Thank You For Not Smoking

Published: Sept. 25, 2023, midnight

The world did NOT wake up to the dangers of smoking on September 25th, 1878, despite the efforts of Dr. Charles R. Drysdale, who had a letter published in The Times warning that smoking is a practice \u201cdeleterious to health and vitality,\u201d noting that a contemporaneous experiment on dogs had led to \u201cpalsy of the hind leg, blindness, deafness, and death.\u201d\n\xa0\nBut early anti-smoking campaigners like Drysdale were fighting a losing battle anyway because they were up against a formidable enemy: technology itself, which every day was making cigarettes cheaper and cheaper to mass produce.\n\xa0\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly look into why Nazi Germany was at the forefront of anti-smoking efforts; explain how Hollywood helped make smoking sexy; and reveal why if any of us did smoke, we would definitely choose Marlboro Lights\u2026\xa0\xa0\n\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Tobacco and the diseases it produces by Charles R. Drysdale\u2019 (Today in Science History, 2001): https://todayinsci.com/D/Drysdale_Charles/DrysdaleCharles-TobaccoLetter%281878%29.htm\xa0\n\u2022 \u2018Sept. 25, 1878: Yes, Smoking Is a Health Hazard\u2019 (Wired, 2008): https://www.wired.com/2008/09/sept-25-1878-yes-smoking-is-a-health-hazard/\xa0\n\u2022 \u2018The UK's first anti-smoking films\u2019 (BFI, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYSNq3Kf074\xa0\n\xa0\nThis episode first premiered in 2022, for members of\xa0\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via\xa0Apple Podcasts\xa0or\xa0Patreon.\xa0Thanks!\n\xa0\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/retrospectors\n\xa0\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices