'Smokey Sue Smokes for Two', health education doll, England, 1995
Smoking during pregnancy has harmful effects on unborn babies and this health education device uses shock tactics to represent the effects of smoke on a seven-month-old foetus. Smoke from a lighted cigarette in Sue’s mouth is channelled through to the foetus, which is immersed in water to simulate the womb. As Sue ‘smokes’ the cigarette tar and nicotine collect at the water line. ‘Smokey Sue’ was used to educate pregnant women and young people about the dangers of smoking. Effects can include increased risks of miscarriage, cleft palate, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Object number:
1995-1698
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: smoking
A practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco is burned and the smoke inhaled. It is currently practiced by over one billion people worldwide (2008)
Glossary: health education doll
No description.
Glossary: tar
Inflammable blackish viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood or coal. As a constituent of cigarettes, tar is known to have cancer causing properties.
Glossary: nicotine
A chemical compound that forms 0.6-3.0 per cent of the dry weight of tobacco. Nicotine acts as a stimulant in mammals, and is one of the primary reasons for smoking addiction.
Glossary: cleft lip
A condition occurring in the womb where the palate and lip do not fuse completely.
Glossary: SIDS
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected death of an infant of less than two years old. The term is only applied to a death that remains unexplained after post-mortem investigation.