Tobacco Documents Online

oes Evervbody Research Lung Cancer% Underscored headline on a publicity handout arriving at this office: TB ASSOCIATION WARNS AGAINST CIGARETTES AS -': -y,..• `HEALTH THREAT!'' Scary enough to make you take. notice, buf perhaps not for the obvious reasons. The item came from the National Tuberculosis association, a widely respected voluntary organization with a long stream of research feats in its wake. Here are some quotes: ,"A warning to all people of the risk of the development of lung cancer from smoking was issued yesterday by the National Tuberculosis Association. "'Ths associatigni which includes all respiratory diseases in. its program, says . . ~ _. . "There is an alarming increase in deaths from lung cancer." ,: The warnings are timely; they have been played-up in ma- jor newspapers across the country from time to time; and they no-doubt should be studied, ; But the point now is, who anteed up the shekels that/guild- ed the path to these bold proclamations? We'd been under the impression the National Cancer Society a main cog in the country'•s cancer study wheel. It too is a was -long respected voluntary association which has many accomplish- ments to its credits. And it too is financed by yearly contribu- tions from millions of Americans. And there are the American Public Health Association and the U. S. Public Health service who afso dig into the mysterious depths of this dread disease. It gives us comfort to know that so many groups have our health at heaM But it is a little uncomfortable to think that per- haps our hard-earned' donations are going to various societiss each working on the same health menace. And each of them do have some personnel whose income causes some eyebrow lifting. It reminds us of one of the flirst, statements by the March of Dimes, following the advsnt of Dr. Salk's miraculous polio vaccine: "March, of Dimes donations now will help in other -fields of ined ical science." In other words, "Don't' stop the flow of dollars; we'll find some other use for them." Real fine, but we could do without duplication. Tobacco Group Issues Reply to T. B. Association The following statement was isSued yesterday by Timothy V. Hartnett, chairman of the To- . bacco Industry Research Com- mittee, in connection with news stories about a statement by the National Tuberculosis Associa- tion : "The National Tuberculosis Association's statement~on ciga- rettes gives no evidence but re- peats the widely-questioned opinions of others who rely on statistics rather than on cxperi- 7nentai evidence. It ignores the fact that eveii the statistical claims are disputed by recog- nized medical authorities. "Surely, some members of the N. T. A. must' remember that not too long ago there were charges that cigarette smoking caused tuberculosis, but these opinions were abandoned when science discovered the real cause of tuberculosis, thus leading to prevention and a cure. "Discoveries of this kind have brought about the tremendous decline In this country of deaths from maJor lung ailments from about 430 per 100,000 popula- tion in 1900 to around 62 per 100,000 in 1958. >w. .~ : . ;; "An analytical and original approach to the lung cancer problem by the National Tuber- culosis Association could con- tribute significantly toward a solution of this disease. hM NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE ~r~ e.~-- New York, New York . MAy 7, 1960 {