Tobacco Documents Online

EvSIVING STAR Washington, D .C L Jime 9,,1962 Cigareffes and Cancer - In view of the mounting evidence '- from a number of competent sources as to the haZards to health or cigarettee smoking, the Government's decision to. sponsor an objective, comprehensive y atudy of the problhm was long,o7erdue:, " The launching of such an inquiry Is a proper, Federal function iw defense of' the public health and, welfare-what- ;,- ever the economic effects of the findings might be. .. . As Surgeon General Luther L. Terry has pointedl out, the United States Public Health Service has oo-operated In a number of researches to determine the relationship between smoking and such scourges as cancer and heart troublee,lllfost of thestudles, both,in this. country and abroad, have: supported, the belief of I many medical authorities .., that,tobaeco, especially in the form, o1 cigarettes, is a factor contributing to the lnerease in, recent' years, of' both diseases. The tobacew industry,,, how- ever, has maintained that the evidence ~ waslar from:conclusive., To settle the Ltsue, the Public Health Service will ask a,special'advisory oom. mittee to examine all available evidpnoe on the subject, evaluate it and report Its findings and recommendations to the Surgeon Generall The committee, yet to be named, will be composed of experts selected by public, and private agencies, including professional organ- irations and the tobacco industry. The Industry itself has said it welcomes the Impartial Investigation. A somewhat similar inquiry by a royal commission in Great Britain recently caused the British government to consider steps to warn the public against the dangers of smoking: There is urgent, need in this country, too, for an authoritative study that will carry weight with those who have been confused by claims and counter-claims. IE may well be that the health of present and future gener- ations is at stake: -l STARI t~ua~-sJ ~ 3's f'~ 6 Chicago'Reights, I1lineis. May 13, 1962 Ll~ cFacts and Opinions tor of di di t h I i E rec v n co . t, In, the view of Dr. Kennet the National Cancer institute; excessive ci aretrte smok- P ing is a major factor in the rise of'lung cancer. but'not the only cause. He thinks that,the ultimate solution to the problem is to make smoking safe, and' w research program aimediat that end is planned. He adds that the cigarette companies themselves are engagedlin this ef. fort', -_ _. -- f1'7` l,S 'PHE WASFIINGTON POST -Wscshington,, D.C'.. July 9, 19621 Risks of Smaking The conclusions of eminent research, doctors that cigarette smoke causes changes in the lung tissues that, contribute to, heart failure and other diseases as we1l: as to lung cancer come on the heels of' the Government's action to create an expert advisory committee to assess the risks off smoking: Evidence linking various ailments with the heavy use of cigarettes continues to accumu, late from many sources. The findings of Dr. Oscar Auerbach, and Dr. E. CuyJer Hammond presented to the American College of', Chest, Physicians seem to be of special significance because they luilc,smoking',to various structural changes in, the lungs which reduce their efflcieney in supplying oxygen to the blood stream. One result, they conclude, is to overwork the heart, thus contrb• uting to a death rate for cigarette smokers 57 per cent higher than the rate for nonsmokers. Similar studies are moving forward' in other countries, and governments as well as people are becoming increasingly'concerned over the appar- ent cost of the smoking habit'in terms of health. •A study group for the World Health Organization reported as long ago as 1960 that "existzng knowl- edge of the etiology of lung,eancer is already su6i- ciently well established to justify prophylactic action aimed at reducing exposure to known etio- logical factors." The United' States Public Health Service's comprehensive review of all.data be=_r, ing on the subject has, come none too soon: The eommittee has full authority tc assemble and evaluate the facts and to make recommendAtions. The country will await with great, interest the advice it has to offer. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Nex York, New York June 8, 1962 S'~'JRJECT FOR RESE~AR~CH Ui S. Surgeon General Luther H. Terry announces formation of a committee to study the effect of smoking on heaith, including the question whether cigarets cause lung cancer. Will Cigarett All the evidence on this subject Block Cancer? up to now is statistical. There is no laboratory evidence. And, the statisticsishow that, while some heavy cigaret smokers get lung cancer, the great' majority of them do not. So we'd urge that Drw Terry's committee a2riously research the question whether cigaret-smoking and a lot of it isn't a fairly reliable preventive of'lung cancer. IC we're going to depend on statistics, let's anal;ze allF the statistics available-not just the statistucs that some anto-tobacco fanatics wanYto use to mafle a case. i -,._-:r~r~ , ~....