after a time, creep upon him, making life a burden, and ending in premature dissolution; though he may impute his sufferings to other causes, and even die, folded with unsuspicious confidence, in the arms of his murderer.

There can be no doubt that opium, in the hands of a judicious physician, is a most valuable medicine; nor any more doubt, that when used habitually, or even occasionally without medical advice, it is almost uniformly and highly injurious. We have, indeed, few genuine opium eaters among us; but the laudanum and paregoric phial, are con sidered almost indispensable in every family. Nor does the mother hesitate, night after night, to quell the cries of her infant by administering increasing doses of these poisons, and thus almost infallibly to ruin its constitution. The nervous invalid also, resorts to this remedy for allaying the irritation of his system and procuring repose. And more especially, does the delicate votary of fashionable life, make this her nightly resort, on returning at midnight from the assembly, the dance, or the tea party, "all soul within and all nerve without." And nearly all these persons, numerous as they have become among us, are probably ignorant that they are thus destroying themselves and their children. But if they will not listen to the following awakening warning, coming from high medical authority, they are irretrievably ruined.

"However repugnant to our feelings as rational beings may be the vice of drunkenness, it is not more hurtful in its effects than the practice of taking laudanum"-"this is not the language of exaggeration or speculative fear. We speak from a full knowledge of the facts. We repeat it-the person who gets into the habit for weeks, (he may not reach to months, or if he pass these, his years will be but few and miserable,) of daily measuring out to himself his drops of laudanum, or his pills of opium, or the like deleterious substance, call it tincture, solution, mixture, potion, what you will, is destroying himself as surely as if he were swallowing arsenic, or had the pistol applied to his head. The fire of disease may for a while be concealed-he may smile in-credulous at our prediction; but the hour of retribution will come, and the consequences will be terrible."*

* Journal of Health, Vol. I. pp. 162.163.

Not less decided is the testimony of physicians against the use of tobacco in every form. "Did the least benefit result to the system from its habitual use," says the same authority, "there would then be some reason why, with all its loathsomeness of taste and smell, it should have become so general a favorite. But we know, on the contrary, that all who habituate themselves to its use, sooner or later experience its noxious power. Tobacco is in fact an absolute poison. A very moderate quantity introduced into the system-even applying the moistened leaves over the stomach-has been known very suddenly to extinguish life." In whatever form it may be employed, a portion of the active principles of the tobacco, mixed with the saliva, invariably finds its way to the stomach, and disturbs or impairs the functions of that organ. Hence, most, if not all, of those who are accustomed to the use of tobacco, labor under dyspeptic symptoms. They experience, at intervals, a want of appetite-nausea -inordinate thirst--vertigo-pains and distensions of the stomach-disagreeable sleep, and are more or less ema

ciated."

How very pernicious, then, must be that filthy practice, to which some are given, of swallowing down purposely, a quantity of tobacco spittle after meals, to assist digestion: Or the still more degrading habit, of chewing snuff; to which it is said, not a few delicate ladies are addicted! Alas, to what depths of degradation will brutal appetite bow down the immortal mind!

The common opinion, that tobacco, in some of its forms, is serviceable for headaches, weak eyes, the preservation of the teeth, purifying the breath, cold and watery stomachs, &c. is mere delusion. "At first had recourse to, by some, for the relief of headache, or disordered eyes,-snuff, when long continued," says a medical writer, "brings on those very evils it was intended to remove." And here I am happy in having permission to give the opinion of one of the ablest physicians in Massachusetts, as to the use of tobacco in another form. The chewing of tobacco," says he, "is not necessary or useful in any case that I know of: and I have abundant evidence to satisfy me that its use may be discontinued without pernicious consequences. The common belief, that it is beneficial to the teeth, is, I apprehend,. entirely erroneous, On the contrary, by poisoning and re

laxing the vessels of the gums, it may impair the healthy condition of the vessels belonging to the membranes of the socket, with the condition of which, the state of the tooth is closely connected."*

The practice of smoking is alike deleterious. If it were ever useful as a medicine, the habit, by deadening the nerVous sensibility, must prevent every good effect, and then it becomes injurious only: Indeed, "even in persons much accustomed to it, it may be carried so far as to prove a mortal poison."†

The counsel given by the Journal of Health, is, therefore, in perfect accordance with the principles of medical philosophy. "Our advice is, to desist, immediately and entirely, from the use of tobacco in every form, and in any quantity, however small."" A reform of this, like of all evil habits, whether of smoking, chewing, drinking, and other vicious indulgencies, to be efficacious, must be entire, and complete, from the very moment when the person is convinced, either by his fears or his reason, of its pernicious tendency and operation."

Ardent spirit and wine are considered very serviceable, by multitudes, in several circumstances. Let us see whether this opinion is correct.

