During his address on ‘The causal and formal genesis of cancer’ at the London Cancer Conference in 1928, Dr Ewing remarked that ‘one may hardly aim to eliminate the tobacco habit, but cancer propaganda should emphasize the danger signs that go with it.’ Fortunately, the message has been heard loud and clear; an ongoing massive education campaign can be credited with dramatic reductions in smoking prevalence. On the other hand, Dr Ewing's pessimism was equally justified: despite major advances in the last half century, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and mortality in the United States, causing some five million premature deaths around the world every year. It is apparent that the success of our antismoking campaign efforts may have reached a plateau and that the acceleration of scientific discovery offers the best chances of spurring further progress in reducing tobacco-related diseases.
