Chapter 11: Stroking the Sow's Ear Summary

The American Cancer Society sponsored smoking research on beagles that started in 1967. The dogs had holes cut in their tracheas for smoke to be introduced through a fitted tube. After initial resistance, the animals showed some of the same habit forming traits as humans. One indictor was that they wagged their tails when the smoke dose started. After three years, 72 percent of the beagles who smoked unfiltered cigarettes had microscopic tumors - -compared to 33 percent for the filtered (while none of the non-smoking dogs had tumors). The results were announced to large fanfare in early 1970. The Tobacco Institute via Joseph Cullman started poking holes in the research. The conservative publication JAMA was hesitant about publishing the results.

When Clarence Little was replaced as scientific director of CTR, RJR general council Henry Ramm urged a more...