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Harold S. Diehl

Harold S. Diehl is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Harold S. Diehl rather than just read about it. In short: Harold Sheely Diehl (August 4, 1891 – June 27, 1973) was an American physician, anti-smoking activist, public health educator and writer. Biography Diehl graduated in 1912 from Gettysburg College and obtained his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1916.

Harold S. Diehl — main illustration
Harold S. Diehl — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Harold S. Diehl belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Harold S. Diehl to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Harold S. Diehl from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Harold Sheely Diehl (August 4, 1891 – June 27, 1973) was an American physician, anti-smoking activist, public health educator and writer.

Biography Diehl graduated in 1912 from Gettysburg College and obtained his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1916. He was director of the Student Health Service at the University of Minnesota. He became Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health and was appointed dean of Medical Sciences. In 1957, he joined the Cancer Society as senior vice president of research and medical affairs. He retired in 1968, but remained a consultant for the Society. In 1938, Diehl and colleagues published results from a trial on the efficacy of vaccines for the common cold. The study has been cited as one of the first instances of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Diehl's Textbook of Healthful Living, first published in 1935, went through many editions. The comprehensive text of personal and public hygiene was positively reviewed in medical journals. The Harold S. Diehl Award was established in 1962 to honour Diehl. He died aged 81 from heart disease at United Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Tobacco and Your Health Diehl wrote about the health risks of smoking from the 1930s. He was a leading proponent of the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. He authored Tobacco and Your Health: The Smoking Controversy in 1969. A review of the book noted that Diehl "presents a straightforward account of the scientific and medical evidence identifying tobacco as a causative agent in lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and other diseases." In 1969, physician Luther Terry positively reviewed the book in the American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health, noting that "it presents the most comprehensive review available to date detailing the health consequences of this habit." Physician Walter C. Alvarez commented, "Diehl is a great humanitarian, a great teacher, a great gatherer of facts, and a fine writer of delightful prose. I don't see how anyone can question his mass of statistics." In 1970, the book was positively reviewed in the British Medical Journal, which concluded, "cause and effect are established beyond reasonable doubt by the overwhelming weight of evidence linking cigarette smoking with serious disease... [t]his book should effectively reinforce the movement which must one day turn public opinion against the cigarette, or stimulate the development of a safe one."

Criticism of fad diets Diehl criticized dietary fads such as the alkaline diet, food combining, raw foodism, strict vegetarianism and water fasting. Diehl suggested that most vegetarians are not really vegetarian because they consume dairy or egg products. He commented that the human digestive tract is not intended for an exclusive herbivorous diet.

Selected publications Textbook of Healthful Living (1935, 1950) Elements of Healthful Living (1950) Personal Health and Community Hygiene (with Ruth E. Boynton, 1951) The Health of College Students (with Charles E. Shepard, 1939) Health and Safety for You (with Anita D. Laton, 1954) Tobacco and Your Health: The Smoking Controversy (1969)

References

Illustrations

Harold S. Diehl illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Harold S. Diehl

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Harold S. Diehl claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Harold S. Diehl before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Harold S. Diehl ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Harold S. Diehl

In research
Harold S. Diehl appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Harold S. Diehl in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Harold S. Diehl is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1891 births, 1973 deaths, 20th-century American male writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Harold S. Diehl outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Harold S. Diehl in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Harold S. Diehl means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Harold S. Diehl out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Harold S. Diehl in simple terms?

Harold Sheely Diehl (August 4, 1891 – June 27, 1973) was an American physician, anti-smoking activist, public health educator and writer. Biography Diehl graduated in 1912 from Gettysburg College and obtained his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1916.

Why does Harold S. Diehl matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Harold S. Diehl?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Harold S. Diehl.

Tags

  • 1891 births
  • 1973 deaths
  • 20th-century American male writers
  • 20th-century American medical doctors
  • American cancer researchers
  • American health and wellness writers
  • American health educators
  • American public health doctors
  • Anti-smoking activists
  • Diet food advocates
  • Gettysburg College alumni
  • Hygienists

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