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Ann Thorac Surg 1992;53:719-725
© 1992 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Articles

Thoracic surgery and the war against smoking: Richard H. Overholt, MD

Overholt Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The New England Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

^_* Address reprint requests to Dr Berger, 135 Francis St, Boston, MA 02215.

Richard H. Overholt was born at the beginning of the twentieth century when thoracic surgery hardly existed. During the first 20 years of his life progress in the field was slow. The next 20 years, which coincided with Overholt's surgical training and his early years as a thoracic surgeon, saw a rapid and almost explosive growth. Overholt's contributions were legion. They included the world's first successful right pneumonectomy, advancements in surgical treatment of tuberculosis, development of segmental resection, and introduction of the prone operative position. He was a bold and creative pioneer thoracic surgeon with consumate technical skills. Sixty years ago, when Overholt started his career as a thoracic surgeon, the hazards of smoking were not appreciated, the habit was fashionable, and consumption of tobacco was rapidly rising. In the early 1930s Overholt was among the very few physicians who recognized the perils of smoking and initiated a long but initially unrewarding antismoking crusade. By the early 1950s evidence about the ill effects of tobacco use began to accumulate. Organized medicine, voluntary health groups, and governmental agencies joined in a concerted effort to educate and to contain smoking. During the ensuing 30 years the antismoking movement achieved ever-increasing success. Today, it is widely recognized that smoking is a major health hazard and tobacco consumption is on the decline. Richard Overholt issued the first warning signals about the perils of tobacco and served as an indefatigable leader of the antismoking crusade throughout his professional career.