Show TOBACCO both sides of the question gently presented in every land and in every clime where the use of tobacco prevails it causes degeneration degradation debasement physical mental and moral disease and death or individual and national decadence such is the statement of dr george J ziegler in an article on tho tobacco poison 1 I do not believe there is any more harm in smoking a cigar or pipe after eating than there is in drinking tea or coffee any luxury carried to excess carries with it a penalty for my own parti consider that smoking acts as a sedative and equalizer of the temper assists digestion and is a medium of sociability among men which should not be discarded so says dr A E adams of danbury connin an article entitled Is smoking injurious the doctors disagree says the new york medical journal but there can be no doubt as to whose view is nearer the truth the broad statement of dr ziegler is contradicted not only by general experience but by the undoubted fact that such countries as germany and the united states two nations which are certainly not suffering from decadence consume three or four times more tobacco per capita chaa do the spaniards or italians nations of by no means so vigorous a vitality the real facts as to the influence of tobacco on the health are fairly well established and the occasional outburst of anti tobacco fanaticism does not affect received medical opinion tobacco is pernicious to growing children used in moderation the majority of healthy adults can smoke it it aloes not in tho least shorten life or produce degenerate changes nearly one half of prof of cent arians were tobacco users it is particularly harmless to those who live outdoors and engage in physical work it is particularly apt to injure those who live indoors tho worst feature about its use is the difficulty some persons have in smoking in moderation this is especially true of brain workers and it is for this reason that physicians never advise the acquirement of the tobacco habit but among the areat mass of working people the use of tobacco is apparently patently ly a harmless one |