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Snuff History


The 16th century was dominated by the influence of tobacco. It was regarded as a cure for all sorts of ailments. But there was hardly another form of medicine that was as popular as this extraordinary plant, by virtue of its remarkable taste. Even the French queen, Catherine de' Medici, hoped to employ it to cure her son, Francis, from his migraine headaches. Today, it is impossible to tell whether she misunderstood the directions for use at the time, or whether she simply chose to ignore them. One way or the other, she disregarded the physician's recommendations and invented a completely new form of tobacco enjoyment. Catherine administered her son the powdered tobacco by the spoonful. However, this treatment failed to relieve his symptoms. Nevertheless, it is apparently thanks to the queen's pronounced resourcefulness that she persuaded her son to inhale the powder through his nose. This unconventional method had its effect. The tickling feeling Francis had in his nose led to an attack of sneezing; the pressure inside his head subsided and the pain disappeared. The first snuffer did exactly what a real snuffer does not do – he sneezed.

Overjoyed by the effect her invention had produced, the queen also indulged in a pinch of this powder, which was the cause of considerable exhilaration. On the spur of the moment, she named the powdered tobacco after herself and decreed that it be termed 'catherinaire’ – a designation it was to retain for several centuries. It was not long before the courtiers, both male and female, followed their queen's example. Such was their desire to imitate their majesty's gracious sneezing that the aristocracy began competing with one another.

Inhaling tobacco became a socially acceptable practice. Only a few decades after the memorable birth of nasal snuff, people all over the world were turning up their noses – with pleasure.

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