Tobacco Products and Cancer, 1951 – Smoking Is Harmful to Health!

In the early 1500s, tobacco reached Europe from the Indigenous lands of the New World and was initially praised as a remedy for conditions ranging from gonorrhea to gunshot wounds. By the late 1500s, it had become a popular recreational drug. Some Native American tribes still grow tobacco for ceremonial use, believing that its smoke carries prayers to the sky.

In 10s of Thousands of Years of Human History, Tobacco Has Been Widespread for Only 500 Years

Tobacco's spread and popularity are closely tied to historical processes such as colonialism, trade, and cultural exchange. In the 17th and 18th centuries, its use spread further around the world, and it became a global commodity.

The history of tobacco consumption saw its real boom in the early 1900s, especially between 1930 and 1940, with the World Wars. Annual consumption of tobacco and tobacco products rose from several billion units in 1900 to about 5.5 trillion by 2020. In the United States between 1930 and 1940, per-capita cigarette consumption doubled; by 1939, 66% of men under 40 smoked. In the early 1880s, consumption per person aged 18 and over was about 6 pounds of tobacco: 56% was chewing tobacco, while only 1% was manufactured cigarettes.

These data show that the major boom in tobacco use occurred in the first half of the 20th century, with a substantial increase in cigarette consumption. The 1930s and 1940s were particularly notable for rising tobacco consumption, especially smoking. However, tobacco use and trade also accelerated economic growth in America in the 1700s, while high European demand made it a highly profitable crop.

The Harms Did Not Become Apparent Until the 1950s

One important study demonstrating a strong link between smoking and lung cancer was conducted by British physiologist Richard Doll and British statistician Bradford Hill. Their study, published in 1951, was based on interviews in 20 London hospitals with about 700 patients. Doll concluded that heavy smokers were 50 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers and found the association frightening. He himself stopped smoking halfway through the study. A follow-up study involving more than 30 thousand doctors confirmed the tobacco–cancer link.

In 1954, United Kingdom Health Minister Iain Macleod, speaking at a press conference (https://www.drozdogan.com/e-sigara-nikotin-vucutta-ne-kadar-kalir-zararlari/), said: “It must be accepted that there is a link between lung cancer and smoking.” Macleod continued smoking throughout his speech.

Today, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths. Tobacco use increases the risk of:

• Various cancers (including lung, kidney, laryngeal, neck, breast, bladder, esophageal, pancreatic, and stomach cancer)
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (for example, breathlessness due to emphysema and chronic bronchitis)
• Miscarriage
• Premature birth
• Atherosclerosis 
• High blood pressure 

In the twentieth century, tobacco use alone caused approximately 100 million deaths.

Tobacco smoke contains compounds that bind to DNA (a cell's genetic material) and cause mutations (changes in the genetic sequence). These are carcinogenic substances. Mutations can prevent programmed cell death, and cells may become cancerous. Tobacco also contains a substance that increases dopamine (a neurotransmitter) release in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region involved in pleasure, addiction, and various emotions. This addictive substance is nicotine.

Historical Figures Mentioned: Austin Bradford Hill (1897–1991), William Richard Shaboe Doll (1912–2005), Iain Norman Macleod (1913–1970)

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