While it is generally understood these days that smoking kills, there was a time that this was not entirely the case. (Yes, there are those who walk around in denial in the modern era claiming that smoking is harmless but these people are in the minority) In fact, the discovery of the connection between cigarettes and severe health problems was discovered over an extended period of time.

A Tale of the Great War

In the decades after World War One came to a close, many veterans found themselves infirmed in hospitals suffering from an incredibly rare condition. These soldiers were all suffering from lung cancer and the doctors in the hospitals could not understand why. Lung cancer was an extremely rare condition and the frequency of it in the hospitals was shocking.

At first, it was assumed the poison gas used in trench warfare was to blame. However, it was soon discovered that many soldiers who had never come in contact with poison gas had been diagnosed. So, what was the cause of these veterans coming down with lung cancer?

Well, as a way of reducing tension on the battlefield soldiers were often issues cigarettes. As such, many people who never smoked a day in their life had become habitually smokers. This is where the eventual huge outbreak in lung cancer derived from and it was clear to even the most ardent denier that smoking kills.

Public Opinion Falters

As much as one would like to read about how this discovery would lead to the diminishing of smoking the fact of the matter remains that most people were ambivalent to the negative effects of smoking. Yes, people realized it was not a healthy activity, but there did not necessarily believe smoking kills.

Then again, movies, television programs and even the nightly news featured people puffing away on cigarettes. So, how would anyone assume that smoking was dangerous in such a media environment?

In 1969, an incident occurred that would forever change the public’s perception of smoking. This, of course, was the surgeon general’s declaration that smoking kills or, at the very least, was harmful to a person’s health.

This immediately led to the removal of tobacco commercials from radio and TV and got the anti-smoking ball rolling. Of course, it took close to three decades to complete change the public’s opinion that smoking kills, but by today’s standards most people have a very low opinion on any benefits smoking may claim.