Smoking and the First World War

Yesterday the Smoking Ban finally became active in the UK. I thought it would be interesting to post just a few lines from a bygone era.

The first article comes from the British Nursing Journal dated 1st August 1914, page 95 just before the war.

CANCER AND SMOKING

Dr. S. Davies, Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich, has been investigating the habits of persons who have suffered, or died, from cancer in the last two years. While the disease is frequently caused by local irritation, apart from the irritation caused by a pipe smoking has been alleged to be the cause of cancer, so have alcoholic drinks.
Dr. Davies found that of 71 men and 49 women, 27 per cent. were excessive alcohol drinkers, and 39 per cent. were excessive smokers. Compared with 108 persons under similar circumstances, who did not die of cancer, 18 per cent, were excessive alcohol drinkers, and 17 per cent. excessive smokers. From this he deduced that both alcohol and smoking had some little general effect in promoting cancer, but their injurious influence was chiefly local.

The second article comes from thee book YPRES 1917 by Norman Gladden. This book was an account of the campaign around Ypres in 1917 as experienced by a young private in the Northumberland Fusiliers.


While halting at a spot by Jackson’s Dump a member of the group, to sooth his nerves of course against strictest orders lit a cigarette. So great was his desire and so obscured his judgment that he prepared, in that of all places, to risk not only his own but all our lives! Though the march was shielded in his cupped hands the flame glowed through his fingers like a beacon in the darkness of the night. A howl of indignation went up, as the file hurriedly moved off. The riposte was not long delayed. An enemy machine-gun began to traverse accurately across the track, scattering us like rabbits to the shelter of a ditch, but not before two of our company lay writhing in agony with bullets in the lower parts of their bodies. The firing ceased and, after the wounded had been tended, we moved forward again in an advanced state of nerves. Every shadow in the near distance seemed to harbour the threat of death. Needless to say, the thoughtless one was not hurt! Not that his action was at all exceptional. Under the stress of the battlefield a smoker could become desperate enough to be willing to risk anything for his normal means of release from tension.
I formed the view that the habit of smoking had merely increased the capacity for such tensions and that the smoker’s nerves were not any steadier than those of the rest of us.

Two articles with two very different and interesting views.