An Essay on the Influence of Tobacco upon Life and Health - Reuben Dimond Mussey (ebook reader that looks like a book txt) 📗

He followed the advice in regard to drinks, in so far as to confine himself to water, and threw away the cud and cigar, but continued to take snuff. Under this change his health was improved, and the turns of palpitation were less frequent, and generally less severe. Two years afterwards, he abandoned flesh meat as an article of diet, and still indulged himself in the habit of snuff-taking. In this way he continued for about six years, his general health being considerably improved; he was subject, however, to an occasional attack of palpitation. At length he had a paroxysm, which was so terribly severe and protracted, as to keep him nine hours and an half motionless upon his back, under the incessant apprehension of immediate dissolution. In the course of this nine and an half hours he made up his mind to take no more snuff. He has kept his resolution, and has not had an attack since, now about six years. He says he has sometimes felt a slight agitation or tremor, but this has been rare. He continues to exclude flesh meat from his diet. His breakfast consists of roasted potatoes and toasted bread, with a little butter; his dinner, bread and milk; supper, the same as the breakfast. His only drink is water. Once his fingers were tremulous, now they are perfectly steady; and his memory, which was alarmingly impaired, is very much improved.

A physician, with whom I was intimately acquainted, during the greater part of his medical pupilage, which included the latter part of his tobacco experience, has given the following account of his own case. He has a preference for withholding his name from the public, and has described himself as 'the patient.' The circumstances of the case as related, may be relied on. I was present each time when he threw away his tobacco.

"The patient," says he, "at the early age of fourteen, under the impression that it was a manly habit, commenced chewing tobacco; and a long and painful course of training was required before the stomach could be brought to retain it. At length the natural aversion of this organ to the poison was so overcome, that an exceedingly large quantity might be taken without producing nausea. For several years the patient continued its uninterrupted use, swallowing all the secretions of the mouth saturated with this baneful narcotic, without experiencing much disturbance of health. At length he began to be harassed with heart-burn, attended with copious eructations of an intensely acid fluid, together with other indications of dyspepsia. A watery stomach was suspected, and smoking was at once recommended in addition to chewing, to alleviate the accumulation of water in the stomach and to assist digestion. Smoking was accordingly practised after every meal, with little alleviation of the difficulty. The patient, however, being determined to be benefited by its use, resorted to it more frequently, smoking not only after eating, but several times between meals. Yet to his great surprise, his troublesome symptoms were gradually augmented, notwithstanding his strenuous adherence to the practice.

"To the heart-burn and acid eructations, soon succeeded nausea, loss of appetite, a gnawing sensation in the stomach, when empty, a sense of constriction in the throat, dryness in the mouth and fauces, thickening or huskiness of the voice, costiveness, paleness of the countenance, languor, emaciation, aversion to exercise, lowness of spirits, palpitations, disturbed sleep; in short, all the symptoms which characterize dyspepsia of the worst stamp. He was well nigh unfitted for any kind of business, and his very existence began to be miserably burdensome.

"At last, being advised to abandon the use of tobacco in all its forms, and being fully persuaded that he either must relinquish it voluntarily, or that death would soon compel him to do it, 'he summoned all his resolution for the fearful exigency, and after a long and desperate struggle, obtained the victory.' 'All the inconvenience' he experienced, 'was a few sleepless nights, and an incessant hankering after the accustomed fascinating influence of the cigar and cud.'

"In a few days a manifest improvement in health was apparent, his appetite and strength returned, his sleep became more sound and refreshing, and he directly found himself in the enjoyment of better health than he had possessed at any time during ten years of vile submission to a depraved and unnatural appetite.

"After abstaining from it about two months, he again, by way of experiment, returned to the cud, cigar, and pipe; and but a few days were requisite to recall all his former dyspeptic symptoms. He again relinquished the habit, under the full conviction that tobacco was the sole cause of his illness, and he firmly resolved never to make further use of it."

After recovering a second time from the effects of his poison, this gentleman assured me that, at times, his feelings had bordered on those of mental derangement; he thought every body hated him; and he in turn hated every body. He had often, after lying awake for several hours in the night, under the most distressing forebodings, arisen, smoked his pipe to procure a temporary alleviation of his sufferings, in fitful and half delirious slumbers. He even thought of suicide, but was deterred by the dread of an hereafter. In a few weeks after relinquishing the indulgence, all these feelings were gone; and when I last saw him, about two years, I believe, after quitting his tobacco, he was in fine health and spirits.

The following letter from Dr. Moore describes his own case.

"Wells, (Me.) April 10, 1833.

"Dear Sir,—

"It was not until this late hour, that I received your letter of the 4th inst. With pleasure I hasten to answer your inquiries with regard to my experience in the use of tobacco.

