TOBACCO AS GERM-DESTROYER.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 50, 27 August 1904, Page 13

TOBACCO AS GERM-DESTROYER.

Tho popular idea that tobacco-smoking is a safeguard against infection finds support in an interesting articlo, "Of tho Uso and Abuse of Tobacco," contributed by Mr. E. Vincent Howard to tho July number of Macmillau's Magazine. Ho refers to tho investigations of Dr. Tossinari, who found that the smoke of tobacco in some cases entirely destroyed, in other retarded tho development of, micro-organisms. For example, tho bacilli of Asiatia cholera and pneumonia wero iv every instance destroyed by the smoke of tobacco irrespective of tho kind or quality of tho tobucco used. Anflhrax bacilli Mid tho bacilli of typhoid offered greater resistance ; the latter, indeed, were bu w ill-fated by tho smoke. Similar investigations have beon made in Spain and Germany. Werke saturated a cigtu fully impregnated with cholera bacilli, and found that in twenty-four hours every germ was destroyed. He next placed bacilli upon dry tobacco leaves ; in this case they wero rendered harmless in half an hour. In olkr trials a contact with tho leal of threo hours wns required for their destruction. Strange to say, damp lobacgo was tho kasb effective ; tho germs struggled hard fot existence, and held out lor bhree days before yielding up their lives to tho superior genius of rhe -weed. A fifty per ct>r.t. Rolution of tobacco overmastered thorn in twenty-four hours. But it is by burning tobacco, when its elements are liberwfced from their confinement, that Hie battle is most decisively won. Wcrke says that when h© tested them Avith the snioke of tobacco every germ was rendered incapable of propagating disease in lose tfian fivo minut^