—. 2

(a) Contributes to crimes of violence, poverty, disease, and disor~
ganization of homes.

Control

(a) Federal: Laws--Food & Drug Act, Harrison Law.
le Organization: U. S. Public Health Service, Anti-Narcotic
League.
(b) International: League of Nations, Health Section
(c) State: Departments of Health, Hospitals and Clinics.

 

 

Tobecco

 

The use of tobacco should be considered from the standpoint of its
effects as:

{a) Habit forming substance
{b) An injurious substance
(c) In its relation to efficiency

Composition of Tobacco

While tobacco as used is the leaves of the plant nicotiana tabacum,
our interest from the standpoint of defensive hygiene is in the active
principles in the plant which are possible chemical poisons.

Nicotin is the most important of these, In its pure form, it is
one of our most powerful, fatal, and rapidly acting poisons. The nicotin
content of the various kinds of tobacco vary considerably from 1.3% to
4%, for Havana ani Maryland, to 6% to 8% for Virginia or Kentucky tobacco.

Tobacco contains many other substances which give it a characteris=
tic flavor. One of them, pyridin, on heating gives rise to substances
that are of importence in estimating the physiological effects of tobacco.
Two of them are carbon monoxide and furfural.

Combustion of Tobacco

Our interest lies in understanding what is responsible for its
charm and its ill effects. There can be no debate about the serious ef-
fects of such a powerful poison as nicotin if used in any but the most
minute quantity. It is its effects when taken into the body in such
amounts and forms as are present in smoking and chewing tovacco that
causes much controversy.

The amount of nicotin in the smoke of burning tobacco depends upon
the kind ami formof tobacco, and the amount of moisture present. This
varies fra 14%, to 35%, in cigarettes, to a much higher percentage in ci-
gars and pipes.

It is claimed by some investigators that nicotin is practically des-
troyed in the process of smoking and that the effects of tobacco are lim
ited to the decamposition products resulting from the pyridin. This
does not explain the fact that the same physiological effects are pro-
duced by chewing tobacco.