Tobacco: a Brief History
Anne Clarke asked:
From early America and through over half of the 20th century, tobacco was one of the most essential parts of the national economy. There are still plenty of tobacco companies out there–but the market is less powerful now because of research and cancer studies. The Surgeon General’s Warning has certainly had an effect–as the cost of tobacco products rises continually.
At first in the history of tobacco, the negative effects of smoking tobacco were virtually unknown, and therefore tobacco seemed harmless. However, by the time we reached the early 20th century, information about the health effects of tobacco began to be published in newspapers and magazines all over the world.
The history of tobacco indicates that in Germany in 1930, scientists were able to make a distinct correlation between cancer and smoking tobacco. However, in the history of tobacco on American soil, it was eight years later when Doctor Raymond Pearl, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, declared that smokers (more often than not) do not live as long as non-smokers.
In the history of tobacco in our country, even by the year 1944 the American Cancer Society claimed that no absolutely definite scientific evidence had been found that would link lung cancer or any other kind of cancer to smoking. Of course, now the history of tobacco has reached the point that we are fully aware of the dangers. We now know that there are dangerous, cancer-causing carcinogens in smoking tobacco that can end your life likely sooner than you would like to.
Nonetheless, even with this information took a long time to really absorb into the consciousness of the American public. After all, it had been so many years of unknown damages, that the people were likely to remain uninformed–because they would not have expected this news at all.
In the early 1950’s the magazine “Reader’s Digest” published an article entitled “Cancer by the Carton” which discussed individual details specifically about the dangers of smoking. Following this phenomenon, more and more publications provided informative articles similar to the one in “Reader’s Digest” and cigarette sales actually began to reduce.
By the mid 1950’s the tobacco industry began its counter-attack. The tobacco sellers and researchers conducted their own studies of the effects of cigarettes on someone’s health. This is when tobacco companies started selling additional merchandise, cigarettes with more filters and lower-tar. Because people loved to smoke so much, and because they had been brought to the illusion that there were “healthier” cigarettes available, the sales market for tobacco was up again. But the new, light cigarettes were, in truth, no healthier than regular cigarettes.
Tobacco products are virtually impossible to quit for many people. Some say that an addiction to tobacco is harder to break than an addiction to heroin. Therefore, there is still a necessary market for tobacco and tobacco products, because some people will always be people smokers. The history of tobacco may have altered our perspective and lowered the number of people who smoke, but there is not a chance that smoking will ever be eradicated completely.
From early America and through over half of the 20th century, tobacco was one of the most essential parts of the national economy. There are still plenty of tobacco companies out there–but the market is less powerful now because of research and cancer studies. The Surgeon General’s Warning has certainly had an effect–as the cost of tobacco products rises continually.
At first in the history of tobacco, the negative effects of smoking tobacco were virtually unknown, and therefore tobacco seemed harmless. However, by the time we reached the early 20th century, information about the health effects of tobacco began to be published in newspapers and magazines all over the world.
The history of tobacco indicates that in Germany in 1930, scientists were able to make a distinct correlation between cancer and smoking tobacco. However, in the history of tobacco on American soil, it was eight years later when Doctor Raymond Pearl, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, declared that smokers (more often than not) do not live as long as non-smokers.
In the history of tobacco in our country, even by the year 1944 the American Cancer Society claimed that no absolutely definite scientific evidence had been found that would link lung cancer or any other kind of cancer to smoking. Of course, now the history of tobacco has reached the point that we are fully aware of the dangers. We now know that there are dangerous, cancer-causing carcinogens in smoking tobacco that can end your life likely sooner than you would like to.
Nonetheless, even with this information took a long time to really absorb into the consciousness of the American public. After all, it had been so many years of unknown damages, that the people were likely to remain uninformed–because they would not have expected this news at all.
In the early 1950’s the magazine “Reader’s Digest” published an article entitled “Cancer by the Carton” which discussed individual details specifically about the dangers of smoking. Following this phenomenon, more and more publications provided informative articles similar to the one in “Reader’s Digest” and cigarette sales actually began to reduce.
By the mid 1950’s the tobacco industry began its counter-attack. The tobacco sellers and researchers conducted their own studies of the effects of cigarettes on someone’s health. This is when tobacco companies started selling additional merchandise, cigarettes with more filters and lower-tar. Because people loved to smoke so much, and because they had been brought to the illusion that there were “healthier” cigarettes available, the sales market for tobacco was up again. But the new, light cigarettes were, in truth, no healthier than regular cigarettes.
Tobacco products are virtually impossible to quit for many people. Some say that an addiction to tobacco is harder to break than an addiction to heroin. Therefore, there is still a necessary market for tobacco and tobacco products, because some people will always be people smokers. The history of tobacco may have altered our perspective and lowered the number of people who smoke, but there is not a chance that smoking will ever be eradicated completely.
