The Eternal Fight (United Nations Film Board, 1948)

his film introduces the work of the newly formed World Health Organization and emphasizes the international nature of epidemic disease, which is easily spread through air and sea travel. Important discoveries about the science of disease transmission are discussed, and the film ends with a dramatic look at how the WHO and its member nations came together to help Egypt quickly quash an epidemic that threatened the health of its population in the 1940s.

You and Mr. Rat (US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare and WRC-TV, 1972)

This film, made for broadcast on WRC Television, contains a dramatized vignette showing a city rodent control coordinator at his work. There is also a panel discussion by representatives of the Environmental Control Administration, Public Health Service about a special rodent control program. Shots include evidence of rat inhabitation, poor refuse storage, and rat-killing methods like anticoagulants and baits.

The Road to Health and Happiness [Silent] (R. David Bennett Hill, 1937)

This silent film advocates leading a healthy, productive life and recommends particular rules to make this so. These include: good mental habits, a contented mind, proper reading and entertainment, Sunday school, and church. Bodily cleanliness, fresh air, sleep, and exercise are advised. Girls are seen playing tennis, roller skating, and swimming. Good posture is advised and demonstrated by girls in bathing suits. The need for sunlight is stressed. Children are advised to cross streets carefully and respect policemen. The duties of the local health department are outlined as well.

Individualization of Primary Surgical Therapy for Breast Cancer (USPHS, 1969)

Jerome A. Urban, M.D. lectures, using diagrams, graphs, and photographs. Three surgical approaches to breast neoplasms are discussed: modified radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, and extensive radical mastectomy. Modified radical is indicated when: tumor is in situ and confined to the breast, tumor is low-grade, non-aggressive. Photographs shown of Paget's disease, nipple lesions, eczema of nipple with crusting. Radiation therapy should follow surgery. Modified radicallooks better and allows better function than the radical or extensive radical.

Public Health in New York State (NY Division of Public Health Education, 1937)

This film shows the New York State Health Department's administrative organization, map of health districts, and work in maternity care, cancer, orthopedics, tuberculosis control, education, including audio-visual work, and sanitation, including areas of milk, drinking water, streams, and swimming pools. Produced by the New York Division of Public Health Education.

Erradicacion (World Health Organization, 1985)

This Spanish-language video describes the history and impact of polio in the Western Hemisphere and attempts to treat and prevent it. The work of scientists Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin is discussed, as well as the Pan American Health Organization’s efforts to eradicate the virus entirely in the Americas.

Miracle in Tonga (USPHS, 1965)

This film tells the story of a group of doctors who went to the South Pacific islands of Tonga to immunize people against smallpox, using an experimental vaccination device. The narrator, one of the doctors, gives a brief history of Tonga, explaining that the small population is peaceful, isolated, and has no history of smallpox. He then explains the new jet injection gun, operated by foot pedal, which is much cheaper and more efficient than standard vaccination methods.

It's Up to You: Dengue - Yellow Fever Control (USPHS, 1945)

This film depicts a representative community campaign to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in order to prevent dengue and yellow fever. Shots include: breeding pond for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, other breeding places (water-holding containers), Aedes aegypti on a man's hand, Aedes aegypti larvae in water, emptying water from containers, fish in aquarium eating larvae, and publicity media encouraging mosquito eradication and control.

Airborne Transmission of Tubercle Bacilli (USPHS, 1966)

This program illustrates by means of animation and live action the airborne transmission pattern of tubercle bacilli and the study used to verify this pattern. Measures effective for the control of TB infection are also presented. The mechanics involved in the airborne transmission of the tubercle bacilli are traced from the expiration of the bacilli by the tuberculosis patient, through the transmission of these bacilli in drops of mucus, and on to the subsequent inspiration of the nuclei, which are smaller than five microns in diameter, by a susceptible person.

Mission, Measles: The Story of a Vaccine (Merck Sharpe and Dohme and USPHS, 1964)

This film illustrates the isolation, creation, and early distribution of the measles vaccine, including the historical background of virology. Included are death rates due to measles; laboratories, scientists, and physicians responsible for the vaccine's creation; testing and distribution; and details on how the virus was isolated, weakened, and tested on monkeys and 15,000 people in the U.S. It was then administered to 70,000 citizens of Upper Volta by medical staff from the U.S. Public Health Service, the World Health Organization, and U.S.

This Is TB (USPHS, 1946)

This film describes tuberculosis, explains its causes, how it's spread, detected, and cured, with an emphasis on how to avoid contraction. Produced by the United States Public Health Service. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8700778A Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collections/films

Emmy Immunity [Seven PSAs] (South Carolina State Board of Health, 1964)

These seven animated public service announcements feature "four dangerous characters"—ill-intentioned green figures representing four infectious diseases: diptheria, polio, lockjaw, and whooping cough.They search for susceptible individuals to infect, but are thwarted by the protection afforded their intended victims by immunization. Emmy Immunity is a pigtailed little girl who, at the end of each segment, emphasizes the importance of vaccinations. Produced by the South Carolina State Board of Health.

Don't Leave it All to the Experts (USPHS, 1969)

This U.S. Public Health Service film is aimed at the general public and discusses the need for citizen involvement in implementation of the Federal Clean Air Act of 1967. The message is narrated over shots of such major air pollution problem areas as traffic-clogged cities and smoke-stack industrial centers, as well a community meeting of citizens and "government experts." Citizens are urged to take an active part in the setting and carrying out of the standards for reduction of air pollution. There are also shots of patients hospitalized with respiratory problems.

Sources of Air Pollution (USPHS, 1962)

Shows the principal sources of air pollution--factories belching smoke, industrial waste dumped in rivers, and auto emissions. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101640831 Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collections/films

Diet and Atherosclerotic Disease (US Public Health Service, 1969)

Dr. David Miller, Heart Disease & Stroke Control Program, Atlanta, Georgia moderates this debate where Dr. Jeremiah Stamler, Chicago Health Research Foundation, presents statistical data to implicate the relevance of diet in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic disease, and argues that alteration of the American dietary pattern is essential if we are to reverse our atherosclerotic epidemic. On the other side of the debate, Dr. Mark D.