[Machado, Moix and Montalbán: smoke gets in your lives].

The writers Antonio Machado (pulmonary chronic disease), Terenci Moix (emphysema) and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (acute myocardial infarction) died of the complications derived from their inveterate habit-forming tobacco. They were aware of the prejudices that a such addiction was causing and tried, in some moment, to leave it. In addition, the testimonies of their contemporary or their same writings offered dramatic samples of this struggle. Nevertheless, they relapsed and tobacco caused them a premature death before 65 years. With a panoramic of 60 years among the last two authors and Machado, a brief historical perspective is offered on the acquisition of scientific knowledge that changed the attitudes towards tobacco during this period of time.