The Chapel Hill weekly., 1958-07-10
About the Fate That's in Store for
Cigarette Smokers

A report on the effect Of cigarette
smoking. prepared for the United Pub
lie Health Service by DR.. Harold +.
Dorm, was presented by him TO the In
ternationa Cancer Congress in London
last week Il was based on the mortality
experiences Of nearly 200, 900 Govern
ment life insurance policy holders from
1854 70 1856 VINO had served in the
L. S. armed forces between 1917 and
1910. Dr. Dorm. chairman Of the I s.
Interagency Committee on Medical Re
cords and chief statistician for the
National Institutes Of Health. is the
country's foremost authority on health
statistics The following findings are
taken from the summary with which
he ended his report:
Regular smokers Of cigarettes have
the highest death rates for all smokers
-58 per cent higher than the rate for
nonsmokers.
The greatest danger from smok-
ing is cancer Of the lung The death
rate from this disease for cigarette
smokers is about ten times that for
non-smokerg.
Regular cigarette smokers are more
apt than non-smokers 10 die Of cardio-
vascular diseases, certain respiratory
diseases such as bronchitis, and lpeu-
risy, ulcers Of the stomach and duede-
mum, and cirrhosis Of the liver.
The death rate from coronaxy heart
diseAse fer regular cigarette smokers
is 63 per cent higher than for non
smokers.
Myself, ! quit smoking twenty-one
years ago. But this was not because Of
the fear Of any disease il might give
me but because decided il was an ut
tery stupid habit that annoyed and
irritated me d great deal more than
it gave me pleasure ! nave become
frmer in this opinion with every year
that has passed, and not smoking has
given me 50 much satisfaction that
couldn't be persuaded IT, start again.
One Of the most interesting editor
ials ! have read in a long time il the
one on DR. Dorn's report in the Raleigh
News and Observer 1t is in the un-
mistakable style Of Jonathan Daniels
Mr.. Daniels does not deny the value
Of DR.. Dorn's researches His find
ings are undoubtedly ominous," he says,
yet careful study Of his report sug-
gests that We may stiD have much
more to learn about the science Of sta
tistics than the statisticians can tell
US about mortality and tobacco.
The clear showing that the men
who smoke cigarettes have a higher
death rate than the men who do not
is finding disturbing 10 cigarette
smokers. Obviously such a respectable
4 statistical study as this cannot be dis
regarded. Make no mistake about this:
Dr. Dorn's study like others clearly
proves that excessive smoking, like all
4 other excesses. is bad for anybody's
pa healtis''n,
ARf wv C1kdIcibt bIuOhcI Ailu
-, read DR. p0rp's report it would scare
sasme into stopping-until read Mr.
n Dmieie editorial Then | would say
"a To- nyselt "Oh, well suppose do stop,
70 I'm jnsts as apt as not to be killed by
something else. And would be think
/. ssifpS n0t bRy Of THE risk run by catch
Z ing this ,or that disease but of the risk
Asaof being killed by an automobile or in
y an airplane or, III visit Chicago or New
York and 90 RrA walk on street or
soiinA park being slain by a rnpgger.
hsh Mr., Daniels ends his editorial with
m w the comforting Assurance !; This much
.1ctheon onstAtiaticians can say for sure: (:
Ia Sometime, somewhere, from some
q z, ths dssth Fs@ for each of ,pa'
GOiaG1 10 ke r1lQnpsE cent"
f-.... ..El.A a gtt.s