Medical Doctors who Smoke a Pipe?

[warren]

Pleasure however, seems to wield greater power than sense.

In 1913 the The American Cancer Society was formed. Five doctors and ten laymen joined together to inform the public cigarette smoking causes cancer. Elizabeth I, 16th Century, banned tobacco from her castles. The Spanish introduced tobacco to Europe sometime back then. Nothing really new about the efficacy or rather, the lack of since the weed was introduced in Europe.

 

[olkofri]

I'm a vet too, though I no longer practice.

I smoke a pipe. Cigars. Even cigarettes. I inhale neither, unless by accident.

As a true scientist man of science, I know that the body is destined for the worms and there are way more important things to worry about than dying. If pipe smoking helps your soul, go for it. The soul will exist forever; your present body will not.

 

[warren]

The soul will exist forever; your present body will not.

You are absolutely correct. Well, for believers anyway. We have members always looking for some sort of support (validation) for their poor decisions. They need to do as most of use do, enjoy the smoke and be prepared for eventualities. Your neighbor's taxes won't cover all the expenses, you'll need some savings and/or good insurance. Or, just quietly accept the level of medical assistance provided by our elected representatives.

 

[sardonicus87]

If anyone wants validation... the woman known to have lived the longest (verified), lived to be 122 years old. Jeanne Louise Calment, and she smoked cigarettes from when she was a teenager until she was 117 years old.

Never you mind that she only smoke two cigarettes per day at most, and that one person is hardly a statistically relevant number... that's not important.

 

[LongIslandPiper]

I had some blood pressure issues and was seeing a doctor about it. To get exercise started daily lunting. The doctors reaction was clearly it's working so keep on doing that.

That is the prevailing opinion i get as well. You are exercising- great you are eating well - great Your numbers look good How are you feeling- ok Doc. Keep up the good work see you next year

 

[LongIslandPiper]

I

You do iron butt rides without a helmet? The sun/wind exposure alone would do me in. I do pretty regular 500 + mile days, and sometimes consider doing 1000 miles in 24 hours thing, just do it.

Iron butts are awesome but without a helmet the wind exposure would certainly do me in. In my more youthful temperance I have done 1k (24hrs) on a crotch rocket (with helmet) and I was wiped out. Your 1500 sans helmet is impressive!
YMMV

 

[Sgetz]

I'm a dentist specialising in anaesthesia. Or did before I retired. Dr chopper summed it all up very well. So I won't repeat that. It's simple don't inhale and don't smoke too many bowls a week!

To those that say all things are risky yes they are but it's the odds. All risks are not equal don't assume they are. It's a mistake

 

[JOHN72]

I am not a physician. But sometimes I see things.

 

[pappymac]

Drinking alcohol is risky. Being the child of my parents is risky, and I legitimately wish it was heart disease. Driving is risky. Motorbike is risky. Crossing the street is risky. Cutting down trees on my property is risky. There is a nonzero chance of being hit by a meteorite.

Smoking my pipe is the second least of my worries, IMO. Meteorites are pretty dang rare

You forgot Serving in the military is risky and yet it is highly recommended by the government. They even pay people to take that risk.

 

[captpat]

Are you implying doctors don't make bad decisions?

Half of all doctors are below average, I wouldn't be surprised if most here had a tale or two about bad medical advice they've received.

 

[rmcnabb]

I'm a PA in family practice - not a doctor but something like. After 20 years and thousands of patients, I have referred one - precisely one - pt to oral surgery for a consult on a suspicious oral lesion that did wind up being cancer and did wind up getting removed. He was a heavy Copenhagen dipper due to the War on Terror (those guys over there used Copenhagen like we drink coffee). Pipe smoking is statistically very, very rare and dipping is very common, so this means maybe nothing? But frankly, the time you spend sitting on your butt and not walking (while smoking a pipe) is a greater risk to your health and all-cause mortality than the pipe smoke is.

