Evening star., 1954-11-10
To Smoke or Not TO Smoke
Expert Testimony Is Divided
On Weolor Woe Of Cigarette

q real increase in lung cancer
deaths. Some find the rate
doubling every 10 years, and pre-
dict sc. 1000 American lung cancer
victims annually by 1860.
II there really an increase
what is causing it?
|, From their own observations
some physicians blamed ciga-
rettes because most Of their
patients were smokers. Stats
|stical studies Of hospital patients
added much weight to this view
Cigarette sales increase q
sharply during the years when
lung cancer was rising. This, to
their view, was q pretty slspi-
cious association.
Others, doubling, pointed to
an increase at the same time In
sales of nylon stockings and
automobiles, and in taxes.
Then came more than statis-
tical evidence against cigarettes
One was the n-painting ex-
periments by Drs. Evarts' ,Gra-
ham and Ernest Wynder, con-
centrated tar from cigarettes
smoked by machines was applied
to the shaved skin of mice. After
q year of treatment, many mice
developed skin cancers evidence
of a cancer causing chemical OF
chemicals in the smoke.
Caught Public Eye.
Similar experiments had been
performed before. This one
caught the public eye fairly well
It was pretty convincing evidence
to some doctors and scientists.
Others still doubted. They said
skin cancer in mice is not the
same as lung cancer in humans
The tars concentrated from
smoking machines might not be
the same, anyhow. as tars col
lected by a human smoker. The
speed and heat of burning cigar
cites in the machines might
yield different chemicals or dis
tillation products than those the
human smoker is exposed to.
The doubters could point to
at least one experiment in which
mice were exposed to daily,
measured amounts of cigarette
smoke, from adolescence until
they died, and were compared
with other mon smoked" mice.
There was just one case of lung
cancer in 1872 smoked" mice
not significant statistically.
But cigarette-accusers could
point to a similar experiment in
which 10 of 80 mice exposed to
smoke got tumors after a years
time. None of the tumors was
cancer Of the type occurring in
humans, but this could be evi-
dence Of how smoke can alter
living tissues.
Question Meaning.
Some scientists asked: Was
the discrepancy due to some diff
ference in the genetic strains OF
the mice used? JUST what did 1t
mean in regard to human smok-
ing? How well can mice be COM
pared with men?
Benzpyrene, a chemical which
induces cancer in mice, has been
identified by one scientific team
in smoke and tars from the
burning of enough cigarette
paper to make 1000 cigarettes
an 11-year supply for pack-a.
day smoker.
| There is still some question
though, as to whether a human
smoker might get enough of thi.
to cause human lung cancer.
| Benzpyrene also has beer
found in the polluted air o.
cities.
Some researchers suspect pol.
luted air as a cause of lunl
cancer. Some say the rise il
lung cancer might be coming
from a combination of things
including cigarette smoking an.
polluted air.
Some studies find lung canoe
more frequent in cities than rura
| areas. One explanation advance,
is that city people smoke more
Another is that city air is les
clean or pure.