Medical Journal Editorship Archive of Alan Blum, MD

The First Medical Journal Theme Issues on Smoking

This exhibition is comprised of items relating to Dr. Alan Blum’s editorship of the Medical Journal of Australia (1982-1983) and the New York State Journal of Medicine (1983-1985), during which he produced the first three theme issues at any medical journal about the world cigarette pandemic. The exhibition features complete scanned copies of the three issues and the letters to the editor in response to the issues, as well as a video interview about the challenges encountered in producing the issues during an era of foot-dragging by organized medicine, academia, the mass media, and the public health community alike, who were fearful of attacking the politically powerful tobacco industry. Also included are correspondence with the authors of the articles in these issues, letters from national and international public health leaders, news coverage of the issues, and reviews of The Cigarette Underworld, a book based on the first tobacco theme issue at the New York State Journal of Medicine.