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William R. Barclay, MD

JAMA. 1978;240(12):1271.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Tobacco generates many kinds of smoke, some of which screen the special interests of a diverse number of groups. It is a major source of tax revenue on which politicians depend for dispensing their largess. It is a major US crop and, therefore, is bread and butter for many farmers. It is the principal product of a large industry, which translates into jobs and stock dividends. Finally, it is a major cause of illness and helps to keep the physician's appointment book filled. Recent announcements by the media exposed these many fascinating facets of tobacco and for a few days generated more heat than smoke in our editorial office.

Most physicians regard cigarette smoking as a major contributing factor to the occurrence of lung cancer, emphysema, myocardial infarction, and several other diseases we would prefer did not exist. The best advice that a physician can give to a patient is, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Address editorial communications to the Editor, 535 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60610.

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