In this 1931 ad, an ear, nose and throat
doctor holding a "germ-proof" pack of Camel cigarettes attests to the
brand's ability to filter the "peppery dust . . . that makes you cough."
In 1962 the Royal
College of Physicians in England issued the first major report warning of
smoking's dangers. Two years later, the U.S. Surgeon General issued its own
report on health risks from smoking. It led to Congress passing a law requiring
warning labels on tobacco products (which President Johnson signed on July 27,
1965) and, eventually, imposing tighter restrictions on cigarette advertising in print and broadcasting.
But before those
restrictive laws took effect, cigarette manufacturers' ads blew smoke about the
health hazards. Some even featured doctors selling the medicinal effects of
smoking.
Explore our
gallery of ads, from the collection of Stanford School of Medicine.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan