It should also be noted that Joseph Smith says that when tobacco is used for bruises and all sick cattle, it should be used with judgment and skill, thus impressing caution even in the external application of the herb. This is fully borne out by facts, for it has been found that "the external application of tobacco to abraded surfaces, and even to the healthy skin, has been attended with violent symptoms, and even death."[A]
[Footnote A: Wormley, Micro-chemistry of Poisons, p. 436.]
In the matter of the chemistry and physiological action of tobacco, then, the Prophet, in 1833, was in full accord with the best knowledge of 1908. In the emphasis of his doctrine, he even anticipated the world of science.
"And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 89:9.]
[Sidenote: The doctrine that tea and coffee are injurious to man is scientific.]
When this statement was made, in 1833, the meaning of the expression hot drinks was not clearly understood. Many believed that the only meaning of the above statement was that drinks that are hot enough to burn the mouth should not be used. Others, however, claimed for the doctrine a deeper meaning. To settle the difficulty, appeal was made to Joseph Smith who explained that tea, coffee and similar drinks were meant by the expression hot drinks. From that time on, the Church has taught that tea and coffee should not be used by mankind.[A]
[Footnote A: See The Contributor, vol. iv. p. 13; Improvement Era, vol 4, pp. 943-9.]
In the year 1821, several chemists isolated from coffee a bitter principle, of peculiar properties, which was named caffein. In 1827, the same substance was found to occur in tea. Numerous analysis show that there are between one and two per cent of caffein in coffee, and between three and six percent in tea. Later investigations have shown that caffein belongs to the vegetable poisons, and that its poisonous action is very strong.
Among the medical properties of caffein are the following, "in doses of three to five grains, it produces a peculiar wakefulness—after a dose of twelve grains, it produces intense physical restlessness and mental anxiety. Upon the muscles it acts as a powerful poison—it is used in medicines as a brain and heart stimulant."[A] Fatal cases of poisoning are also on record.