General effect of tobacco
From the standpoint of health, nothing can be said in favor of the use of tobacco in any form, as it gradually deadens the sensitiveness and control of the nervous system. It preys with great violence upon the optic nerves, and more than any other drug known dethrones sexual vitality. The tobacco heart, which is readily recognized by medical practitioners, shows the effect of this narcotic upon the nervous system. The craving for tobacco is closely related to the craving for intoxicating liquors and for highly seasoned food—three of the most potent factors in perverting the true sense of taste and arousing abnormal cravings which destroy natural hunger.
Neither tobacco nor nicotin are now used by medical practitioners. Tobacco was formerly used as a purgative, and also as a poultice to relieve swellings and inflammation.
COFFEE
Composition of coffee
Coffee is one of the most extensively used articles in the narcotic group. The alkaloid which gives coffee its characteristic properties is caffein. Coffee also contains from three to four per cent of tannic acid. Other substances in coffee, to which the pleasant odors and taste are due, are various forms of fats and carbohydrates, but these exist in such small quantities as to be negligible food elements. The effect of the caffein is that of a nervous stimulant, increasing the general nervous and mental activity. Coffee is frequently used to keep people awake. It is given as an antidote for opium poisoning because it stimulates the nervous system and prevents sleep.
Effects of coffee-drinking
Coffee, when used habitually, produces various forms of dyspepsia, especially hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid, tannic acid being the provoking factor. The effect of coffee upon the nervous system is that of continued stimulation or excitation. Its continued use overworks and wears out the nervous system, thus causing a deterioration of both body and mind. If caffein were taken in a highly concentrated form, it would result in a narcotic habit quite as enslaving as the use of opium or cocain.
TEA
Composition of tea