THE notion that smoking kills is something we now know to be true at such a fundamental level that it’s hard to imagine that the link was only definitively proven in 1950. That’s when epidemiologist Richard Doll uncovered an undeniable .
As ‘s well-crafted biography of Doll, with its unrestricted personal access to its subject, explains, Doll single-handedly saved millions of lives with his findings. He also changed the science of epidemiology in the process, by developing techniques that could be applied to chronic as well as infectious disease.
Fighting the ludicrously rich tobacco industry was hard enough, yet Doll’s biggest battle was convincing the medical profession. That few people today can light up a cigarette without knowing the risks is testament to Doll’s tenacity in showing that science will win the day.
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