Smoking and thinking / [a student of physiology].

  • Student of physiology.
Date:
[1867?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Smoking and thinking / [a student of physiology]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/4 (page 3)
    the tabatiere and cigar. Writing after six years5 experience as a non-smoker, he says:—“ It has been for us the commencement of a veritable resurrection of health, mind, and memory : our ideas have become more lucid, our imagination more vivid, our work easier, our pen quicker, and we have seen that army of words gradually return which had run away. Our memory, in a word, has recovered all its riches, all its sensibility. That Tobacco, especially in the form of Snuff, is a personal enemy of memory, which it has destroyed little by little, and sometimes very promptly, cannot be doubted. Many persons with whom we are acquainted—M. Dubrunfaut, the celebrated chemist, for example—have run the same dangers, and escaped them in the same way by renouncing Tobacco, which we do not hesitate to say, harms the greater part of those who employ it. Since, for one smoker or snuffer who uses it, there are ninety-nine who abuse it.” Memory depends upon the vigour and health of the nervous system It is likely to be impaired by whatever causes unhealthy excitement and nervous waste. Hence if the smoker’s memory fail, it may be considered as one symptom of general injury of the nervous centres from which arise other ills. The perceptive faculties become coarser and this leads to hallucination, Blatin quotes from Ehrhart some curious cases of this nature:—M. X., 46 years old, of nervo-sanguine temperament, and apparent good health, had often experienced embarrassment in speech and motion after indulging in tobacco. One fine day in the country, when the air was calm, and the sun was shining brightly, he was astonished to see a heavy rain shower which appeared to be driven towards him by a violent wTind. He extended his hand, no drops were falling, his clothes were quite dry ; but at the same moment he was struck with violent palpitation. He threw away his cigar, the violent beating of his heart ceased, and the vision disappeared. Many times this phenomenon recurred. He abandoned tobacco and the accidents quickly vanished. Thinking himself perfectly cured, he commenced again to smoke, but the palpitations and visions reappeared. Complete abstinence was his only safety. The step from temporary hallucination to chronic lunacy is not very great; and we find on record the case of a man wrho became insane, and whose recovery was due to a lucky accident which barred him from access to his usual indulgence. Druhen narrates another note¬ worthy case. A middle aged man, in good health and of steady habits was sent by his employer to Paris, charged with papers of considerable value. The importance of the trust preyed very much upon his imagination, and led to an attack of melancholy mania. He was under medical treatment for about three weeks, during which time his I MS r h natural desire for tobacco disappeared. On his recovery he again commenced smoking moderately. A few months after, another attack “ commenced, and he began to talk once more of the (imaginary) risks and dangers he had encountered on his journey to Paris. Druhen saw he was upon the brink of insanity, and his first prescription was “no tobacco.” Under this regime the man has since enjoyed the best health. These facts, although curious, are not entirely decisive; for in judging by individual cases there is always a risk of mistaking the / 3 7 / ✓ i