Coughs and Sneezes

One of Richard Massingham’s most famous public information films, which lead to the ubiquitous mantra: "Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases".

One of Richard Massingham’s most famous public information films, which lead to the ubiquitous mantra: "Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases". The film is bookended by two cruelly humorous sequences, as we witness a series of cartoonish pranks played upon anonymous wretches, and Massingham’s comeuppance as he’s punished with a dose of pepper and the mother of all sneezing fits.

A selection of over 20 films from one of British cinema’s most fascinating and enduring eccentrics is available on BFI DVD: How To Be Eccentric: The Selected Films of Richard Massingham. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.