Surgeon General's Perspectives: A historic moment: The 50th anniversary of the first surgeon general's report on smoking and health

摘要

This year, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the landmark Surgeon General's report on smoking and health. In a historic moment for public health, Surgeon General Luther Terry identified smoking as a cause of lung cancer and a likely cause of heart disease. Terry called for "appropriate remedial actions"1 to address the negative health effects of smoking. During the following years, 30 additional Surgeon General's reports on smoking were released. Each subsequent report provided increasing evidence of the negative health effects of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, such as heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers, pregnancy complications, and pediatric diseases.