The following editorial appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday, Feb. 27:
At one time, his face was one of the most recognizable in the country. That’s because no U.S. surgeon general before or since C. Everett Koop has used the job’s bully pulpit so effectively to prod Americans into taking better care of themselves.
Koop died Monday at age 96, his own longevity a testament to his relentless advice on living a long life. Atop the list: Don’t smoke. Using research connecting cancer to tobacco use, Koop urged people not to smoke if they hadn’t started, and to quit if they had.
Wearing the gold-braided naval uniform of surgeons general, Koop, with his Captain Ahab beard and stern demeanor, was an imposing figure. When he said smokers are 10 times more likely to develop lung cancer, people listened. During his 1981-89 tenure, the share of Americans who smoked dropped from 33 to 26 percent.
A special report that Koop prepared in 1986 still represents the best advice for avoiding the sexual transmission of the AIDS virus: Either practice abstinence or monogamy, or use a condom. The Reagan White House wanted him to leave out the condoms part, but Koop wouldn’t let politics get in the way of the truth.