Cigarettes and whisky are where you're going to get oropharyngeal and throat cancer. Just ask Christopher Hitchens and his friend Martin Amis.

 

[dingdong]

Best way of stress-relieve for me (cigarette then now pipe). I stay away from any drugs..
Drink a bit (reasonable intensity and frequency).
To me, the nicotinae comes out better than any medicine (if you look at any medicine, the contra indication caveat is usually longer than the cure). so for me, less pharma, better.
from my father side, all got coronary disease of some sort..my late uncle, a Doctor, heading ER of fairly large hospital, then head of Hospital as well, smokes until he passed away at 74. His brother smokes until 88. My Dad smokes as well but passed away of coronary stroke 47yo (alcoholic).

I had a chest pain when i was 29yo, went to hospital, ICCU, cathether, and finally sent home. Bad blood condition (too thick with alcohol and cholesterol) and generally lack of exercise. The heart specialist told me i can keep smoking if it keeps me away from stress. And i did.
23 years later i am as good as ever, no serious heart problem, control my life, exercise, having a good time, pipes, offroading, high-stress work (i worked on drilling rigs for many years), family break ups - you name it. And the nicotines keep me sane and focused

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Don’t inhale!!
That’s the general consensus with the few pipesmoking doctors I’ve met.

And politicians ;-)

 

[slewthy]

Half of all doctors are below average, I wouldn't be surprised if most here had a tale or two about bad medical advice they've received.

But the other half are above average.
So there is that.

 

[ItsKarl]

If anyone wants validation... the woman known to have lived the longest (verified), lived to be 122 years old. Jeanne Louise Calment, and she smoked cigarettes from when she was a teenager until she was 117 years old.

Never you mind that she only smoke two cigarettes per day at most, and that one person is hardly a statistically relevant number... that's not important.

She also apparently ate a kg worth of chocolate every week, which I would have thought would be even worse.

 

[WVOldFart]

Life is a risk. If you listen to the so called experts we shouldn't eat red meat. Processed meat will kill you, so put down that hot dog. Alcohol is dangerous. Driving kills people every day. Do you really know what is in the water you drink? Did you ever think of how fear dictates our everyday lives. From my understanding people who smoke cigarettes are 16 times more likely to have health issues, cigars 8 times more likely and pipe smokers slightly more than a non-smoker. Also my understanding is that lung cancer was extremely rare until the beginning of cigarettes. We all take chances in life. You pick and choose your risks. Once again do you really know whats in the water you drink. Enjoy that pipe and enjoy life.

 

[captpat]

But the other half are above average.
So there is that.

Pick wisely young Padawan

 

[PiperCalvinist]

Doctors also said you need to get a Covid vaccine or... Okay, I know that's likely venturing towards forbidden subject matter. My point simply being men are men - flawed. Everybody on this board is a risk taker. As WVOldFart points out - we all just need to determine each day which risks are worth it and which ones are not.

 

[huntertrw]

The late James W. Hall III was a pipe-smoking internal medicine physician who passed at the age of 83 in 2016. Dr. Hall was the real-life model for Doc Hall, one of the characters of the late author Corey Ford's The Minutes of the Lower Forty column which was a much-loved monthly staple of Field & Stream magazine during the 1950s and 60s.

Mr. Ford, a life-long pipeman himself, probably inspired Dr. Hall to take up the hobby during the time that Doc lived in Mr. Ford's home in Hanover, New Hampshire while an undergraduate at Dartmouth College there. Doc subsequently attended Dartmouth Medical School and Harvard Medical School, and did his internal medicine residency at the University of Minnesota.

Here's an image of Doc and Mr. Ford (and their dogs) during a grouse-hunting trip in New Hampshire in the 1950s:

 

[huntertrw]

Do you really know what is in the water you drink?

As W.C. Fields once said, I never drink water. Fish do disgusting things in it!"