In an earlier paper (Benjamin, 1981) on the subject of cigarette smoking and mortality, statistics from a number of national prospective studies were brought together. These studies agreed in the general finding that the smoking of cigarettes doubled the risk of dying before the age of 65; that diseases most likely to intervene to produce this excess mortality were lung cancer, bronchitis, and emphysema, ischaemic heart disease, certain other cancers (notably of buccal cavity, oesophagus, bladder) and cirrhosis of the liver. It was emphasized that the excess mortality from heart and circulatory disease was not restricted to coronary heart disease, though this latter cause provided the most important element. There was for cigarette smokers a 70% higher risk of dying from myocardial infarction (for the same level of smoking that risk was not less for women than for men). A restricted number of international comparisons of mortality were provided. In almost all countries in Europe, ischaemic heart disease mortality was rising. Outside Europe there was a contrast between the less developed countries where the amount of tobacco consumed was low and those developed countries where consumption was higher. Death-rates were much higher in the latter group. The most pronounced association between smoking and disease was that of lung cancer. The recent experience of lung cancer mortality in a number of countries was recorded. In all countries where there was substantial participation in smoking, death-rates had been rising for men. In most countries where a high proportion of women had been smoking for many years the death-rate for cancer of the lung was rising and in most cases quite rapidly. A reminder was given that heart disease and cancer were not the only penalties of smoking. Emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, influenza, pneumonia and respiratory tuberculosis were diseases for which the risk of dying was increased in cigarette smokers.

J.I.A. 113, Part I

P. 4, penultimate line: for ‘Truckell’ read ‘Truckle’.

J.I.A. 112, Part III

P. 346, line 11; for ‘national logarithms’ read ‘natural logarithms’.

P. 422, line 14: the guest was Mr A. J. Cadge (not Cade).