DOSAGE AND TIME EFFECTS OF CIGARETTE SMOKING

Effects of cigarette smoking were examined in eight healthy habitual smokers. Comparisons between effects on catecholamine excretion produced by 2, 4, and 6 cigarettes, smoked within a 2-hr period, showed a progressive increase in adrenaline excretion with number of cigarettes, while noradrenaline excretion was not noticeably affected. Comparisons between smoking and control conditions showed effects on hand steadiness, skin temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Dose- and time-response curves indicated that the relatively largest effect was regularly produced by the first cigarette, while the 2nd to 6th cigarette produced progressively smaller changes. © 1968 Springer-Verlag.