 The taking of snuff helped to distinguish the elite members of society from the common populace, which generally smoked its tobacco.It was also during the 18th century that an English author and botanist, John Hill, concluded nasal cancer could develop with the use of snuff; under the guise of a doctor, he reported five cases of 'polyps, a swelling in the nostril adherent with the symptoms of open cancer'.Modern studies, however, have concluded there is no conclusive evidence of a relationship with nasal snuff-taking and cancer.