Pick Your Poison

An essay on the influence of tobacco upon life and health

This anti-tobacco essay examines historical attitudes toward tobacco use and its adverse effects upon humans. Mussey notes that societal standards and negative views of tobacco have relaxed overtime, to the detriment of the health of society. He highlights the damaging impact of tobacco by describing the poor state of animals exposed to tobacco in experiments, and giving accounts of tobacco users suffering health problems. Finally, he calls abstinence from tobacco use the Christian thing to do. Many with an anti-tobacco stance in the 19th century saw tobacco use as an unhealthy and immoral act.