Jump to full article: Sunday Times (za), 2008-08-24
Intro: ‘There may be more famous surgeons general, but there was none more dedicated, tenacious or courageous’
Julius Richmond, who has died aged 91, was the US surgeon general who first warned the Carter administration that cigarette smoking was “slow-motion suicide”.
A pioneer of a vigorous anti-smoking campaign, he produced a report three decades ago citing “overwhelming proof” that tobacco causes lung cancer. . . .
Richmond’s 1979 report on the health risks of smoking persuaded congress to require new labels on cigarette packets stating “Surgeon General’s Warning” and outlining specific health risks related to smoking. He formally retired in 1988 but continued to research and write about the effects of smoking and he served as a key witness in legal actions against the tobacco industry. “We are in the midst of the largest man-made epidemic in history,” he declared.
Jump to full article » |