Tobacco Documents Online

s 0 c THE NEW YORK TIMES New York, N. Y. March 4, 1967 Facts on Smoking To the Editor: The Jan. 30 letter of Dr. Don- ald T. Frederickson (Director, Smoking Control Program, De- partment of Health], charged that my Jan: 191etter contained ' "faulty reasoning" and I'misin- formation," Dr. Fredrickson responds to most of my points by use of im- proper analogies, guesses con- cerningdeaths decadesin the fu, ture, unsupported allegations of fact and references to popular, rather than informed, opinion regarding lung cancer causation.. Dr. Fredrickson's letter raises one clear-cut issue by which his Indifference tb facts is demon- strated. He labels as "misinfor- tnation" my objection to adding together cancers which origi- nated in the lung (Classification 162) and cancers which include those originating elsewhere and spreading to the lung (Classifi- cation 163) in attacking ciga- rettes as a possible cause of lung cancer. Dr. Fredrickson alleges that a detailed studyy found that "90.1 per cent of the deaths in Classi- fication 163 were due to primary lung cancer-a fact that may be verified, if one wishes, by read- ing the published hearings (Cig- arette Labeling and Advertising -1965) of the House of Repre- sentatives Interstate and For- eign Commerce Committee."' Reference to those House hear- ings plus an examination of the "detailed study" ' establish the followine: The. House hearings contain no such "detailed study" but only a letter which completely misinterprcts a st'udyy of'the Bio- chemistry Branch of the Na- tional Cancer Institute. The "detailed study" does not even deal with the proposition for which Dr. Fredrickson cites it. The figure 96.1 per cent re- fers only to that portion of a sample of both Classifications. 162 and 163 cancers as to which, upon inquiry, the diagnosing doctor did not change his orig- inal diagnosis either of cancer which originated in the lung or of cancer which was unspeci- fied as to origin. This strength- ens the point of my previous letter by demonstrating that a significant number of cancers previously diagnosed as origi- nating in the lung did not actu- ally originate there at all. Dr. Frederickson's reliance on a misinterpretation and his ob- vious failure to examine the study itself illustrate the points I made in my letter regarding the use of misleading propa- ganda, the tendency to Ignore legitimata "suspects" ' other than ciaarettes and the unwholesome lack of objectivity. To my plea for objectivity I add another for accuracy and forthrightnes.s, particularly by those who make scientific jude- ment. JOSEPfi F. CL'LL)tAN 3d Chairman of the Board PhiliP bforris, Inc. New York, Feb. 15, 1967 t lDa 3o4;4ql THE NEW'YORK TIMES' New York, N,, Y. March 13, 1967 Lancer-srnoktng Link To the Editor: I feel impellyd to join the con- troversy being developed in your column by the recent exchange of views between Joseph Cull- man and Dr. Donald T. Fred- rickson on the subject of lung cancer. Since it has been brought to the attention of the public, the public is entitled to see all facets of the matter. Mr. Cullman is whipping a dead horse. Modern medical thinking no longer permits del nial of the essential interrela- tionship between cigarette smok- ing and lung cancer. With regard to the argument about cancer in the lung being primary or secondary to a dif- ferent site of origin, the whole matter of the interpretation of death certificates Is irrelevant, for a certain number of mis- takes is made in both directions in these documents. This in no way seriously contradicts the fact that primary lung cancer is the number one cancer killer among American males. I am a pathologist, responsi- bie for establishing the cause of death by postmortem exam- ination, and I can verify the high incidence of'primary lung cancer and the high correlatior. between this disease and heavy cigarette smoking; I know of no other pathologist who feels differently. To deny these rela- tionships at this late date is equivalent to denying the germ theory of tuberculosis. It would be far more appro- priate for officials of the tobacco industry to work ener- y getioally to di'scover and, even- tually eliminate the canceri- .gen3o agents dn clgarettes. By our foint efforts we will more rapidly purt a stop to the terrible toll which lung cancer now •takes. DANIEL ROTH. M.D. Roslyn Heights, L L March 4, 1967 ~ 31