The Anatomy of Tobacco
the statement often made by the thoughtless—smoking is a slow poison. First as to the form. What is a "poison?" A poison is a substance, either solid, liquid, or gaseous, which being absorbed into the system of the body either kills it or more or less grievously injures it. And a "slow poison" is therefore a substance which does this slowly and by degrees. From which it appears that "smoking" is a substance. But smoking is the act of inhaling smoke. Therefore an act is also a substance, which is absurd. For how can we talk of a solid act, or a liquid act, or a gaseous act? It might as justly, quoad formam, be said of dancing that "it is a slow poison," or of any other act of the body that can be conceived of. And again, what meaning are we to assign to the word "slow"? I will grant that "smoking" is a poison, and search among other poisons and endeavour to understand in what manner "slow" is applied to them. Now among rapid poisons we find, for example, aconite, prussic acid, and the venom of certain snakes. These
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