What is a Cigarette?
The History of Cigarettes
One of the biggest problems for all world health organizations and peoples is undoubtedly cigarettes. Today, when we talk about respiratory diseases, it is known that the most important factor causing these diseases is smoking. In our country, an average of 110,000 people die each year due to smoking and smoking-related illnesses. A cigarette is a cylindrical substance, generally with a diameter of 0.5 cm and a length varying between 8-10 cm, obtained by shredding tobacco leaves and rolling them in specially prepared papers, and is considered an enjoyable substance. The tobacco product, which we can call the ancestor of the cigarette, is known to have been consumed by Native Americans before the discovery of the American continent. It is thought that this substance, known to us as the peace pipe, was the first cigarette.
The History of Cigarettes from Past to Present
The cigarette in the modern sense first appeared in Europe. In the period after the discovery of the American continent, the cigarettes brought from America, first rolled in tobacco leaves, resembled today's cigars. Later, for the cigarette to last longer and reduce costs, it began to be produced by rolling it in specially prepared papers (blotting paper). According to another legend, Europeans were introduced to cigarettes through Ottoman soldiers. The use and smoking of tobacco in the Ottoman Empire dates back to the early 17th century. After trade and expeditions with Egypt, cigarettes entered the Ottoman lands and became widely used. During the French siege of Acre Castle (1799), Ahmed Pasha distributed hookahs and tobacco to boost his soldiers' morale. Due to the breakage of hookahs during the war, tobacco was rolled in papers and smoked. French and British soldiers, seeing this, also rolled tobacco in newspaper and smoked it. It is rumored that the cigarette we know first emerged in this way. From the first day it started to be smoked until the 1960s, its consumption increased rapidly. However, due to the emergence of the harms of cigarettes and their direct threat to human health, the tendency towards smoking is gradually slowing down and even declining. In developing countries today, the age of smoking is still declining, and smoking addiction is increasing.
