Cigar smoking is not safe, but it is safer than smoking cigarettes.

Research by Sir Richard Doll and Sir Richard Peto, both from Oxford University, showed that the risk of premature death in cigarette smokers was raised by 70 per cent, but that pipe or cigar smokers had only a 10 per cent increase. The survey that was the basis of these statistics demonstrated that the significant factor was the difference in the pattern of the smoking.

There was a strong suspicion that if people had never smoked before they started pipe or cigar smoking, the risk was much greater than if they had learnt to smoke and inhale cigarettes, and then transferred to pipes and cigars.

The two Sir Richards’ official conclusion was that smoking a pipe or cigar gave rise to an overall risk of premature death that was halfway between that of a non smoker, who had never smoked, and a light smoker. So far as cancer of the lung was concerned, the risk was similar to that of a light cigarette smoker.

Sir Richard Doll told me his unofficial opinion in an interview at his Oxford office last year: he said that although he would never advocate pipe or cigar smoking he could understand how a risk of this comparatively low magnitude would be accepted by some.

Sir Richard himself smoked until he was 38. This was when he started on his work on cigarettes and lung cancer, and was so impressed by his own findings that he gave up.

In case anyone feels inclined to benefit from his comparative tolerance of cigars and pipes rather than take heed of his professional advice, they should heed these statistics: a cigar once a day increases the risk of cancer of the lip, tongue, throat, mouth, larynx and lung. It may be linked to cancer of the pancreas, may cause or contribute to bronchitis and emphysema (COPD) and has a deleterious effect on the elasticity of arteries and skin.

Smoking two cigars a day doubles the risk of oral cancers; smoking four cigars a day increases it eight times.

Those who still smoke cigarettes as well as cigars, or have been heavy cigarette smokers previously, have risk factors much closer to that of cigarette smoking.

Churchill may have lived to a ripe old age despite a love of brandy, champagne and cigars, but it should be remembered that from the war years onwards he suffered health problems that could have been influenced by his smoking habits.