John A. Meyer, PhD, has written an up-to-date and informative book about lung cancer intended for the layman. The book is a combination of case histories, science, opinions, epidemiology, and the fictional physician Bill Hunter. While it contains fictional characters, the book is not a novel; it has no plot, beginning, or end. Treatment modalities presented in the text follow epidemiologic data, and clinical relationships are presented through the interspersing of anecdotal cases from the beginning of the book.
In his book, Meyer places great emphasis on the hazards of smoking. He points out that most lung cancers are preventable, preferably by never smoking rather than by stopping once one has started, although the latter is beneficial. He mentions the financial and political aspects of growing tobacco and summarizes in chapter 16, perhaps too briefly, some of the court cases relating to product liability and the tobacco industry.
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