. 



" We do not insist principally on the material disas- 

 ters resulting from tobacco, knowing very well that any 

 reasoning on this subject will not produce conviction. 

 A danger of far greater interest to those concerned in 

 the preservation of the individual, is the enfeeblement 

 of the human mind, the loss of the powers of intelli- 

 geace and of moral energy; in a word, of the vigor of 

 the intellect, one of the elements of which is memory. 

 We are much deceived, if the statistics of actual men- 

 tal vigor would not prove the low level of the intellect 

 throughout Europe since the introduction of tobacco. 

 The Spaniards have first experienced the penalty of its 

 abuse, the example of which they have so industriously 

 propagated, and the elements of which originated in 

 their conquests and their ancient energy. The rich 

 Havanna enjoys the monopoly of the poison which 

 procures so much gold in return for so many victims ; 

 but the Spaniards have paid for it also by the loss of 

 their political importance, of their rich appanage of art 

 and literature, of their chivalry, which made them one 

 of the first people of the world. Admitting that other 

 causes operated, tobacco has been one of the most influ- 



