|
Science, Industry and Business Library 
Current | Upcoming | Past | Online Be sure to check library hours and holidays for important information. Exhibition Hours: Mon, Fri & Sat: 11 to 6; Tues, Wed & Thurs: 10 to 8 Not a Cough In A Carload: Images Used By Tobacco Companies To Hide the Hazards of Smoking Early in the last century, questions about the health effects of smoking became a topic of widespread discussion, as terms like “smoker’s cough” and “coffin nails” (referring to cigarettes) began to appear in the popular vernacular. Recognizing the need to counter this threat to their livelihood, tobacco companies undertook a multifaceted campaign to allay the public’s fears. One strategy was to promote smoking as a beneficial practice through endorsements by healthy and vigorous-appearing singers, Hollywood stars, elite athletes, and actors posing as medical professionals. This exhibition, created by Dr. Robert Jackler of the Stanford University Medical School, examines the advertising in which, between the late 1920s and the early 1950s, tobacco companies used deceptive and often patently false claims in an effort to reassure the public of the safety of their products. |