TOBACCO BENEFITS. 113 



BENEFITING ADULTS. 



A well-known physician, himself a smoker, 

 while he pronounces tobacco "highly injurious to 

 persons whose nervous systems are not developed, 

 or to women, who naturally have more delicate 

 nervous organizations than men," avows that he 

 believes it is beneficial to most adults. 



Another physician of high standing, himself a 

 non-smoker, affirms that, at the very least, three 

 fourths of the profession are against this view of 

 said doctor; that his utterances, as reported, 

 amount to two arguments : First, that, using it 

 himself, he justifies its use ; second, that there is 

 in adult life a comparative tolerance of all nar- 

 cotics, but that it is only a question of more or less 

 poisonous influence. He adds that the very asser- 

 tions made to defend its use are significant, — 

 " cigarettes are more mischievous than cigars ; " 

 " the effect of tobacco is much worse on young 

 men than on adults ;" " chewing has a far more 

 deleterious influence on the digestive system than 

 smoking," and other similar expressions. 



There is in these arguments of smokers some- 

 thing passing one's comprehension. 



"Tobacco, by exciting the secretions of saliva, 

 excites the secretions of gastric juice;" ergo, 

 "used after dinner, it promotes the digestion of 

 the adult." 



"Tobacco, by exciting unnaturally the secretions 

 of saliva, impairs the digestion of the young." 



