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Smoking was happening in the 1800's. Lung Cancer rates didn't shoot up until the 1900's, it was rather rare. This is around the same time that tobacco compani
by mpalczewski 5y ago
Smoking was happening in the 1800's. Lung Cancer rates didn't shoot up until the 1900's, it was rather rare. This is around the same time that tobacco companies figured out they could soak tobacco in ammonia. This allowed for inhalation into the lungs (e.g. it sucks to inflate a cigar deep into your lungs). It also made the cigarettes much more addicting, so people smoked way more and inhaled into the lungs. That's about when lung cancer stopped being so rare.
Yes, cig's cause cancer, but to say that it's because it burns tobacco is missing a big part of the story.
- sumedh 5y ago> Smoking was happening in the 1800's. Lung Cancer rates didn't shoot up until the 1900's, Were they even looking for lung cancers when people died back in 1800's?
- asdff 5y agoThat was probably because smoking was not common outside of wealthy men during the 1800s. It was not widespread at all among most of the public until after the world wars thanks to mass produced cigarettes (which weren't around until the late 1800s) now being added to rations. Smoking rate after WWI increased 350% and was high ever since. US government didn't stop issuing cigarette rations to soldiers until 1975. Lung cancer rates have followed lock step with smoking rates, its not really that smoking suddenly became harmful. It always was, it just wasn't common to smoke and even among those who did back in those days, it wasn't common to smoke very much at all and certainly not around the clock (kinda like hookah users today).