Origin & nature of tobacco / by George Trask.

  • Trask, George, 1798-1875.
Date:
[Between 1860 and 1869?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Origin & nature of tobacco / by George Trask. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the Spanish and Portuguese courts, carried the plant to his own country. As in other countries, tobacco was received with general tavor in England, although here as elsewhere it found bitter opponents. It is generally supposed to have been introduced first by Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1548, or as some say, in 1586. Others, however, regard it more probable that to Sir Walter is only due the honor of having been the first patron of the precious weed, and that it was first introduced into England by Ralph Lane, who returned to that country with Sir Francis Drake in 1560. The earliest evidences of Sir Walter Raleigh’s using it seems to have been that of 1584. According to Lobelias, it was cul¬ tivated in England in 1570. Clucins says that “ the English, on their return from Virginia, brought tobacco-pipes made of clay ; and, since that time, the use of drinking tobacco hath so much prevailed all over England, especially among the courtiers, that they have caused many such pipes made to drink tobacco with.” Whatever may be true on the subject, Sir Walter Raleigh appears to have the credit of having introduced an article which has been the source of great National evil! Those who have observed the practice of smoking descend from Father to Son cannot fail to have discovered that it has completely changed the character of England’s youths and young men I—Ed. THE NATURE OF TOBACCO. « What is tobacco ? “It is,” says the Encyclopedia Americana, “ a nauseous and poisonous weed, of an acrid taste and disagreeable odour, in short, whose only properties are deleterious.” Dr. Bigelow in his American Medical Botany, says, “ In its external and sensible properties there is no plant which has less to recommend it than the common tobacco. A small quantity taken into the stomach excites violent vomiting, attended with other alarming symptoms. In an elaborate chemical analysis of tobacco, published by Van Vauquelin in the Annates de Ghimie, we have the following results:— “The broad-leaved tobacco furnishes from its juice the following con¬ stituents. 1. A large quantity of animal matter of an ahuruinous nature. 2. Malate of lime with an excess of acid. 3. Acetic acid. 4. Nitrate and muriate of potash in observable quantities. 5. A red matter, soluble in alcohol and water, which swells and boils in the fire, its nature undetermined. 6. Muriate Ammonia. 7. A peculiar acrid, volatile, colorless, substance, soluble in water and alcohol, and which appears different from anything known in the vegetable kingdom. It is this principle which gives to it, prepared, its peculiar character, and it is, perhaps, not to be found in any other species of plant. Its medical activity is supposed to reside in this volatile portion, which is the essential oil.” A more recent analysis we take from Boussingault. “ The virtues of tobacco very probably reside in the volatile vegetable alkali, nicotine, which it contains.” The analysis of M. Posselt and Kiernan show the leaf of tobacco to be composed as follows : Nicotine 0.07; extractive matter 2.87 ; gum 1.74; a green resin 0.27; albumen 0.26; gluten 1.05; malic acid 0.51; malate of ammonia 0.12; sulphate of potash 0.05 ; chloride of potassium 0.06 ; nitrate and malate of