Posters Drew Attention To Disease

Washington Dark-haired women of ill repute, shadowy silhouettes and cartoon figures such as a fly in its worn leather shoes and dirty gloves these eye-catching characters populated 20th-century public health posters.

"An Iconography of Contagion," on display at the National Academy of Sciences, showcases more than 20 movie posters from around the world, selected from the National Library of Medicine's permanent collection.

Encouraged by the popularity of TV, radio and graphic advertisements, public health posters were part of the modern "magic bullet," says National Library of Medicine curator Michael Sappol. They were one component of a strategy to combat disease in an era when vaccines and antibiotics were bringing possibilities of cure.

Some posters were more successful than others, Sappol adds, but it's hard to quantify any one's success in changing behavior. The exhibit shows that some played upon the period's cultural stereotypes. For example, women in World War II posters are depicted as the sole carriers of venereal diseases; and one poster issued by the U.S. government associates the Japanese with malaria.

The exhibit runs through Dec. 19 at the National Academy of Sciences here.

September 03, 2008