Cessation of cigarette smoking and pulmonary disease

THE PERIOD from 1940 to 1960 was the golden era in pulmonary disease. The development of effective treatment for tuberculosis dramatically altered the outlook for patients with this disease. Sanitariums were closed, resulting in the saving of large amounts of public money. Bronchiectasis became a rarity as a result of effective prevention and treatment of childhood respiratory infections. Empyema was seldom seen because of effective antibiotic treatment of pneumonia, and the prognosis of lung abscess was dramatically improved. We are left with a group of chronic pulmonary diseases that are intractable to treatment and associated with high mortality. These diseases are often accompanied by discomfort, suffering, and lingering death. The most common of these diseases are cancer of the lung, chronic bronchitis, and pulmonary emphysema. Although large sums of money are spent in the treatment of chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema, there is little evidence that present-day therapy alters the