gusting to behold, to say nothing of the 

 filthy expectoration. Of the various 

 forms of smoking the cigarette habit is 

 the most disgusting and the most injuri- 

 ous. Cigarettes are extensively smoked 

 by young boys, and those who continue 

 on a large scale become physical and 

 mental weaklings and criminals. Pipe 

 smoking, as already indicated, dates back 

 to remotest antiquity. Pipes with short 

 stems are more injurious because more 

 poisonous volatile substances are in- 

 haled. The long stemmed pipes of Ger- 

 man students are less injurious. In a 

 short time the bowl of the pipe becomes 

 saturated with tobacco oil and emits a 

 horrible stench. Cigar smoking is usu- 

 ally considered less vulgar and less dis- 

 gusting than smoking a pipe, but there 

 is certainly nothing more disagreeable 

 to the nostrils than the conglomerate 

 stench from a poor cigar. The well di- 

 luted aroma from a good cigar is very 

 pleasant at a distance. 



The injurious effects resulting from 

 the continued habitual use of tobacco 

 may be summarized as follows : If the 

 habit is begun very early in life (five to 

 ten years) the mental, moral and physic- 

 al development is checked or stunted. At 

 all times the habit is apt to produce 

 chronic dyspepsia; the heart's action is 

 weakened ; there will be palpitation, ir- 

 regularity of beat and sooner or later 

 there is fatty degeneration ; that is, there 

 are a series of changes in the heart des- 

 ignated as ''tobacco heart." Those with 

 tobacco heart cannot undergo the usual 

 hardships and they are more apt to suc- 

 cumb to disease. The optic nerve and 

 retina are acted upon, producing weak- 

 ness and dimness of vision known as 

 "tobacco amblyopia," which may result 



in total blindness. The mental powers 

 are lessened ; there will develop various 

 neuroses, twitchings, tremblings of 

 hands, etc. One of the most common 

 results is "smokers' sore throat," which 

 cannot be cured unless the use of tobacco 

 is discontinued. 



Medicinally tobacco is but rarely used 

 nov/. With non-smokers it is useful to 

 relieve asthma. Formerly it was quite 

 extensively employed in spasmodic affec- 

 tions and in parasitic skin diseases. To- 

 bacco will be excluded from the next is- 

 sue of the United States Pharmacopoeia. 



A few words in regard to anti-tobacco 

 and anti-cigarette crusades. They are 

 too generally conducted by those who in 

 their efforts approach the fanatical and 

 who are greatly lacking in scientific 

 learning and who therefore cannot pre- 

 sent the subject in a rational and effec- 

 tive manner. If parents will set a good 

 example and teach the true injurious ef- 

 fects of tobacco and tobacco habits to 

 their sons and daughters, they will in all 

 probability not be tempted to use tobac- 

 co. All children need careful watching 

 by intelligent parents in order to keep 

 them from acquiring bad habits. This 

 does not apply more nor less to a possi- 

 ble acquisition of the tobacco habit than 

 to any other habit, /n illy fed, neg- 

 lected boy, who is allowed to roam the 

 streets and gutters, who choses his own 

 companions and who never receives any 

 good advice or kind words from any 

 one, will very likely learn to smoke, be- 

 sides acquiring other bad habits. 



Description of Plate: A, flowering 

 stem; i, floral parts; 2, stamen; 3, pol- 

 len ; 4-8, ovary and pistil ; 9, 10, seed. 

 Albert Schneider. 



Among the beautiful pictures 

 That hang on memory's wall, 



Is one of a dim old forest, 

 That secmeth best of all. 



■Alice Carey 



48 



