A Brief History of American Anti-Smoking Campaigns The First Anti-Smoking Treatise Tobacco is a native American plant that was first used as a smoking substance in the religious ceremonies of Indian medicine men in coastal regions of North and South America. Its use had become widespread in Europe by the late 1500s, but was not well received by all. King James I of England published what may be considered the first anti-smoking treatise in 1604, which described tobacco smoking as 'a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs'. Despite King James' effort, tobacco use, in the form. of snuff dipping and pipe smoking spread in England and then quickly throughout the world. The English colonial companies, working against the wishes of the royal family, promoted the use of tobacco. Tobacco became a profitable export for the newly formed American colonies. It was not until the 20th century that large numbers of people began to use tobacco in a much more deadly form. cigarette. Cancers of the mouth, lips, throat and nose had already been linked with the use of snuff, cigars and pipes by a few astute (敏锐的) physicians. With the development of the blended cigarette, smokers had the 'advantage' of being able to inhale smoke into their lungs, more efficiently exposing the entire body to many of tobacco's harmful substances. The epidemic of cigarette-related diseases soon followed. The Great Cigarette Advertising Campaign Before 1915, cigarettes were not particularly popular. However, beginning in World War Ⅰ cigarette sales rose sharply, boosted by distribution to soldiers and sailors, the invention of match packs and an unprecedented postwar cigarette advertising campaign. During the war, General John J. Pershing stated 'you ask me what we need to win this war... I answer tobacco as much as bullets.' Cigarettes were sent overseas to American troops. They were so much more convenient to smoke in the trenches than pipes or cigars. Millions of soldiers thus took up cigarette smoking during the war and continued their habit once they returned home. The great 20th century cigarette advertising campaign began right after World War I, capitalizing on the patriotism that accompanied the war effort. The ads often featured testimonials (证明) by movie stars, athletes and even doctors, who went so far as to suggest that good health and good looks were the rewards of smoking. Some cigarette manufacturers made particularly bold health claims for their products, advertising that their brand could steady the nerves or even prevent smoker's cough. The advertising campaigns were so effective that by 1939, a Fortune magazine survey showed that 53 percent of all adult American men smoked cigarettes (as did 66 percent of those under 40). The widespread use of cigarettes among women lagged some 25 to 30 years behind that of men. Although a few dating women had smoked cigarettes even before World War I, women did not take up smoking in large numbers until the 1940s. During World War Ⅱ, cigarettes were again sent tree to American military. At home, cigarette advertising was targeted at females, who had taken over traditional male jobs. First Clues Unknown to the smoking public, an impressive amount of speculation--and some hard scientific evidence--which linked smoking with disease had emerged between 1920 and 1940. Tobacco companies chose to ignore this evidence and continued to promote cigarettes heavily. By today's standards, the medical evidence gathered against cigarettes by 1940 would have been enough to stimulate a thorough investigation of the matter and the extensive coverage in the popular press. Unfortunately, this was not the case at the time. Few people were aware of the evidence, and those w