When “More Doctors Smoked Camels”
Medical Claims in Cigarette Advertisements, 1888-1988
“When ‘More Doctors Smoked Camels’: Medical Claims in Cigarette Advertisements, 1888-1988,” curated by Alan Blum, MD, was on view at the Jones Library [now the Texas Medical Center Library], Houston, Texas from November 1988 to February 1989.
The exhibition takes its name from an RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company advertising campaign in newspapers and on radio from the late-1940s to the early-1950s: “More Doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.”
The advertisements in this exhibition were selected from more than 1000 magazine and medical journals collected by Dr. and Mrs. (Doris) Blum beginning in the late-1970s during his residency in family medicine at the University of Miami. Each advertisement reflects the irony of promoting cigarettes by using an appeal to health.
In 1992 part of the exhibition was incorporated into a documentary by Dr. Blum and Eric Solberg, “Medicine vs. Madison Avenue: Fighting Smoke with Fire” https://csts.ua.edu/multimedia/csts-videos/medicine-vs-madison-avenue/, which received a top award at the 1994 International Medical Film Festival. In 2001, the exhibition was revived at the Reynolds Historical Library of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, and has been seen at other medical schools, conferences, and libraries.
“‘When More Doctors Smoked Camels’–An Exhibit on Cigarette Advertising, 1888-1988”
Article by Margaret Irwin in the newsletter of the Houston Academy of Medicine/ Texas Medical Center Library
January 1989
Exhibition Key for “When ‘More Doctors Smoked Camels’: Medical Claims in Cigarette Advertisements, 1888-1988” (6 pages)
Houston Academy of Medicine/Texas Medical Center Library
November 1988-March 1989
“‘When more doctors smoked Camels’: Anti-smoking group looks at early cigaret ads” (3 pages)
Review by Steve Carroll
American Medical News (published by the American Medical Association)
June 23/30, 1989
Reviews of the updated version of the exhibition at the Reynolds Historical Library, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2001 (4 pages)
“Cigarette ad exhibit tracks health claims, endorsements”
Review by Dave Parks
The Birmingham News
December 7, 2001
“Ads laud When more doctors smoked Camels“
Review by Bob Shepard
UAB Reporter (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
December 17, 2001
“Smoking’s stained history on show: Exhibit recaps a century of cigarette ads where even doctors indulged”
Review by Linda Long
The Huntsville Times
January 29, 2002
“When ‘More doctors smoked Camels’: Cigarette advertising in the New York State Journal of Medicine” (7 pages)
Article by Alan Blum, MD; Research assistant: Jessica Rosenberg
New York State Journal of Medicine
December 1983
“Classics in Social Medicine” (Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first two theme issues on smoking in an American medical journal) (17 pages)
Social Medicine, Volume 5, Number 2, 2010
Edited by Matthew R. Anderson, MD
Three articles by Alan Blum, MD:
“Smoking and the New York State Journal of Medicine: A brief introduction”
“Cigarette smoking and its promotion: editorials are not enough” (reprinted from the New York State Journal of Medicine, December 1983)
“When ‘More doctors smoked Camels’: Cigarette advertising in the New York State Journal of Medicine“ (reprinted from the New York State Journal of Medicine, December 1983)