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{"id":44424,"date":"2024-11-18T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/?p=44424"},"modified":"2024-12-03T11:09:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T16:09:09","slug":"reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on the 1964 Smoking and Health Report: Don Shopland Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This year, 2024, marks the 60th anniversary of U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry\u2019s 1964 landmark <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.nlm.nih.gov\/spotlight\/nn\/catalog\/nlm:nlmuid-101584932X814-img\">Smoking and Health<\/a><em> report, which authoritatively linked cigarette smoking with diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema. In this two-part interview, we speak with former National Library of Medicine (NLM) employee Donald R. Shopland, who was detailed to the Surgeon General\u2019s Advisory Committee and later went on to become Coordinator of the National Cancer Institute\u2019s Smoking and Tobacco Control Program. Shopland recently co-authored the open-access book <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/uchealthhumanitiespress.com\/books\/clearing-the-air\/\">Clearing the Air: The Untold Story of the 1964 Report on Smoking and Health<\/a><em>, which provides the only behind the scenes, first-hand account of how this landmark document was produced and the circumstances leading up to its publication.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_44473\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-44473\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"44473\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/don-shopland-headshot-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?fit=914%2C1212&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"914,1212\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone SE (3rd generation)","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1730897218","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Don Shopland Headshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?fit=226%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?fit=772%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-44473 size-medium\" title=\"Don Shopland\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?resize=226%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"An older white man with glasses poses holding a copy of a government report.\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?resize=226%2C300&ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?resize=772%2C1024&ssl=1 772w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1018&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?resize=840%2C1114&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Don-Shopland-Headshot-1.jpg?w=914&ssl=1 914w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-44473\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Don Shopland With a Copy of the <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.nlm.nih.gov\/101584932X814\"><em>Smoking and Health<\/em><\/a> Report, 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Circulating Now<\/strong>: You were there in 1963 as the committee did its work. How did you become involved? What was your role? What was the work like on a day-to-day basis?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Donald R. Shopland<\/strong>: I graduated high school in June 1962 and over the summer that year I submitted the standard government form seeking federal employment. I had not passed the basic clerk-typist civil service exam, but I was asked to come in for an interview with NLM. Following that interview, I was taken into the stack area and shown around by the person who eventually became my immediate supervisor\u2014a fellow by the name of Phil Coleman. I don’t recall if I was offered the job then and there or if a few days passed, but my first day was Monday, September 24, 1962. I was two weeks shy of my 18th birthday.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward 8 or 9 months, I have gotten more accustomed to the intricacies of the NLM collection and how to find things. The staff has accepted me, and I’ve become friends with several. We even played together on NLM\u2019s own full court basketball and fast pitch softball teams. At this time, probably late spring or early summer 1963, I\u2019m on C level (known to current staff as Basement level 3, or B3) filling reader requests for journal articles just a few steps from the offices of the Advisory Committee to <a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.nlm.nih.gov\/repositories\/ammp\/resources\/terry503\">Surgeon General Luther Terry<\/a>. One day, this somewhat short of stature lady approaches me and introduces herself as Mrs. Mildred A. Bull. She tells me that they are working on this special project about smoking and asks if I would like to earn some overtime pay after normal work hours filling photocopy requests. I said \u201cwell, heck yes!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I don’t really recall how long this went on or how many nights I actually worked, but over time I got to know Mildred and the other members of the full-time staff quite well. I think the term “bonded” might be appropriate here because the more I learned about what was going on and the importance of the work the more it was obvious this was really a special project. There was a certain stress or tension level that was palpable among the core staff. You couldn’t help but be caught up in it. Eventually, in either late August or early September 1963, I was informed by my boss that I was being detailed full time to the <a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.nlm.nih.gov\/repositories\/ammp\/archival_objects\/2933155ry507\">Surgeon General\u2019s Advisory Committee (SGAC)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I mostly continued doing what I was doing before, i.e. filling photocopy requests for scientific articles published in various journals. However, as the project continued to unfold, just about every staff member had to take on other duties as they arose. I would say we pretty much worked a 12\u201315-hour day during the week and we also worked most weekends. The only days we had off were Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and the Monday following JFK’s assassination to watch his televised funeral.