[A persistence of tobacco smoking addiction in economically severely underdeveloped regions of Poland--the case of the Green Forest and White Forest].

In the 19-th and early 20-th centuries the regions of the Green Forest and White Forest (Central Poland) comprised a reservoir of rural people living on the verge of biological existence. Despite material deficiencies, tobacco smoking addiction was common--nearly 100% of the male population was smokers. An analysis of ethnographic findings suggests that the permanence of addiction could have been caused by 1. the early initiation of smoking and acceptance of smoking by under-ages, 2. the spreading of the practice of replacing tobacco, when in deficit, by other materials such as dried potato leaves, clover leaves or even feces of horses. One can assume that stimuli linked with non-tobacco-exposed smoking may also have an important influence on maintaining addiction.