Lucky Strike bought physician endorsements of smoking with free cigarette cartons

Evidence

The American Tobacco Company sent doctors free cartons of Luckies in exchange for a vague nod that they might be less abrasive than other brands. Whether or not the doctors knew what they were agreeing to, Lord & Thomas went ahead with ads that portrayed them as, in effect, touting the health benefits of smoking Lucky Strikes. One advertisement features a doctor in a white coat holding up a packet, with the copy: “20,679 physicians say ‘LUCKIES are less irritating’…Your throat protection.” — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 232

Categorization

• CANDY: A crisp, surprising historical anecdote — doctors paid in cigarettes returning the favor with health claims — easy elevator material.
• QUESTION: How many of the 20,679 doctors actually signed or agreed, and what do the actual consent records look like?
• XREF: connects to: Tobacco companies manufactured physician endorsements without substantive proof — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1249; Tobacco companies advertised smoking as having genuine health and performance benefits — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1639

Broader Connections

• Tobacco companies advertised smoking as having genuine health and performance benefits #expands (0.80) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1639