LETTERS - "Smoking for the Sick?" - ACS Publications

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LETTERS

Smoking for the Sick? Sir : Shame on INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY for printing in the September edition the symposium luncheon address by H. R. R. Markham on cigarette filtration. T h e action of the symposium organizers in allowing a luncheon address to be used as a public forum for the cigarette industry is even more inexcusable. This article is not a technical article at all but rather is pure propaganda for cigarette smoking. At best it should have been a paid advertisement. One hopes that I&EC will soon print a rebuttal by a qualified expert to the specious arguments presented. Markham apparently believes that cigarette smoking appeals more to sick people and that is the reason why so many smokers suffer an early demise. A. J. Moll 856 Carroll Road Charleston, W. Va. 25374

Friend-Not

Retired

Sir : Have just read Dr. Carley’s letter in the November 1969 issue-a most enjoyable literary experience ! I n his letter he refers to “The Humperdinck number reported in your February issue (1969),” page 6. I have looked back through my wellkept clipping supply and I fail to find this clipping or this issue, so I Just Have to Have It! There are reasons for this : I am an old-timer in the business of education and of engineering. Got my first B.S. degree back in 1924; my last M.S. in 1961; seven other degrees in between, including a Ph.D. in chemistry back in 1940-

total of about 700 semester hours of work from 24 different colleges and universities, more than 350 of this coming after I obtained the Ph.D. I suspect that this makes me a character; a t least I hope so. Have always been cynical about the business of publish or perish, but figured that if such stupid rules governed the game I might just as well do some writing. So over the years I have “racked up” about eight books and about 300 magazine articles. Quite a number of tall trees have been cut down and made into paper to print my stuff and I have often wondered if the conservationists shouldn’t have shot me a long time ago just to save the timber. Have been a full-time school teacher and a full-time engineer since 1924; better than 16 hours per day, seven days a week. I retired four years ago and then started as a chemistry instructor for the Albuquerque Academy, figuring that I would now do just what I wanted to do. Among other things one of the English Courses has drafted me for several weeks to give a little insight into writing for publication. I a m collecting my material, and in our brief “attack upon the English Language,” we will review a number of magazine articles and among those references I must have the Carley letter and the Humperdinck Reference. So please, Sir, will you pass on my request to the appropriate section so that I can get that February 1969 issue? E. R . Harrington Albuquerque, N . M . 87706 EDITOR’S NOTE: We thank you; Humperdinck thanks you; Carley thanks you. Tall trees we can always grow, but appreciative audiences are hard to come by. The February issue is on its way to you. VOL. 6 2

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