Monday, December 22, 2008

Good For Coughs

The Stanford School of Medicine has put together a compendium of cigarette company advertisements. These advertisements exist on the border between hilarious and insane; featuring doctors, cartoon characters, nurses, cultural icons, athletes, government officials, priests, men, women, and even babies(!) promoting the use of cigarettes - sometimes for HEALTH BENEFITS! The health benefits include, ironically enough, getting over a cold, and easing a sore throat or cough. There is a section where advertisements of the past are set side by side with more contemporary counterparts.

Give yourself some time and check out the gallery and commentary. I spent about an hour browsing through the different advertisements before hearing Buddy the Elf whisper very loudly to the tobacco companies: "You sit on a throne of lies."

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