83 



have any medicinal properties at all, and that practically none cure; at best 

 they can give but transient relief. Relieving is not curing. Our native 

 plants are chiefly remarkable in what they will not cure. The man who 

 gets the most benefit is the one who gathers them. Some of you may recall 

 O. Henry's story. 



BIOGRAPHY AND THE INFLUENCE OP ENVIRONMENT. 

 1908. Short case reports there cited have been continued into biographies. 

 You will readily understand that the longer a history, a biography, is con- 

 tinued the more valid the conclusions that can be drawn. Two of the 

 individuals mentioned have since died, and died just as predicted, not to 

 them however. The value of a theory is in enabling one to predict. By 

 the way, Case 3 was a man who could not do without tobacco. He had 

 used it all his life. He readily saw my reasoning, how, if he did not harm 

 himself, he at least harmed others. He attempted to quit but found it 

 impossible; he had to use a little tobacco, shall one say medicinally?* 



THOUGHT STIMULATION. 1909. The reference to tobacco is 

 very brief, but there is a relatively long mention of high blood pressure. 

 This is a very interesting phase of the tobacco problem, especially to those 

 who use their brains rather than their hands to make a living. Under what 

 conditions can a man work at his best and when is he disabled? What will 

 tide him over? I have already referred to this. 



Years ago I had a discussion with a physician who did more or less 

 surgery. He was a warm advocate of tobacco; even advised me to use it — the 

 old story of "Take Something" in place of "Do Something." Whenever he 

 did work under' high tension tobacco soothed him, he said. When he had 

 an unusual case he would be under high tension, very nervous, and tobacco 

 would steady his nerves, he asserted, or, in other words, steady his hand 

 when he operated. On investigating I found this state of affairs: 



Ordinarily he was not under "high tension," but this was produced when 

 he locked himself in a small room full of dusty books for several hours, looking 

 over the latest literature regarding such operations, and at the same time 

 filling himself with infected dust. Then his mind would run riot during the 

 night, he was sleepless, of course thinking about the operation in the morning. 



*Coming down on the interurban with me was an old patient. We had a discussion 

 of dust victims aria tobacco victims. He is a low pressure man. His observations bore 

 out my own. The advantage of discussion over a printed paper is that one can answer 

 questions and make obscure points clear. 



