[DonQ]

  First, the quotation about a woman is only a woman is from Kipling, about 60 years before Groucho.

Second, yes, you can find smokers and drinkers who lived to a ripe old age, and health fanatics who died young, but it's worth remembering that Groucho and Churchill were prosperous enough to get the very best medical attention to prevent or cure some of their symptoms, the sort of attention that most of us couldn't afford.

[SheLion]

Second, yes, you can find smokers and drinkers who lived to a ripe old age, and health fanatics who died young, but it's worth remembering that Groucho and Churchill were prosperous enough to get the very best medical attention to prevent or cure some of their symptoms, the sort of attention that most of us couldn't afford.

Well, back in the days of Groucho and Churchill, no matter how much money they had, health care wasn't what it is today! Back in "their" days, the Doctors didn't really KNOW what was going on with people. No MRI's, no SONOGRAMS.

Good golly, I didn't WRITE this article! I just posted it! geeeeeesh

[HELLRAISER II]

What you say is very true, but talking with my father a while back I found out something that was very strange. Do you realize back then that the doctors actually promoted smoking for clearing the Lungs & nasal cavaties of congestion. With medicine like that do you really think that they had that much of an advantage.

[metesky]

Actually, tobacco-related deaths occur at an average age of roughly 72, an age at which mortality is not unusual among smokers and non-smokers alike.

[xJones]

...but it's worth remembering that Groucho and Churchill were prosperous enough to get the very best medical attention to prevent or cure some of their symptoms, the sort of attention that most of us couldn't afford.

For the sake of discussion, I would point out after Stalin had his fatal stoke, his doctors applied leeches to his neck veins trying to help. He did not exactly have expert medical care, but came of Georgian stock, which are known for their longevity. The value of healthy genes cannot be overestimated.

That said, SheLion, my grandfather smoked cigars and died at 90 of diabetes complications. Both my father and father-in-law died at 83, due to lung cancer. I smoke, but keep trying to quit, after going through their deaths. Both my father and father-in-law were on morphine in only the last week of their respective lives, both died at home on hospice care.

[Great Dane]

Second, yes, you can find smokers and drinkers who lived to a ripe old age, and health fanatics who died young, but it's worth remembering that Groucho and Churchill were prosperous enough to get the very best medical attention to prevent or cure some of their symptoms, the sort of attention that most of us couldn't afford.

Except in those days, people didn't run to the doctor for every little sneeze and sniffle, even if you could afford it, you see the population had yet to be trained in hypochondia.

[Max McGarrity]

Second, yes, you can find smokers and drinkers who lived to a ripe old age, and health fanatics who died young, but it's worth remembering that Groucho and Churchill were prosperous enough to get the very best medical attention to prevent or cure some of their symptoms, the sort of attention that most of us couldn't afford.

Ah, yes, but most of the folks who lived to be older than anyone else in the world--8 of the oldest 10--were not wealthy and did not have the alleged benefit of medical attention, but they did smoke.(No, I'm not saying that smoking is necessarily "healthy," only that it has been tarred with a too-broad brush.) In fact, just last week an article profiled Hava Raxha who has smoked for 105 years and plans to celebrate her 122nd birthday on August 14th in the village of Shushice, in the district of Elbasan, Albania.