Article
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Big Tobacco, Cigarettes, and the Foundation of Duke University
Version 1
: Received: 23 April 2023 / Approved: 26 April 2023 / Online: 26 April 2023 (07:38:11 CEST)
How to cite: Heston, T. Big Tobacco, Cigarettes, and the Foundation of Duke University. Preprints 2023, 2023040968. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0968.v1 Heston, T. Big Tobacco, Cigarettes, and the Foundation of Duke University. Preprints 2023, 2023040968. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0968.v1
Abstract
Duke University was founded in 1930 primarily due to funds generated from James B. Duke’s tobacco business. Duke achieved great financial wealth primarily due to the early application of machine rolled cigarettes, as opposed to hand rolled. This early adoption of technology allowed Duke Tobacco to out-produce other companies still selling hand rolled cigarettes. By making smoking more inexpensive and easier than pipe smoking, the cigarette formed the foundation for nicotine addiction in the 1900s, generating huge profits for the tobacco industry. At the time Duke University was founded, little was known about the connection between nicotine, cigarettes, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema and lung cancer. Through James Duke’s philanthropy, the devastating harm from cigarettes has been mitigated in part through the founding of one of the world’s most prominent medical centers and research universities.
Keywords
tobacco; cigarettes; nicotine addiction; Duke University; James B. Duke; modern medicine
Subject
Arts and Humanities, History
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comments (0)
We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.
Leave a public commentSend a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
