Pharmacology of Inflammation

Abstract

We herewith report a successful attempt to measure objectively the irritant properties of cigarette smoke. We used the conjunctival sac of rabbits according to the technic of Hirschhorn and Mulinos. 1 In Fig. 1, smoke from the burning cigarette which is protected from drafts by a jacket h, is passed by way of the ammonia tube g, through 3 cc. of water, saline or Ringer solution, at room temperature (21 to 30°C), and at 37.5°C. maintained by artificial means, by immersion of cylinder f, in a water bath. A few experiments were performed using light mineral oil as a solvent for the smoke. By means of a filter pump, tube e sucks air through the cigarette and through the funnel-stopcock system b. The tipping bucket a empties water into the funnel, temporarily preventing ingress of air. This sucks air first through the cigarette and then the solution. The water drops to the bottom of the cylinder and leaves through tube d, by gravity. When the tube b, becomes free from water, all the air sucked through the system goes through this tube, and none through the cigarette. This cycle yields a puff, 100 of which averaged 24.8 cc. with the limits of 21 to 28 cc, and which requires 15 seconds to complete, 4 seconds of which are taken up by suction through the cigarette. It requires 15 minutes or 60 puffs to smoke one cigarette. Through each 3 cc. of solution is drawn the smoke from 5 cigarettes in order to insure saturation.