Tobacco Documents Online

C Ulcers of Mouth Says Cigarets Cure THE CLEVEIAl+ID PRESS Cleveland, Ohio October 27, 1960 By JOHN TROAN, Scripps-Howard Writer WASHINGT4N - Cigaret smoking was hailed here as an apparent remedy for mouth ulcers. This astounding treatment for so-called "canker sores" -which is likely to spark hot debate in medical circles- was described by Dr. Ralph ~ Bookman of Beverly Hills, '~ Calif. '4- These ulcers are similar to "cold sores"' or "fever bLs ~ ters." But instead of breaking out on the lips, canker sores erupt in the mouth or on the ~ tongue. ` They are tender and pain- ~ ful, sometimes making it hard for the victim to eat or talk. ~ And they tend to recur. ~ In the official journal of the California Medical Assn., ~ Dr. Bookman s a i d he can't ~ even g u e s s how cigarets might' work t h e i r medical magic for p a t i e n t s with aphtous stomatitis, as the con- dition is called. „ work the same. But' he cited four cases in which troublesome m o u t h ulcers were "dramatically re- lieved soon after" former cigaret users resumed smok- ing. Whether the same results could be expecte& in people who never smoked is un- known. Tiip From Patient Dr. Bookman reported he stumbled onto this by acci- dent. The first tip came from a 58-year-old male patient. Sev- eral times in the past 18 years, he quit smcking, Each time, he developed mouth ulcers within a few days. Then he'd resume smoking and in 24' to 72 hours the ulcers would disappear. When another patient de- scribed a similar experience, Dr. Bookman's interest flared In the possibility of prescrib- ing cigaret smoking as a treatment for mouth sores. Subsequently, a 53-year-old physician came to Dr. Book- man for advice. The problem: "Recurrent episodes of large, multiple, painful ulcerations" of the tongue and mouth.. Fillings Clhanged These ulcers had been re- curring for years, interfering with chewing and speech. "Every suggested form of medication" had failed. Re- placing gold dental fillings with silver ones, on the hunch a metal alelrgy might be in- volved', was of no help. Dr. Bookman told his physi- cian friend, who h a d n' t smoked since 1930, to take up cigarets again. "Relief was immediate, dramatic and last- ing," he said. The doctor said "four or five cigarets a day" apparent- ly do the trick. All brands, filtered or regular, seem to NEWSWEEK November 7, 1960 WORLD TELEGRAIK & SUN New York, New York October 20, 1960 (late edition) HintsCigaretSmoking Is Mouth Ulcer Cure Ly JOHN TROAN, /arippr-8ouard Newspaperr. WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.-i iWhether ihe same r e s u l t s Cigaret smoking was hailed today as an apparent remedy for mouth ulcers. This astounding treatment for so-called "canker sores"- which is likely to spark hot' ~, debate In medical circles-was ~ described by I>jr. Ralph Book. man of Beverly Hills, CaliL These ulcers are similar to M "cold sores" or "fever blisters"' ~ 1 which break out on lips, but ~t appear in the mouth or on the Y` ton ue i g . l', In the official Journal of the California Medical Assn. Dr. Bookman said he can't even ~ g u e s s h o w cigarets might D work their medical magic for ~ patients with aphtous stoma- titis, as the condition is called. But he cited four cases in Which troublesome mouth ul- cers were "dramatically re- lieved soon after" ex-cigaret smokers resumed smoking. NEW YORK POST New York, New York October 17, 1960 SMOKING: A 'Cure' for Ulcers? - His hay fever was drowning him, and now this middle-aged patient had come to Dr. Ralph Bookman in Beverly Hills, Calif., for advice. While chatting with the allergy specialist, he mentioned he had given up smoking cigarettes a few months earlier and had developed large ulcers on his tongue and inside his mouth. Then, by chance, he took up smoking again-and the ulcers disap- peared. What did the doctor think? Dr. Bookmanl was intrigued but puz- zled. Now, after treating three more men suffering supposedly incurable mouth ulcers by suggesting they smoke, he is still puzzled. "I am not presenting this as a cure for mouth~ulcers, just as an ob- servation," he said of' his report on the cases in the current journal of the Cali- fornia Medical Association. "I leave it to other doctors to find out if there is a relationship between the two things." /Qa3.~4-3_-~' 4- 4 ? could be expected', in, people who n e v e r smoked is not known The first tip came from a 58-year-old man who cropped up with mouth ulcers every time he quit smoking. Then he'd resume smoking dnd in 24 to 72 hours the ulcers would disappear. When another patient de• scribed a similar experience, Dr. Bookman prescribed ciga- ret smoking as a treatment for mouth sores in two other cases and the ulcers subsided;, he said. The doctor said "four or five cigarets a day" apparent- ly do the trick. All brands, fil- tered or regular, seem to work the same. Dr. Bookman conceded this lisn't scientific proof, but he felt' that it warrants the medi- cal pirofession's attention Cankers Fade WhenYictims Smoke Again San Francisco, Oct 17 (AP)- A disorder which appeared in four patients after they stopped smoking cigarets vanished dra- matically when they took up the habit againl says a medical jour- nal. These strange cases were re- ported by Dr. Ralph Bookman of Beverly Hills in an article In California Medicine, o f f i c i'a 1 journal of the California lvledi- cal Assn. The disorder was canker sores in the mouth and on the tongue. They developed a few days after smoking was stopped. Dr. Bookan said. he discovered accidentally that the cankers had disappeared in two of the men who resumed cigaret smok- ing. When two others who had sworn off cigarets developed similar cankers Dr. Bookman recommended resumption o f smoking. The sores disappeared also In these two, he asserted. The physician said he couidn't explain the result.