Hygeia "tobacco" (1898 humor magazine)

[Gerald Cohen]

    I've noticed an interesting use of Hygiea, viz. "tobacco." In an
1898 issue of a Yale humor magazine is mention of "the genial and
soothing weed."  That must be tobacco, most likely specifically
cigarettes.  And in the passage's last sentence the writer says "'sit
unrestrainedly' around...freely indulging in Hygeia and 'hot dogs'" I
can't imagine what else Hygiea could mean here other than tobacco.

     OED2 says: of Hygiea: "In Gr. Mythol. the goddess of health,
daughter of Æsculapius; health personified; transf. a system of
sanitation or medical practice." Evidently the Yale students found
tobacco so soothing that they described it with a term personifying
good medical practice.

     OED2 makes no mention of "Hygiea" being used to refer to tobacco,
but perhaps the attestation below is isolated.

          The passage (reproduced after my sign-off) is from the humor
magazine _The Yale Record_, vol. 26, no. 8, page title "Editorial";
Barry Popik drew it to my attention as part of his research on "hot
dog."

--Gerald Cohen

  Feb. 5, 1898 -- _The Yale Record_, vol. 26, no. 8, page title 'EDITORIAL':
        'These are indeed days of degeneracy.  The visible muscles of
the Owl inordinately twitched when he learned of the sudden departure
in the meetings of his wise and temperate scholars, from the practice
of Sophistry to the use of the genial and soothing weed.  A somewhat
similar smilet o'er came him when his "next entry neighbor" also
informed him that his cultured protegées had decided to use no
violence in regard to the manner in which they would adjust
themselves to their chairs, and that in future they would "sit
unrestrainedly" around the chosen apartments freely indulging in
Hygeia  and "hot dogs".'