Why WWII Medics Gave Soldiers Cigarettes

Описание: During World War II, the U.S. Army handed out hundreds of billions of cigarettes to soldiers. They were included in daily rations, given away for free, and treated as essential as food or bullets.
When a soldier was badly wounded, medics or fellow troops often didn’t reach for morphine first. Instead, they lit a cigarette and placed it straight into the wounded man’s mouth. The nicotine quickly raised blood pressure, eased the shock, and dulled the unbearable pain for a few critical minutes. In an era when real painkillers were in desperately short supply, this was one of the only psychological tools available on the battlefield.
Tobacco companies supplied the cigarettes almost for free, and military doctors openly called them “the wounded soldier’s best friend.” After the war, thousands of veterans could never quit — the habit they picked up in combat stayed with them for the rest of their lives.
Today it sounds like total madness and a complete violation of medical standards. But in the 1940s, this was completely normal “first aid” on every front line.