PHYSICAL AND INTELLECTUAL VIEW. 63 



this poison for a patient, and thus, for a mere tem- 

 porary soothing effect, bring him into a bondage 

 entailing evils beyond computation to himself and 

 family? A certain physician recommended the 

 chewing of tobacco to a man as the only thing to 

 secure him against a fever to which he was ex- 

 posed in the case of one of his family. But what 

 of a woman? How about said man's wife and 

 daughter, who, from being more constantly in the 

 sick room, were far more exposed? Were their 

 lives of less value than his? Why didn't the 

 doctor prescribe it for them also? 



I know a man of fine intellect and high moral 

 character who had come to a ripe maturity without 

 touching the filthy weed. He is attacked with 

 whooping cough. A wise ( ?) doctor recommends 

 smoking to quiet the paroxysms of the cough, 

 and himself brings and presents the first cigar to 

 the patient — his very best medical prescription. 

 Does he offer one to the woman, suffering from 

 similar paroxysms, and with less strength to bear 

 them ? And the children with their fearful cou^h- 

 ing fits, — does he bring a cigar for their relief? 

 The poor baby, too, who grows black and all but 

 dies in the struggle for breath ! It is too young 

 to smoke? Why not, then, teach the little cough- 

 ing sister this fine art, and let her smoke in the 

 baby's face? Does not any doctor know that 

 under any such ill-omened spell the tender infant 

 would speedily pine away and die ? 



But what of the husband and father after his 



