Tobacco Documents Online

WILMINGTON NEWS Wilmington, Deleware December 15, 1961 ~tike's Surgeon Links' -Caincer fio Smokingi PHILADELPHIA W - Dr. • Isidor S. Ravdin, a Philadel. phia surgeon, says the Ameri, .can Medical 'Association is "pussy-footing" when it fails to inform the public ci;arette smokin® "is an important fac- tor in cancer among' males." Ravdin in 1955' performed the ileitis operation on former 1'i•esident' Eisenhower. He made ,.his cigarette-cancer comment this week at a Rotary Club r.ieetinj. , .. ..,,.. , , _- -..., .~. ... _~.. : , , , Dr. Ravdin's remarks were carried by the Associated'Press, but noted in few papers. PNILADELPfQA BULLETIN Philadelphia, Pennsylvania December 114, 1961 :.QMA Ducks Smok ing I ssue, Dr. Ravd'in fi ells Rofcr: ans Dr. I. S. Ravdin yesterday ac-Itary Club at the Bellevue-Strat-I Trials and Tribulations of ai Doctor." Smoke-Filled Room "?here are some persons who believe the medical professioni is withholding information oni cancer," he said. "It is unthinkable that work-, ers in medical research would do such a thing; Yet there are! those in our profession who en- crourage such beliefs." It was at this point' - in a mnm hazy with tobacco smoke •-- that Dr. Ravdin made his sta l'ement about "pussy - foot - ing:" A short stocky man with a ~ ~,• smile, Dr. Ravdin looks more like a sma11' businessman .than a famous surgeon whose rkill i contributed to the success- rul operation on former Presi- dent Eisenhower. _ List 'Tribulations" Along with the AMA's refus- al to rondemn smoking, he list- ed nt'ier "trials and tribula- ;used the American Medical As-! sociation of "pussy=footflng"' in 'not coming right out and say- ing that smoking is harmfull The prominent' surgeon andl vice president for medical af- fairs at the University of' Penn- .sylvania, spoke at a luncheoni peedng,ofi the Philadelphia Ro- ford Hotel. "Cigarette smoking is an im- port'ant factor in cancer among, males," he said. "The AMA, knows this and yet it has by- passed the controversy by t1urn- ing it over to its board of di-, rectors" •:.. The subipct ranle up in Dr. Ravdm a tiiicrus~irnn nf "5ome tions" as socialized medicine,- higher medical school tuition and hospital costs and the in- creasing, number of malpractice suits filed against doctors. America may soon have some r form of socia9ized medicine, he :.. said. " He warned some 300 Rotar- .. ians attending the luncheon that when it comes, its effects will be felt on all their lives, "IfN the socialization of' medi. eine is permitted," he said, "it will lead to the socialization of all your efforts."' ; ; Rising hospital costs, he said, are a reflection of rising costi~ in all fieldb: Shortage of ' Doctors "Once hospitals hired unskill'- ed labor at 20 cents an hour," he said, "Now the rate is many . times that." A shortagp of doctors Is do. ~ veloping because of higher med. ical school tuitions-up to 2f10 - per cent in the past half cen• -: tnry - and a siphoning, off of medical students Into chemis+ t.ry, mathematics, physics and other, scientific fdeld,,he de. clared: As for the ,ncrr:asing,number ofmalpractice auita he said this may be the result of the ie -. tlarioration in doctor-patient •ro. 1lstlonships. « a aa assoclatlon that was considered' much more importr ant when I' was a young man,* he addl.d.