For decades, a report from the nation's top doctor — the U.S. surgeon general — has been an influential call to action.
There's a venerable tradition among those who have held this post to wield its powerful bully pulpit. In 1964, Dr. Luther Terry, nominated by President John F. Kennedy, courageously released a sweeping report warning a nation of smokers of tobacco's link to cancer, heart disease and other serious conditions.
In the 1980s, Dr. C. Everett Koop, who served under President Ronald Reagan, sounded an alarm again on tobacco and secondhand smoking's risks. Also on his watch: a controversial but factual report on AIDS calming fears that the disease could be transmitted via casual contact. The report also pragmatically highlighted the critical role of testing, education and condom use.
