I am lost, it’s clearly a joke (the part about the kids too young to grasp a cigarette), but I don’t find the context for the joke. It can’t really have been an actual in depth scientific joke since there is no actual vo2max of smokers.
> Improper correlation or extrapolation of data can result in dangerously flawed conclusions. The following paper seeks to illustrate this point, using existing research to argue the hypothesis that cigarette smoking enhances endurance performance and should be incorporated into high-level training programs.