“Clinically we have observed the great fre- 
~ quency of arterio-sclerosis in great smokers, but 
we do not think that two or three light cigars 
a day, but never before meals, can do any harm 
save in exceptional cases. Indeed there are a 
few instances of persons living to be over 100, 
notwithstanding the fact that they were 
smokers—a fact contrary to the observation 
of Hufeland who pretends that he never heard 
of such a case. The famous English painter, 
Frith, who died in October, 1909, used to smoke 
6 cigars a day, and Mr. F. of Chartres, in 
France, passed last year his 100th birthday in 
spite of his having taken snuff all his life.” 
If there were any serious lesions caused in the 
human system by the continued use of tobacco 
we might naturally expect that life insurance 
companies would take notice of it, but hear 
what they have to say (Medical Record, New 
York, July 12, 1918): 
Dr. H. G. Turney, at the meeting of Life 
Insurance Medical Officers Association, London, 
January, 1913, said that as far as observation 
and study of the literature went he did not con- 
sider that there was much evidence that the 
habit of smoking can be convicted of any seri- 
ous effect on the mortality table. One must 
confess rather to a feeling of surprise that the 
life-long absorption of so potent a drug as 
189 
