Heredity (Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, 1939)

The mode of transmission of hereditary materials which are responsible for the inherited characteristics of all plants and animals is presented. Live action and animation are used to demonstrate what happens when the egg and sperm of red-coated and white-coated cattle meet to form the zygote and when mitosis occurs. Over animation superimposed on live shots of the resulting roan calf, the narrator explains how both sets of genes influence the color of this animal.

One of Sixteen Million (Arthritis Foundation, 1968)

This cartoon features a main character named George who finds himself feeling old, achy, and exhausted. He falls down, drops things often, and is unable to keep up with his family. George's wife suggests that he see a doctor, and he reluctantly goes. He is diagnosed with arthritis. The doctor uses scientific terminology that George cannot understand, and he feels defeated by the situation. His friends suggest a number of possible remedies for his arthritis, none of which sound promising to George. His condition worsens, and he again grudgingly visits the doctor.

First Aid for Non-Battle Injuries (US Army, 1943)

In this film, the elementary principles of first aid for soldiers in the field are presented. The emphasis is on what the soldier should do before medical help arrives. He is shown how to put everyday objects and personal items to good use in emergency situations. The film is narrated over footage of soldiers in the field.

Emphysema (University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959)

This film begins by introducing a man named Mr. Mack. The camera follows Mr. Mack, a patient with severe emphysema, as he struggles to walk up the stairs to his doctor's office due to shortness of breath. The narrator gives a very bleak description of Mr. Mack, explaining that he has experienced many different respiratory diseases in his lifetime which have made him feel useless and embarrassed. He cannot do most simple everyday tasks, and therefore suffers depression.

The Battle to Breathe (Independent Life & Accident Insurance Co., 1968)

This film features three elderly men, Bill, a former soldier, Frank, a former construction worker, and Harry, a former farmer, all of whom now have emphysema. An interviewer visits each man to ask about his experiences with and thoughts about the disease, starting with Bill. Bill's wife laments that he has grown very weak and can now do nothing recreational except read and weave. He is a schoolteacher, but he spends almost all of his free time in bed. Bill admits that he feels judged by people in public and is embarrassed about his condition.

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.

Cancer Among Veterans: Early Diagnosis (U.S. Veterans Administration, 1946)

This film describes cancers of the mouth, lip, throat, neck, eye, nose, and skin in both early and advanced, severe stages. It discusses the need for early diagnosis and treatment, probable causes of such cancers, the need for research, and the modern facilities available at the Veterans Hospital in Hines, Illinois. Produced by the U.S. Veterans Administration.

Cancer: The Problem of Early Diagnosis (NCI and American Cancer Society, 1949)

This film is an overview of the five most deadly forms of cancer and emphasizes the need for early detection. It shows the symptoms, maturation, examination, and effective treatment including the surgery for breast, cervix, stomach, rectum, and lung cancers. It gives statistics and mortality rates for each type. It also includes a dramatization of the 1881 first stomach cancer operation performed by Dr. Billroth in Vienna, Austria. Film says simple mastectomies have no place in cancer operations. Produced by the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute.

Massage (American Physiotherapy Association and Council on Physical Therapy of the AMA, 1938)

This film demonstrates the technique of massage. It shows deep and superficial stroking, kneading, and friction, and describes areas of the body and circumstances where each type is needed. It demonstrates all techniques on the patient's arm, hand, and shoulder.

Multiple Sclerosis (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 1967)

Oriented toward the practitioner and the student, this program discusses the etiology, diagnosis, clinical courses, and management of multiple sclerosis. The program achieves its objective primarily through the use of five case studies of individuals with multiple sclerosis to show the clinical course and symptoms associated with the disorder. Three of the case studies, a twenty-three-year-old female, and a forty-three and forty-one-year-old male, represent an episodic disseminated type of multiple sclerosis.

The Human Brain: A Dynamic View... (Robert B. Livingston and Univ of California, 1975)

Using a technique called cinemorphology, this presentation illustrates the organic structure of the human brain. In the process, a brain is first embedded in plastic. Then the plastic block is placed on a giant microtome which slices off sections as thin as 25 microns. After each slice, a motion picture camera automatically photographs the newly exposed brain surfaces remaining in the plastic block and, when these sections are shown in sequence, a dynamic picture of the brain structures results.

Malignant Tumors of the Lungs (Assn of American Medical Colleges, 1953)

This film shows, by means of cinefluorography, the normal lungs, bronchiogenic carcinoma, carcinoma with abscess formation, metastases of seminoma, and metastases of sarcoma with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8700985A(link is external). Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collections/films(link is external)

Surgical Correction of Dissecting Aneurysm of Ascending Aorta... (Baylor College of Medicine, 1963)

This program presents a case of a thirty year old man with Marfan's syndrome to illustrate the surgical procedure for correcting a dissecting aneurysm of the ascending aorta with aortic valvular insufficiency. The patient's preoperative physical findings and aortograms which indicate the need for this surgery are presented. In this instance the entire ascending portion of the aorta is involved. The transverse and descending aorta are not considered unusual.

Decompression Sickness Project (Edmund Newton Harvery, 1944)

This film shows experiments conducted during World War II on behalf of the National Research Council to better understand decompression sickness. Dr. Edmund Newton Harvey was best known for his research on bioluminescence, but he also conducted applied research in areas such as wound ballistics and aviation physiology. In these experiments, Harvey explores the phenomenon of bubble formation in blood and tissue.