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_46598\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46598\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"46598\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/sgac-staff-award-ceremony_2933155rx823\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?fit=1600%2C1272&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1272\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"SGAC staff award ceremony_2933155RX823\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Advisory Committee professional and support staff gather for an award ceremony in the summer of 1964. Don Shopland pictured fourth from the right in the back row. <\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?fit=300%2C239&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?fit=840%2C668&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-46598 size-full\" title=\"Surgeon General's Advisory Committee and Staff\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?resize=840%2C668&ssl=1\" alt=\"A black and white photo of the 24 men and woment standing and sitting in two rows in an office\" width=\"840\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?resize=300%2C239&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?resize=1024%2C814&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?resize=768%2C611&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?resize=1536%2C1221&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823.jpg?resize=840%2C668&ssl=1 840w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-46598\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Advisory Committee professional and support staff gather for an award ceremony in the summer of 1964. Don Shopland pictured fourth from the right in the back row. <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.nlm.nih.gov\/repositories\/ammp\/digital_objects\/2933155rx823_1\"><em>National Library of Medicine #233155RX823<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>CN<\/strong>: Can you give us a bit of background on the issue of smoking in 1964? What led to the formation of the committee? Do you think the result of the work was a surprise to the committee or to the public?<\/p>\n<p><strong>DS<\/strong>: While there were a few clinical reports before 1950 that referenced a connection between smoking and lung cancer, they received almost no attention. What some of us old guard refer to as the “modern era of investigations in smoking and health” began in 1950 with the publication of four retrospective studies, each of which showed a relationship between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Over the next few years, investigators in the UK and the US initiated the first major prospective studies, which followed thousands of people over time. This research clearly showed that smokers were at substantial risk for lung cancer, other diseases, and higher overall death rates compared to nonsmokers.<\/p>\n<p>The continued increase in lung cancer rates and the publication of studies showing a strong relationship with smoking caused several national voluntary health organizations to write President Kennedy a letter requesting a commission to study the matter. That request went nowhere. Then, in the spring of 1962, the Royal College of Physicians in the UK issued its own <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma991553083406676\">report on smoking and health<\/a>, which identified smoking as a cause of not just lung cancer but other diseases as well. This led a reporter with the Washington Evening Star named L. Edgar Prina to ask President Kennedy whether his health advisors had the same opinion and what his administration was going to do about it.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy asked the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for his view, which prompted Surgeon General Terry to dust off an earlier memo he had submitted that suggested forming a national blue-ribbon committee to examine the issue. That went back up the line and Kennedy gave his approval, which started the ball rolling. Eventually, 10 individuals from a list of 150 were chosen to serve on the Committee. Interestingly, Dr. Terry insisted that the tobacco industry be part of the process to nominate and approve potential members. In essence, they had complete veto power over anyone to whom they objected. Most people today don’t know that none of the 10 members were experts in the field, which was a prerequisite to minimize potential investigator bias on the highly charged issue of smoking and health.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of the results of the report, I think the Committee was satisfied with its work. It did its due diligence and, with the addition of new criteria the committee developed for assessing disease causation from epidemiological studies, went as far as it could in the conclusions it reached, which were quite conservative given the amount of data available. I don’t think, however, they were prepared for the public reaction to the report. Months after it was released, media outlets were still doing stories and even entire TV news shows about the topic. Per capita cigarette consumption by adults, in fact, never again reached its 1963 peak of 4,345 cigarettes. Today, consumption is below 800 cigarettes per adult\u2014a level not seen in 100 years.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_46595\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46595\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"46595\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155rx822\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?fit=1254%2C1200&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1254,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Members of the Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee standing on the front steps outside the National Library of Medicine, along with Assistant Surgeon General Dr. James Hundley (first row, 3rd from right), and Staff Director Dr. Eugene Guthrie (back row, last person on right).<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #2933155RX822<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?fit=300%2C287&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?fit=840%2C804&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-46595 size-large\" title=\"Members of the Advisory Committee\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?resize=840%2C804&ssl=1\" alt=\"Twelve White men in suits pose outside.