The History of Tobacco Smoking - Research Paper Example

Smoking Smoking is the act of burning a substance, usually and most commonly tobacco, and inhaling/ tasting its smoke. This act is used a way of administering drugs which are used as a recreation, or for spiritual enhancement, trances and as rituals. Smoking is commonly done in the form of cigarettes which is tobacco rolled in paper with an attached filter. There are other methods that have been employed in other centuries, countries and cultures like, bidi, cigar, hooka, bongs, pipes (used by red Indians and the British) and vaporizers. Smoking tobacco has been shown to be the most popular choice of recreational drug in the recent years, where there are over 1 billion smokers in the world, and growing in number on a daily basis. Even though Tobacco is one of the commonest drugs used for smoking, there are other drugs which are more potent and have stronger hallucinogenic qualities, like Cannabis, Heroin and Opium. In ancient times, history has documented the presence of use of tobacco smoking in different civilizations; as part of ceremonies and rituals in countries like China and Babylon. Other forms of smoking are inhalation practices in the form of incense sticks. The history of the first recorded form of smoking dates back to 5000B.C. since the onset of this practice, the initial reason for smoking has been adapted and changed over the years, from medicinal, spiritual enhancement and religion rituals to recreational use. Smoking was practiced in the Middle Eastern region in the hooka, and most commonly used substance was at that time was cannabis. The practice was later spread further in the world when the trading between the old and new world started. Because of the initial “positive” usage of tobacco, smoking was considered as an accepted part of society and cultural norms. The change in the production and perception of Tobacco came about majorly in the 1960’s, as the increase in production of tobacco in the new world was taken to a new level since smoking gained popularity in the Americas, France and other countries. Because of this reason a new industry had emerged with a global potential, as tobacco was grown as a money crop and showed extreme profitability. As the demand and usage of tobacco increased so did the negative criticism for this practice, associating it with immoral and unethical behavior by other countries, like China and Ottoman Empire. Even with the bad publicity, bans, taxes and other embargos imposed of tobacco producers the industries flourished even more and the smoking spread like wildfire. By the end of the 17th century, tobacco smoking and cigarettes production was at an all times high and had been spread to the rest of the world and common in all the countries. To meet the massive needs, the first tobacco rolling / cigarettes making machine was patented in the states, and increased the production of cigarettes to new heights. After two centuries of tobacco smoking, the adverse effects started becoming more apparent and the cause of disease and deaths was traced back to smoking. The imposition of stronger bans and penalties in counties were started to try to control the use of tobacco. Powerful anti smoking campaigns were run and Germany was one of the first countries to paint the picture of unsuitable behavior for a woman is smoking. From then on the harmful effects of smoking were more closely examined and research was funded. As the heads of the tobacco industries were by now very rich and powerful, backed by governments, it was difficult to control the production of cigarettes. And the illegal black market was flooded to tobacco products where countries had banned smoking. At this time, each and every country is aware of the harmful effects of tobacco but because of the tobacco moguls controlling the industry have found ways to infiltrate countries. There have been multiple conspiracy theories where involvement of the tobacco conglomerate has been implicated in silencing politicians who voiced their anti tobacco views. The modus operandi of smoking tobacco is, the smoke is inhaled through the nostrils into the lungs, which enters the blood stream through the one cell membrane of the alveoli, though the capillary bed by diffusion. Once in the blood stream the substance called nicotine travels to through the body and ultimately to the brain, affecting the nerve ending by competing the acetylcholine receptors in the brain, heart and muscles, causing increased heart rate, faster reflexes, mental clarity. One of the effects of nicotine on the acetyl receptors is release of Dopamine which causes mild euphoria. The “high” and false sense of happiness is usually short lived which is why the is the need to smoke again to continue that state of euphoria, or increased productivity or nirvana. Other stronger substances have produced prolonged euphoria, hallucinogenic effects and much more potent and harmful than tobacco. The substances like Cannabis, Opium and Heroin are illegally supplied in all parts of the world, and are used as recreational drugs (“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, 300). The leaves of the Cannabis plants are called Marijuana and in slang called pot. The leaves are smoked and affect majorly the brain by the chemicals released by the smoking called cannabanoids. There is a strong association between smoking cannabis and carcinomas of head and neck (squamous cell), lung, colonorectal and melanomas. Opium has been used for thousands of years as medicinal purposes, especially as a pain killer in olden times. Later it was discovered that the recreational purposes of opium were even greater. Opium was