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'SAN FRANCISCO EXA14I1PER San Francisco, California June 24, 1964 P°IF1~0033059 AMA Elects Smoker `Too Old to Quit' a m Dr. Norman A. Welch, a Boslon internist who was ln• spired gy his own boyhood dactor to take up the medi- cal profession, was Inaugu- rated last idght as the 11tith president of The American Medical Assoclation. lie succeeded Dr. Edward Annis of 1HiamL Doctor We1cb was speaker of the AMA's Hotue o Akle- gates for four years before being named prestdent-elect last year at Atlaotl¢ City. The Ah1A's "hardest goals must be to keep doctors and the public Informed of the trenendous advances in medicine, and to prevent legislation which would inter•I fere with the best ways of ad- tnbdstering medical care"I he said. One of the AMA pt+ojeets of particular Interest to him Is t h e n e w Hlo-Medtcal Re- search Institute which Is to be completed next year. One of Its first studies will be explore what factors in cigaret smoke produce c e 1 l change and, according to massive statiatlcal evidence, 'luog cancer. Doctor Welch. at lil, Is a cigaret smoker but says sim• ply "I'nt too old to quit." A n o t h e r project he a9. mires was begun by Doctpr Annls - dosed cireuit pre• grems to Inform doctors of the latest advances 1n medi. cal research. SAN FRARCISCO CH<tONI= San Francisco, California t Jttne 27, 1964 I obaccomen Defended by AMA Man The revently retired president of the American Medical Association came to the defense of the tobac- co Industry in the cancer controversy yesterday. 'Does anyone really think the people in the tobacco in• dustry want to make other people sick?" Dr. Edward ti. Annis of Miami Beach, Fla., asked a Commonwealth Club meeting in the Sheraton. Palace Hotel. He belittled the logic oi the' F'ederal Trade Commission in ordering the industry to label cl;,arette packages with µarniut;, that smoking mat} cause cancrr and other dis• eases. ALCOHOL "it we label things because of their possible serious ef• fects," he said, "ahould we not label everv bottle of alco- hol" "Labeling isn't the answer. but edtication is." He praised the tobacco In- dustry for making a "no- strings" grant of 010 million available to the A1tfA to f u r t h e r research Into the problem • "fn spite of the inevitable criticism we knew we would receive, we were happy to receive it." The doctor sald he was convinced smoldag c a u s e d cancer, but the question of "h o w" has not been an- swered by the medicai te. seardters. "There are some doctors who thlnk tobacco used with moderation has beneficial ef• fects." he said. At its convention here ear 11 e r this week. the AMA House of Delegates adopted a reaolution recognizing "a sie- nificont relationship between cigarette steaking and lung cancer and certain other dis• eases; " and said that smok- ing is "a serious health ha- sard." He also said It was within the realm of possibility that a combination of filters could be developed to rnake emek• ing harmless. The AlllA president used some of his speaking time to defend his own profession a g a i n s t familiar criticism and fire off a few critical re- marks of his •own at'tradt• tionai targets. Americans pay a reasonable amount for the best medical caie in the world, although he admitted there "are a lew I n the medical profession who take advantage ot their fellow man. . . we have no defense for these." He dismissed the now-de- funet medicare legislation as "merely a politiral proposat." He w a r n e d rgainsl lhe "sterile, heavy hand of gov. et'hmcnt" providing medical care. but expressed confi• dence that Americans "wfll refuse to be socialized " The AhIA convention here was one of the most success- hd In history, he said.