TOBACCO AND ITS EFFECTS. 10/ 



'' I have treated two epileptic cases, and numerous 

 cases of nervousness directly due to tobacco." 



" Under certain circumstances tobacco will help to pro- 

 duce all the troubles enumerated, and will help to make 

 them worse when they arise from other causes." 



" I have no doubt that the use of tobacco is worthy of 

 the special attention of practitioners of medicine, as a very 

 frequent but unconsidered cause of disease. I am very 

 certain that if the doctor directs his attention to the sub- 

 ject, he will find in the tobacco-habit an explanation of 

 many obstinate and difficult cases. I do not doubt that 

 the excessive use of tobacco aggravates phthisis ; I have 

 seen cases of amaurosis that were unquestionably due to 

 its use." 



" Amaurosis is a very common result of smoking to ex- 

 cess, but I have never seen it produced by snuffing or 

 chewing. So far as I have been successful in treating it at 

 all, it has been by securing unconditional surrender of the 

 use of tobacco." 



'' Loss of memory takes place in an extraordinary degree 

 in smokers." 



Question 9. "What is your opinion as to the possi- 

 bihty of a diseased condition of any kind being caused by 

 tobacco and being transmitted by inheritance ? " 



The answers to this question were very diverse. Fif- 

 teen per cent of our correspondents, however, think that 

 a weakened and ner\^ous state of the system caused by the 

 excessive use of tobacco is frequently transmitted and 

 manifested in the offspring. Twenty-five per cent reply 

 that diseased conditions from the use of tobacco may be 

 and doubtless often are transmitted from parents to chil- 

 dren. Ten per cent admit the possibility of such trans- 