taken up in different forms but most efficient way to administer opium was inhalation, which was widely used. After years of use the harmful and addictive effects of Opium became apparent which were worse than tobacco smoking, which led to prohibition of opium trade and manufacture completely, declaring it an illegal substance. Even then, opium is still a hot commodity utilized as a recreational drug and is one of the major substances in the illegal drug trade. It has also been modified and is one of the major drugs used for palliative care and traumas as a pain killer. But because of the addiction factor it a highly monitored drug. The act of smoking has been so hyped with the advertising of cigarettes as a requirement for being accepted in society or with your peers. Media has framed that the bold and the beautiful; the high and the mighty all smoke and if you want to be like them then you need to do the same. Even to the extent that most teenagers start smoking to gain acceptance and respect from their peers. In other cases, people addicted to smoking claim that it helps them stay calm, and eases their stress. This phenomenon has been witnessed in high profile careers, where the reasoning is high levels of stress (as in doctors) or required for the image (as in actors). This has been proved to be wrong, medically as smoking has been found to be associated with mood swings, depression and higher levels of stress than non smokers. When giving up smoking, the withdrawal affects vary from person to person as does the nicotine dependency (Doweiko, 217). The chemical interactions produced by nicotine, induce the sense of false security which actually becomes the reason for the addiction, or even the requirement of a stronger substance than tobacco to produce the state of euphoria. Smoking has been deemed a two edged sword which is perceived differently for men and women. For men it was considered as a sign of maleness and machoism , as interpreted in the Marlboro man advert. For women it was considered as a sign of promiscuity or not of high moral character. And ironically people have also thought that smoking helps (especially women) to stay or become slim. So it has also been and is being, used as an appetite suppressant. The smoke from cigarettes not only contains nicotine, but also the by products of incomplete combustion, and other carcinogens which are very harmful for the body. Some of the chemicals in the smoke which is inhaled are Tar, Benzene, Ammonia, Toluene, Butane, cadmium and cyanide. All of these chemical enter the body through the lungs and cause a large number of diseases, some of which can be fatal. The initial reaction to a foreign body in the lungs is cough, which usually started when tobacco/ cigarette is smoked for the first time. As the smoking continues, the body tries its best to reduce the level of irritants in the body, by trapping particles with the sputum, and ejecting them while coughing. There is an early allergic response, as well as a long term allergic response, by which the body tries to ensure that enough oxygen is reaching the blood stream through the lungs. As the duration of the smoking increases; over time, there is solidifying of the arterial walls, the pleural, loss of alveoli and decreased capillaries and excessive production of sputum. The carcinogens can and invade the entire body and can cause genetic mutations anywhere. Carbon monoxide from cigarettes competes with oxygen in the body causing hypoxia in the brain, muscles and organs. Smoking has also been found to cause clotting in arteries which is called “Disseminated Vascular Thrombosis”. Research also shows that smokers are at a higher risk of developing Renal (kidney) carcinomas, and compromised renal function. Smokers are also more prone to developing diseases such as Tuberculosis as immunity can also be compromised by smoking. It has also been proved that smoking in pregnancy is very harmful for the fetus as well as the pregnant mother. It is associated with increased chances of miscarriages and abortions, low birth weights and SIDS. There are a total 19 known carcinogens present in tobacco smoke (Pendlebury et al, 1256). Short term illnesses associated with smoking are allergic cough, which is due to the constant irritants that are inhaled; acute pneumonia, this can inflammation of a partial or complete lung which will result is difficulty in breathing, fever, cough and chest congestion; asthma, this usually develops in people with an already weak pulmonary function, and is exacerbated by smoking (Edlin et al, 279). Long term illnesses are Stokes, because there is a very strong association with smoking as high blood pressure is a feature of smokers. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which are classified into two types of diseases: Emphysema; which is the loss of alveoli and vascularity in the lung. Bronchitis: this is the chronic infection of the lungs, which is caused by smoking and asthma together Neoplastic (malignant) diseases of the lung, pancreas, bladder, larynx and mouth, Myocardial Infarction and vascular stenosis. (Thun, 1233). In the 1950’s and 1960’s researches from Britain and the United states started showing a very close link between cigarettes smoking and lung cancer (Gilman et al, 328). Since the awareness was created, and been made more public, anti smoking campaigns have been run at national and international levels around the world. The estimated number of deaths due to smoking in 2004 was 5.4 million, which is expected to double in the next 10 years as said by the World Health Organization. During these research activities one of the side effects of smoking for non-smokers