\" width=\"840\" height=\"804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?resize=1024%2C980&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?resize=300%2C287&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?resize=768%2C735&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?resize=840%2C804&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1964-smoking-health-committee_2933155RX822.jpg?w=1254&ssl=1 1254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-46595\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee standing on the front steps outside the National Library of Medicine, along with Assistant Surgeon General Dr. James Hundley (first row, 3rd from right), and Staff Director Dr. Eugene Guthrie (back row, last person on right), 1963<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.nlm.nih.gov\/repositories\/ammp\/archival_objects\/2933155rx822\"><em>National Library of Medicine #2933155RX822<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>CN<\/strong>: Why was the smoking and health report written in the NLM basement here? What was the working space on C-level like at NLM at the time?<\/p>\n<p><strong>DS<\/strong>: Except for the ad hoc working groups and subcommittee meetings\u2014which were usually held at the home base of a member of the advisory committee or one of its consultants\u2014the full Committee mostly met on C level at the National Library of Medicine and on weekends, as most Committee members had full time academic responsibilities. There were a total of nine meetings of the full Committee held over the 13-month course of the project from November 1962 to December 1963. It was at these meetings that the Committee discussed the evidence, reviewed drafts of papers they had requested from outside consultants, and eventually wrote, edited, and finalized the report.<\/p>\n<p>The meetings were held at NLM mostly for convenience’s sake and because the Committee staff was<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_44439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-44439\" style=\"width: 296px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"44439\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/dr-hickam-jane-stafford-and-margaret-sloan\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?fit=672%2C680&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"672,680\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Dr Hickam, Jane Stafford, and Margaret Sloan\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Committee members and their staff meet on C Level at the National Library of Medicine to finalize the forthcoming report.<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #2933155RX822<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?fit=296%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?fit=672%2C680&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-44439 size-medium\" title=\"Working on C Level\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?resize=296%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"Black and white photograph of a White man sitting at a desk reading a report, while two White women sit in the background\" width=\"296\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?resize=296%2C300&ssl=1 296w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Dr-Hickam-Jane-Stafford-and-Margaret-Sloan.png?w=672&ssl=1 672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-44439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Committee members and their staff meet on C Level at the National Library of Medicine to finalize the forthcoming report.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.nlm.nih.gov\/repositories\/ammp\/digital_objects\/2933155rx822\"><em>National Library of Medicine #2933155RX822<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>there. NLM was also where copies of individual studies were kept, as were drafts of various sections of the report and other relevant documents the Committee might need. C level at NLM was also a very secure space given how few people had access to the area. Committee staff were just about the only people on that floor other than the occasional library tech who had to access the older (pre-1946) journal literature, which was not much in demand.<\/p>\n<p>Other than being a bit musty and poorly lit, C level, where the SGAC staff were located, was an active space. It could also be a bit noisy at times, especially with that beast of a 914 Xerox copying machine (it weighed almost 700 pounds) running constantly, the noise from a dozen 30+ lb. IBM Executive electric typewriters clacking away, and the din of office staff either on the phone or talking amongst themselves. And, of course, compared to our smoke-free offices today, the air was probably not very healthy. Many\u2014if not most\u2014of the staff smoked, including myself. In fact, five out of the ten members of the Committee were smokers: four cigarette smokers and one pipe smoker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CN<\/strong>: How did NLM staff support the work of the committee? Did you use any NLM collections in the production of the report?<\/p>\n<p><strong>DS<\/strong>: NLM support was not just important, it was critical. The Committee was charged with assessing all available scientific evidence on smoking and other factors, so the project would have taken considerably longer than 13 months had it not been located in the NLM with immediate access to the entire journal collection. Once they rejected the idea of using past reviews as a starting place for their report and decided to look at everything published on the topic, it became apparent that library staff would have to identify, collect, photocopy, and disseminate anything deemed relevant to Committee\u2019s task.