When Columbus and other early Spanish explorers came to the Caribbean they discovered the native peoples smoking a dried plant in a device having a bowl and a long stem - similar to what we would today call a pipe. However, the upper end of the stem did not have just one opening to inhale from, but two. When inhaling the smoke from this plant the double pronged end of the stem was inserted into the nostrils and the smoker would inhale the smoke through their nose and into the nasal passages.
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| Note that the prongs on the end of the pipe go into the nostrils. not the mouth. |
Although surprising, this method of smoking makes biological sense (with an apology for “red ribbon” weeks throughout the U.S.A.) because the nasal passages are the 2nd most effective way in which our bodies naturally absorb foreign substances. Inhaling through the mouth and into the lungs is the 3rd most effective way our bodies naturally absorb substances. So actually, smoking by inhaling through the mouth is not an efficient way to imbibe tobacco.
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| Dried and cut tobacco, ready to smoke. |
When Columbus brought back samples of this plant, and the pipe the Native Americans smoked it in, his Spanish sponsors asked him, “What is this plant called?” He did not know the name of this plant, so he referred to it by using the various Indian names for the pipe in which it was smoked, a “tobak”, “tubak.” or “tobagos” - take your pick Thus, over time, the word “tobacco” entered the English language.
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| "Tobacco" as a word has some literary references to its credit. |
By the 1600’s Europeans had thought of a new, and ingenious, way of enjoying this New World discovery, despite the fact that many religious and political leaders tried to prevent the spread of what was called the “stinking weed“ or the “bewitching vegetable.” Members of the upper classes enjoyed their tobacco in the mornings, not unlike our present day penchant for a cup of strong coffee in the A.M.. A man would appear in the morning and brew a batch of warm tobacco “tea” and as the recipient lay down on a couch or table he would get a tobacco enema from a blown glass vessel artistically shaped in the form of a bird or other animal. An alternative method was to have this individual to blow smoke into the rectum of the recipient
(See picture below).
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| A tobacco enema. |
The effect of the tobacco was instantaneous and highly stimulating. Should this gross you out, let me mention that the colon is the number one area of the body for the effective and rapid absorption of foreign materials. So, this method of enjoying the effects of tobacco makes perfect sense. The practice died out, but somewhere in the world today…???
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| Tobacco stained teeth. |
Beginning in the 1600s, medial men were prescribing tobacco as a wonder drug and a cure-all for many varied illnesses and injuries and continued doing so well into the 1700s. Tobacco was administered as a poultice, in pill form, chewed and swallowed, smoked, sniffed or drunk as a tea. It was used to treat aches and pains, swellings, snakebite, gunshot wounds, bad breath, to name but a few. This practice was so widespread and common that in some parts of early America the teeth of men, women and children were permanently stained brown with tobacco juice.
And how does this relate to Marilyn Monroe? She died of an overdose of drugs that, mixed together, were lethal in their effect. How did she take these drugs? Via enemas administered by two of her doctors (who were not communicating very well) and her housekeeper.
If the category for a historical award is, “The Best Revenge Visited Upon a Conquering People By Their Victims,” the prize would go to the Native Americans of the New World. Their introduction of tobacco into the habits and lifestyles of the European peoples who came to dominate the Americas has been the cause of nothing less than a reverse-genocide of massive proportions. The life-style choices made by “Americans” concerning tobacco has resulted in more suffering and death for the conquerors than those same conquerors ever inflicted upon the native peoples of the New World.
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| Become sterile or grow a moustache? |
Illnesses, death, health-care costs, lost economic productivity, a decrease in the quality of life,…the trail of this story of revenge continues into the present day. Horace Greeley, newspaperman, presidential candidate and anti-smoking advocate of the 19th century, expressed it best when he said, “A cigar is a fire at one end and a fool at the other.” Throughout most of U.S. history, women did not smoke tobacco and were spared, until recent decades, the unpleasant results of this habit. Of course it helped that women were told that they’d become sterile, grow a moustache or get terminal tuberculosis if they smoked. It’s true!
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| Jean Nicot |
The French Ambassador to Portugal brought tobacco back to France with him in 1560.His introduction of it into his native country created a sensation. His name? Jean Nicot. That is why in 1818 when the active and addictive chemical element that gives tobacco its stimulating properties was isolated, it was named “nicotine.” It was done in honor (an "honor"?) of Jean Nicot.
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| Lucky Strike Ad. |
My father fought in WWII and I always wondered why he was addicted to smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes (without the filter). Later I would learn that Luck Strike cigarettes were given away in the ration packs to all the U.S. soldiers fighting in WWI and the Korean War as well. The habit had been established and he continued to smoke them until he died. They were a favorite brand of the post-WWII era. The advertising phrase "Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco"/L.S.M.F.T." became one of the most successful ad campaigns of the 20th century. If you look closely at the ad pictured above, you will see that the words "It's toasted" are included. If you are a fan of the TV series "Mad Men," (winner of an Emmy as best dramatic series on TV for the last 4 years), you may remember the scene in which the character Don Draper (played by John Hamm) pitches this advertising slogan to the Luck Strike people. In fact, the "Mad Men" series is noted for the relentless and ubiquitous smoking of cigarettes.
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| "Mad Men" characters with their cigarettes. |
This is only a small part of the interesting story of how tobacco was discovered, and how it became such a central item in our culture. Schools go to great lengths during "Red Ribbon Weeks" to point out the dangers of smoking. It is a daunting task because generations and generations of Americans considered smoking cigarettes "cool." The movie image below makes this point, and brings an end to my story.
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| A "cool" Humphrey Bogart added status to the art of smoking. |
A Few Fun Facts About Tobacco History:
In 1557, European doctors recommended smoking to fight bad breath and cancer.
In 1776 Americans used tobacco as collateral for French loans to subsidize payment for the American Revolution
The Phillip Morris cigarette mascot was once a tattooed sailor before switching to the "Marlboro Man" in 1963.
The "Tobacco Resuscitation Kit" was invented in England in 1774. It was used to revive victims of drowning by introducing warmth and stimulation to the apparently dead victims.Bellows were used to inject tobacco smoke up the rectum, or into the lungs through the mouth or nose.
Extensive use of tobacco over time, it was once believed, could cause the user to develop a black, hairy tongue.
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