was also discovered. There was a definitive increase in diagnosis of lung cancer in Non- smokers, this was initially thought to be a coincidence and related to the increase in pollution. During further studies, it was found, that 90% of the sample size of patients had a family member who smoked or were exposed to a smoking environment of some kind, either at home or at work. Ultimately, labeled passive smokers, these patients were also at risk of developing the signs and symptoms related to smoking. This again was a further negative impact of smoking (“Mayo report on addressing the worldwide tobacco epidemic through effective, evidence-based treatment", 2). In last 10- 15years, countries have taken further drastic steps to stop the smoking culture, like UK has banned smoking in public places. Even then there is still an increase in the consumption of tobacco, in European and south East Asians countries. Since 2007 legislative steps have been taken by countries through out the world, making in illegal to sell cigarettes to minors (below the age of 18). Increasing taxes on cigarettes had an impact of a reduction in 3 -4 % in sales world wide. It was made a legal requirement to plainly display the harmful effects of smoking on cigarettes boxes and cartons. Advertising of cigarettes on TV and radio was also prohibited in the early 1970’s. With all these preventive measures, there were significant impact on tobacco sales, but there was a resultant increase in black market sales of tobacco world wide. Even then, the death toll caused by smoking was over six million, worldwide in 2011. ("21st Century Could See a Billion Tobacco Victims”). With so much money being poured into programs to help people to stop smoking, there hope that with time and the active awareness being created, that people will stop using tobacco. People have been trying to employ different methods to help them stop smoking; like self help groups, hypnosis, electronic cigarettes, nicotine gum, nicotine patches, acupuncture therapy. For some people these methods have been successful and they were able to “kick the habit”. Others have had to go through intense regimes of therapy which include a mental and physical work up, as people face a sudden weight gain when they stop smoking. Others have even more withdrawal effects such as mood swings and depression. It is estimated that 10-15% of teenagers still take up smoking on an annual basis. The fact that there are over 1.1. billion smokers estimated world wide shows that the battle is a very slow and arduous one and that smoking is still a featured part of or cultural society. (Ferrucci et al, 645) I would grade myself on the research paper with the highest grade possible because this article has been thoroughly researched, and has been well thought out, giving a very comprehensive view of cigarette smoking in history, its birth, its incline, the reasons and requirements of smoking, and how it has been adapted over the centuries, and has come to be what it is today. This article also includes the physiological aspect of tobacco and its work up from a biochemical point of view, with its effect on the body at a cellular level. It also shows how the perceptions of the different cultures and their views have changed with the research and development of ideologies of the revolutionized world including statistical data and research articles, outlining all the harmful and negative effects of smoking. A comparison has also been given of other substances which are used for smoking, and have included the negative as well as the positive uses of those substances. Researching and writing this article, brought a new understanding of how people have introduced new ideas into society and how no matter how harmful something might prove to be people still find and want it because of its own effects. This article brings to light all the aspects of smoking and gives the reader a holistic overview and a new appreciation of smoking. It was ironic to learn is how innocently the substances were initially used, and how in the hands of the wrong people it was exploited and abused, but we still found ways to apply the knowledge positively. References  "21st Century Could See a Billion Tobacco Victims".Tobacco News Flash (Tobacco-Free Missouri Coalition) 3 (12): 1. 2007. Retrieved 2012-11-28  "Mayo report on addressing the worldwide tobacco epidemic through effective, evidence-based treatment". World Health Organization. p. 2. Retrieved 2012-11-28. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (April 2002). "Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs--United States, 1995-1999".MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 51 (14): 300–3. Doweiko, Harold E. Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Edlin, Gordon, Eric Golanty, and Kelli M. C. Brown. Essentials for Health and Wellness. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett, 2000. Print.p279 Ferrucci L, Izmirlian G, Leveille S, Phillips CL, Corti MC, Brock DB, Guralnik JM (1999). "Smoking, physical activity, and active life expectancy". American Journal of Epidemiology 149 (7): 645–53.  Gilman, Sander L, and Xun Zhou. Smoke: A Global History of Smoking. London: Reaktion, 2004. Print.p328 Pendlebury Jd, W. R.; Wilson, R. J. A.; Bano, S.; Lumb, K. J.; Schneider, J. M.; Hasan, S. U. (2008). "Respiratory Control in Neonatal Rats Exposed to Prenatal Cigarette Smoke".American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 177(11): 1255–1261. Thun MJ, Day-Lally CA, Calle EE, Flanders WD, Heath CW (September 1995). "Excess mortality among cigarette smokers: changes in a 20-year interval". Am J Public Health 85 (9): 1223–30. Read More