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_44476\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-44476\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"44476\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/nlm-stack-area-1960-1969-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?fit=1182%2C952&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1182,952\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"NLM stack area 1960-1969\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?fit=300%2C242&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?fit=840%2C677&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-44476 size-large\" title=\"NLM Stacks\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?resize=840%2C677&ssl=1\" alt=\"Black and white photograph of the basement stacks at the National Library of Medicine between 1960 and 1969\" width=\"840\" height=\"677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C825&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?resize=300%2C242&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?resize=768%2C619&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?resize=840%2C677&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/NLM-stack-area-1960-1969-1.jpg?w=1182&ssl=1 1182w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-44476\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Basement stacks at the National Library of Medicine between 1960 and 1969. <br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/101701420\"><em>National Library of Medicine #101701420<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But NLM support went much further than just quick access to library holdings. Staff who worked in the stack areas on A, B and C level\u2014including myself\u2014were the ones who actively serviced most literature requests right from the very start. The Surgeon General\u2019s Advisory Committee staff were largely unfamiliar with how the library was organized, so it was NLM employees who acquired the lion\u2019s share of the studies that they used during their deliberations. This included not only requests from SGAC and their staff, but also from the 150 consultants they used throughout the project.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_46366\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46366\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"46366\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/18\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-i\/armed-forces-medical-library-reference-division\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?fit=5378%2C4193&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"5378,4193\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}\" data-image-title=\"Armed Forces Medical Library Reference Division\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Library staff from the NLM Reference Division gather for a photograph. Dr. Dorothy Bocker pictured in the second row fourth from the left.<br \/>\nNational Library of Medicine #101649985<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?fit=300%2C234&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?fit=840%2C655&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-46366 size-large\" title=\"NLM Staff\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=840%2C655&ssl=1\" alt=\"A black and white photograph of numerous men and women standing on risers outside a brick building\" width=\"840\" height=\"655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=1024%2C798&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=300%2C234&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=768%2C599&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=1536%2C1198&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=2048%2C1597&ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?resize=840%2C655&ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?w=1680&ssl=1 1680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Armed-Forces-Medical-Library-Reference-Division.jpg?w=2520&ssl=1 2520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-46366\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Library staff from the NLM Reference Division gather for a photograph in the late 1950s. Dr. Dorothy Bocker pictured in the second row fourth from the left.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/resource.nlm.nih.gov\/101649985\"><em>National Library of Medicine #101649985<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There were also other NLM staff who contributed significantly to the success of the project. First and foremost among them was Dr. Dorothy Bocker, who compiled an ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu\/tobacco\/docs\/#id=rkbd0216\">annotated list<\/a> of more than 1,000 scientific studies representing the literature on smoking published since 1958. The Committee needed this list to supplement the nearly 6,000 citations contained in Paul Larsen\u2019s massive 1,000 page tome “Tobacco: Experimental and Clinical Studies.\u201d After the report was released, NLM later published her bibliography as a separate document titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nlm.nih.gov\/permalink\/01NLM_INST\/1o1phhn\/alma99557983406676\">Bibliography on Smoking and Health 1958\u20131963<\/a>.\u201d We simply referred to it as “The Bocker Bibliography.” Dorothy was a character in her own right. She had worked at one time with Dr. Margaret Sanger promoting birth control during the 1920\u2019s. She was in her mid-70\u2019s at the time of the Committee, and a cigarette smoker. Picture a female FDR smoking a cigarette via a 6-inch holder while holding court in the NLM main reading room.<\/p>\n<p><em>Coming later this week, Don Shopland’s recollections of his time working with the Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee in <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2024\/11\/22\/reflections-on-the-1964-smoking-and-health-report-don-shopland-part-ii\/\">Part II<\/a> of <\/em>Recalling the 1964 Smoking and Health Report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year, 2024, marks the 60th anniversary of U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry\u2019s 1964 landmark Smoking and Health report, which<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156494306,"featured_media":46600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42333869,12763,51014],"tags":[24742,678875810,678875953,11788,678876000,52420,385674],"class_list":["post-44424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives-manuscripts","category-collections","category-guests","tag-1960s","tag-about-us","tag-anniversaries","tag-interview","tag-reflections","tag-smoking","tag-surgeon-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/SGAC-staff-award-ceremony_2933155RX823_feature.jpg?fit=900%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xcDk-byw","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156494306"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44424"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48292,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44424\/revisions\/48292"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |