An Essay on the Influence of Tobacco upon Life and Health | Page 4

were perfectly flaccid.
EXPERIMENT 5.
In the tip of the nose of a mouse, a small puncture was made with a
surgeon's needle, bedewed with the oil of tobacco. The little animal,
from the insertion of this small quantity of the poison, fell into a violent
agitation, and was dead in six minutes.

EXPERIMENT 6.
Two drops of the oil were rubbed upon the tongue of a red squirrel.
This animal, so athletic as to render it difficult to secure him
sufficiently long for the application, was in a moment seized with a
violent agitation of the whole body and limbs, and was perfectly dead
and motionless in one minute.
EXPERIMENT 7.
To the tongue of a dog rather under the middle size, five drops of the
oil of tobacco were applied. In forty-five seconds he fell upon the side,
got up, retched, and fell again. In one minute the respiration was
laborious, and the pupils were dilated. In two minutes the breathing
was slow and feeble, with puffing of the cheeks. In three minutes the
pupils were smaller but continually varying. The left fore leg and the
right hind leg were affected with a simultaneous convulsion or jerk,
corresponding with the inspiratory motions of the chest. This continued
for five minutes.
In nine minutes alimentary evacuations; symptoms abated; and the
animal attempted to walk. At ten minutes two drops of the oil were
applied to the tongue. Instantly the breathing became laborious, with
puffing of the cheeks; pupils much dilated. The convulsive or jerking
motions of the two limbs appeared as before, recurring regularly at the
interval of about two seconds, and exactly corresponding with the
inspirations. In twelve minutes the pupils were more natural; slight
frothing at the mouth, the animal still lying upon the side. At this time a
drop of the oil was passed into each nostril. The labor of the respiration
was suddenly increased, the jaws locked.
In twenty-two minutes no material change; the jaws were separated and
five drops of the oil were rubbed on the tongue. In one minute the
pupils were entirely dilated, with strong convulsions. In one and an half
minutes, in trying to walk, the animal fell. In three minutes the eyes
rolled up, and convulsions continued. In six minutes, the plica
semilunaris so drawn as to cover half the cornea. In seven minutes,
slight frothing at the mouth. In forty minutes the inspirations were less

deep, the convulsions had been unremitted, the strength failing. From
this time he lay for more than half an hour nearly in the same state; the
strength was gradually sinking, and as there was no prospect of
recovery, he was killed. In this case, the true apoplectic puffing of the
cheeks was present the greater part of the time.
* * * * *
From the foregoing, and from additional experiments, which it is not
necessary to give in detail, it appeared, that when applied to a wound
made in the most sensitive parts of the integuments, the oil of tobacco,
though it caused a good deal of pain, had a far less general effect than
when applied to the tongue. Rats were less affected than cats. Two and
sometimes three drops rubbed upon the tongue of a rat, did not kill in
half an hour.
Three large drops rubbed upon the tongue of a full-sized cat, usually
caused death in from three to ten minutes, and in one instance, already
stated, in two minutes and forty-five seconds. One drop passed into the
jugular vein of a large dog, occasioned an immediate cry, followed in a
few moments by staggering, convulsive twitchings of the voluntary
muscles, and vomiting.
In those cases in which full vomiting occurred, evident relief followed.
Young animals suffered much more than those, which had come to
their full growth and vigor. In those animals, whose lives were
suddenly destroyed by the tobacco, no coagulation of the blood took
place. The bodies of several cats were examined the next day after
death, and only in a single instance was a slight coagulum observed;
and this was in a cat, whose constitution possessed strong powers of
resistance, and whose death was comparatively lingering.
It is not improbable, that the charge of inhumanity may be made
against experiments prosecuted upon defenceless animals, with a
poison so painful and destructive in its operation as tobacco; the justice
of this charge is freely admitted, if such experiments be made merely
for the gratification of curiosity, and not with the object and reasonable
hope of making them useful to mankind, and of influencing, at least,

some few individuals, to abandon the practice (humane can it be
called?) of administering this poison to themselves and their children,
till it occasions disease and death. Indeed, there are but few, who would