_cholera morbus_; but whoever
thought of making them an article of diet, because from their
application he had experienced relief in that dangerous complaint? Or
whoever dreamed of using them constantly, lest he might again be
attacked with it? Would not prudence dictate to lay them aside, that
they might not lose their influence on the system, and consequently
their medicinal virtues?

But smoking sometimes diminishes the secretions of the mouth, producing
dryness and thirst, instead of moisture; still it is used with the same
perseverance as in the former case, and to obviate the same difficulty,
an overburdened stomach. And such is the united influence of its
stimulant and narcotic qualities, that the _thirst it occasions is not
to be allayed by ordinary drinks, but wine, ale, and brandy must be
taken, to satisfy this unnatural demand_. Hence, smoking has, in many
instances, been the sad precursor to the whiskey-jug and brandy-bottle,
which together have plunged their unfortunate victims into the lowest
depths of wretchedness and woe.

I am well acquainted with a man in a neighboring county, whose
intellectual endowments would do honor to any station, and who has
accumulated a handsome estate; but whose habits, of late, give unerring
premonition to his friends of a mournful result. This man informed me
that it was the fatal thirst occasioned by smoking his cigar, in
fashionable society, that had brought him into his present wretched and
miserable condition. Without any desire for ardent spirit, he first
sipped a little gin and water, to allay the disagreeable sensations
brought on by smoking, as water was altogether too insipid to answer the
purpose. Thus he went on from year to year, increasing his stimulus from
one degree to another, until he lost all control over himself; and now
he stands as a beacon, warning others to avoid the same road to
destruction.

Smoking has been prescribed for spasmodic asthma, and undoubtedly with
some success; and the manner in which it affords relief in this
distressing disease has been pointed out, when speaking of the narcotic
and antispasmodic effects of this drug. But suppose it capable of
relieving the paroxysm, when administered to a person unaccustomed to
its deadly stimulus, it will by no means be followed by the same happy
effect, when once its use becomes habitual.

But smoking has been the grand resort to secure the system from the
influence of contagion; and perhaps