Holiday Health and Hygiene on Vacation

‘Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Trap them in your handkerchief!’ This slogan from a 1942 British government poster was aimed at reducing absenteeism from serious war work, but it caught on, and encouraged more hygienic habits in the population as a whole. No surprise then, to find it revived to combat the latest threats from various kinds of flu and the norovirus with added instructions about binning tissues, then washing hands thoroughly.

For travellers confined in aircraft cabins, buses, rail carriages and cruise ships, this is particularly good advice. Air-conditioning has many advantages, but one of its problems is that air-borne germs can circulate very quickly. No one wants to be responsible for spreading coughs and sneezes, or any kind of flu, over several continents in the process of one long-haul flight or ‘cruise of a lifetime’.

Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases vs Catch It, Bin It, Kill It

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqJr0WWDzwo]

April 2009 (also see October 2009, and a commentary)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRmpJ_dORXA]

1945

Coughs and Sneezes in the Modern World

Coughs and Sneezes Spread DiseasesCoughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases was of course a classic Second World War phrase, which has continued to be used in government propaganda (or should be say publicity?!) since. Noticed this one on the wall earlier this week, note, no reference to swine flu, which has certainly had extra visitors searching for the phrase!

Framing Film: Conference Abstract: Proposal

Coughs & Sneezes Spread DiseasesConference proposal for “Framing Film” at the University of Winchester.

Working Title: ‘Selling a Healthy War’: propaganda posters and public information films produced by the Ministry of Information during the Second World War. [Read more...]

Bill Pertwee: The Warden Says

I’m currently trying to write my abstract for the “Framing Film” conference at the University of Winchester, and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours this afternoon watching “The Warden Says” introduced by Bill Pertwee (on VHS, how old school.. and now I see they are available on DVD!)… thank goodness such little gems have survived!

I know far more about the posters themselves, but there are a few good examples to use for the abstracts from the 48 mini-films (many only a minute or two, to one mini-film at around 20 minutes!), covering recruitment, careless talk, the blackout, cigarette dangers, careless sneezes cost diseases, food choices, dig for victory, salvage (tin/bones/paper), holiday harvests, save fuel and save water! Many echo the messages used in the posters, whilst others actually feature the posters themselves. That should fit well with the ‘call for papers’ on “Cinema’s relationship with, and even reliance upon, the other visual arts, whether for subject matter, inter-textual promotion or graphic design, is central to our understanding and appreciation of the medium.”

Bill Pertwee “The Warden Says” DVD 1
Bill Pertwee “The Warden Says” DVD 2 

(Originally published on Tuesday 31st March 2009 on blogger)