2014 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking
Health Consequences of Tobacco Use
For the United States, the epidemic of smoking-caused disease in the twentieth century ranks among the greatest public health catastrophes, while the decline in smoking consequent to tobacco control is surely one of public health’s greatest successes. ■ Historical Perspective When Dr. Luther L. Terry released the first Surgeon General’s Report on smoking and health in January 1964, few could have anticipated the long-term impact it would have on this Nation’s health. The report reviewed more than 7,000 research articles related to smoking and disease. The evidence considered dated to the early twentieth century but most came from the wave…
