January: Nicotine & Tobacco

Besides being a time that many people endeavour to stop smoking, January is also the anniversary of a number of milestones related to nicotine and the tobacco industry:

On 11th January 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General announced the results of a study on the health effects of smoking, ordered by President Kennedy in 1962. It was America's first widely publicized official recognition of the dangers and stated that "Cigarette smoking is a health hazard of sufficient importance in the United States to warrant appropriate remedial action."

From the 1st January 1966 all cigarette packages in the United States had to carry a health warning.

Scientists announced the identification of a key brain chemical related to nicotine addiction on 8th January 1998.
 
On 29th January 1998, for the first time, a senior tobacco company executive acknowledged the health risk of tobacco products under oath to Congress. Only 4 years previously had seven tobacco industry executives stood before the House Commerce Committee and sworn that nicotine was not addictive.

In the RSCs historical collection, we have a book about the life and work of Chemist Ame Pictet (pictured) 'Souvenirs et Travaux d'un Chemiste Ame Pictet' from 1937.  Pictet, with Crepieux was the first to synthesize nicotine in 1893.  We also have 7 volumes of 'Allen's Commercial Organic Analysis' from 1912 which provides a detailed analysis of nicotine and tobacco.