British doctors study

The British Doctors Study is a longitudinal statistical study carried out from 1951 to 2001 and convincingly proving in 1956 that smoking leads to lung cancer .

By the time the study began, there were suspicions that smoking led to cancer and cardiovascular disease , but these suspicions were not proven. Moreover, for decades, smoking has been touted as a “healthy” habit. The British Medical Research Council has commissioned the Statistical Research Unit, which is part of it, to test this issue.

In October 1951 , researchers wrote to all male doctors registered in Britain and received 34,439 responses. 2/3 of all doctors answered. They, and only they, participated in the study. Respondents received questionnaires to fill out, the following questionnaires were sent out in 1957 , 1966 , 1971 , 1978 , 1991 , and finally in 2001 .

The very first data published in 1956 proved that smoking leads to lung cancer . A report was published every 10 years. The latest report was published in 2004 . It was convincingly proved that smoking leads not only to lung cancer, but also to myocardial infarction (coronary thrombosis, according to the terminology of the time).

According to a study, smoking shortens life by about 10 years, and more than half of smokers die from smoking-related illnesses.

The study was also pioneering in its methodology. The importance of epidemiology and medical statistics in public health issues was shown. The idea of ​​a longitudinal study was so innovative that in a preliminary report published in 1954 , researchers found it necessary to define a longitudinal study.

The study was conducted by Richard Doll ( 1912 - 2005 ), Austin Bradford Hill (Austin Bradford Hill) ( 1897 - 1991 ), and since 1971 , Richard Peto (born in 1943 ). All three are famous experts in the field of medical statistics; famous including thanks to its pioneering research. Doll and Peto are also known for other studies conducted later, in particular, the Heart Protection Study .