Is alcohol necessary for the farmer, to sustain him under protracted labour and fatigue? The experiment has been fairly and repeatedly tried, by many of the most hard-working men in the country; and their testimony is, that spirit is decidedly injurious, by increasing the very evils it is supposed to remove; notwithstanding the temporary exhilaration which it produces.

Is it necessary for the soldier? Says Dr. Jackson, a distinguished surgeon in the British army: "my health has been tried in all ways; and by the aids of temperance and hard work, I have worn out two armies, in two wars, and probably could wear out another before my period of old age arrives. I eat no animal food, drink no wine or malt liquor, or spirits of any kind; I wear no flannel; and neither regard wind nor rain, heat nor cold, when business is in the way."

*Letter from Dr. John C. Warren of Boston, March, 1830. + Ree's Cyc. article Tobacco.

+ Sure Methods of Improving Health, &c. p. 79.

A general officer in the British service thus testified also, more than thirty years ago. "But above all, let every one who values his health, avoid drinking spirits when heated; that is adding fuel to the fire, and is apt to produce the most dangerous inflammatory complaints." "Not a more dangerous error exists, than the notion that the habitual use of spirituous liquors prevents the effects of cold. On the contrary, the truth is, that those who drink most frequently of them are soonest affected by severe weather. The daily use of these liquors tends greatly to emaciate and waste the strength of the body.'

The Roman soldiers, who conquered the world, and bore a weight of armour that would almost crush a modern warrior, drank nothing stronger than vinegar and water.

Are alcoholic mixtures necessary for sailors? In 1619, the crew of a Danish ship, of sixty men, well supplied with provisions and ardent spirit, attempted to pass the winter in Hudson's Bay but fifty eight of them died before spring. An English crew of twenty two men, however, destitute of ardent spirit, and obliged to be almost constantly exposed to the cold, wintered in the same Bay, and only two of them died. Eight Englishmen did the same, in like circumstances, and all returned to England and four Russians, left without spirit or provisions in Spitzbergen, lived there six years and afterwards returned home. In accordance with these facts, it is found, that when sailors are exposed in high latitudes to cold and wet, those endure best, and live longest, who drink no, spirit.t

Is spirit necessary for slaves, who are exposed to a summer's sun in warm climates? " On three contiguous estates," in the island of Cuba, says Dr. Abbot, " of more than four

Military Mentor, vol. 1. p. 24-25.

Extract from the New York Mercury of March 31st, 1830. On Thursday night a very fair experiment was made on the effect of spirituous liquors to sustain men under fatigue. The vessel was on. Barnegat Shoals when the storm came on, and through the night was in great peril. All hands drank spirit except one man sixty years of age. He stood at the helm from five o'clock in the evening of Thursday, until ten o'clock on Friday, the sea breaking upon him constantly, when he came off in good condition-All the men who drank spirits had given out several hours before."-See also, Rees's Cyclop. Article Cold.

hundred slaves, has been made with fine success, the experiment of a strict exclusion of ardent spirits, at all seasons of the year. The success has far exceeded his (the proprietor's) most sanguine hopes. Peace and quietness, and contentment, reign among the negroes; creoles are reared in much greater numbers than formerly; the estates are in the neatest and highest state of cultivation, and order and discipline are maintained with very little correction, and the mildest means.”*.

The men in Europe, who are trained to become pugilists, and to whom it is the object to give the greatest strength and most perfect health, are not allowed ardent spirit at all; and the best trainers prohibit wine.

Now if spirit and wine are not only unnecessary, but decidedly injurious, in the extreme cases that have been pointed out, surely they cannot be beneficial to the student, who is subject to none of these exposures. Some, however, will say, that their moderate use by such persons greatly assists digestion.

"It is a common enough belief," says an European medical writer," that a dram after meals promotes digestion. But there cannot be a more erroneous opinion. Those, indeed, who have acquired this pernicious habit, may find, that without their usual stimulus, digestion goes tardily on. But this only bespeaks the infirm and diseased state to which the stomach has been reduced. For the digestion of the healthy and unaccustomed, is sure to be interrupted and retarded by a dram. Common observation might satisfy us of this. But the question has been submitted to direct experiment by Dr. Beddoes; and he found that the animals to whom spirits had been given along with their food, had digested nearly one half less, than other similar animals from whom this stimulus had been withheld."

Physicians were, indeed, formerly in the habit of recommending a little brandy and water, or wine, to those affected with the dyspepsy. But the opinion of the ablest of them now, at least in this country, is, that such tonics, in most cases of this sort, give only a transient and deceitful relief; and in fact tend to exhaust the invalid's scanty strength. In

Abbot's Letters from Cuba.

Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Article Aliment, vol. 1. p. 498.