"In the autumn of 1817, I commenced (I know not why) the use of tobacco. It was not until the spring of 1825, that I experienced any ill effects from it, except now and then, heart-burn, acid eructations, and occasional fits of melancholy. At that time I became dyspeptic. My food gave me much uneasiness; I had a sinking sensation at the pit of the stomach, wandering pains about the limbs, especially by night, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, great difficulty of breathing from slight exercise, debility, emaciation, depression of spirits. Such have been my symptoms and feelings the last seven years; and in that time I have had two attacks of hæmoptysis, [spitting of blood,] which I attribute solely to the relaxing effects of this narcotic.

"The various remedies for dyspepsia were all tried in my case without the least benefit. About the first of December last, I gave up the use of tobacco, and to my astonishment, within the first twenty-four hours, my appetite returned; food gave no uneasiness and strength returned. I have been generally gaining flesh, so that now my weight is greater than it ever was except once.

"I never was in the habit of using more than half an ounce of tobacco a day. This would be but a moderate allowance for most persons, who use the cud. I never was a smoker; my use of it was wholly confined to chewing.

"A gentleman called a few weeks ago to consult me. His countenance was pallid and ghastly. He said that he had no appetite, was extremely debilitated, had palpitation of the heart, and copious perspiration on slight exercise, wakefulness by night, and was gloomy. Sir, said I, do you use tobacco? 'I do.' How much on an average daily? 'One fig.' I told him he must renounce its use, which he promised to do. He took no medicine. I saw him again in ten days. He said he was well and was fully satisfied that his complaints were owing to the use of tobacco.

"A friend of mine in this town, who has made a constant use of tobacco, by chewing for more than thirty years of his life, was prevailed upon, a few months ago to lay it aside, in consequence of having constant vertigo, [dizziness]; he is now well, and all who knew him are astonished to witness the increase of his flesh, since he desisted from its use.

"I can now count ten persons who were in a feeble state of health, and who have renounced tobacco by my advice, most of whom were troubled with nervous diseases and dyspepsia. They have all acquired better health.

"You are at liberty to make what use of these remarks you please, and I will vouch for the truth of them.

"Your obedient servant,
"E. G. Moore.

"Prof. Mussey."

Dr. Moore's case is peculiarly interesting, inasmuch as for some years he was regarded by many of his friends, as near a fatal consumption. In the February preceding the date of his letter, I met him in a stage-coach, and was struck with his healthful appearance, and interested with the account of his restoration. The following letter from the same gentleman confirms the views contained in his first communication.

"Wells, May 7, 1836.

"Dear Sir,—

"Yours of the 3d inst. has just been received; and in answer to your inquiry I have to say, that my health is better than when I last saw you in 1833; although, since that time I have been afflicted with all my former unpleasant symptoms, viz. loss of appetite, debility, tremors, dizziness, palpitations of the heart, anxiety of mind, melancholy, &c. &c.

"You may ask what could be the cause of all these unpleasant sensations. I will tell you. It was returning to the gratification of a depraved appetite in the use of tobacco; and I have no hesitancy in declaring it as my opinion, that could the causes of the many acts of suicide, committed in the United States, be investigated, it would be found, that many instances were owing to the effects of tobacco upon the nervous system.

"It is now nearly two years since I have had any thing to do with this enemy of the human race, and my health has never been better. I have a good appetite for food. My dyspeptic affection troubles me so little, that I hardly think of it. I never weighed so much before by several pounds.

"One of the persons of whom I wrote before, is still in this vicinity, and uses no tobacco; he enjoys uninterrupted health. The others do not now reside in this place.

"Yours,
"E. G. Moore."

It is presumed that, henceforward, Dr. Moore will retain so little doubt as to the effects of tobacco, as to avoid making further experiments with it upon his own constitution.

Jonathan Cummings, Esq., an intelligent farmer, now living in Plymouth, N. H., in a letter to Dr. Chadbourne, about three years ago, says that he was accustomed to manual labor from childhood, and enjoyed almost uninterrupted health, till he was twenty-five years old, about which time he commenced chewing and smoking tobacco; having for some time taken snuff for weakness of his eyes. His stomach soon became affected, he had faintings and tremblings, and was unable to perform the labor he had been accustomed to do. "I went on in this way," says he, "for thirty years; tobacco seemed to be my only comfort; I thought that I could not live without it.

"Two years ago, finding my strength still more rapidly declining, I determined to be a slave to my appetites no longer, and I discontinued the use of tobacco in every form. The trial was a severe one, but the immediate improvement in my general health richly paid me for all I suffered. My appetite has returned, my food nourishes me, and after thirty successive years of debility, I have become strong.

"My weight,