Science

The psychiatric impact of war on soldiers is addressed, and the U.S. military's approach to helping affected soldiers is described. There are battle scenes, men awaiting evacuation from the front, and a rehabilitation center where the soldiers relax, exercise, and are reconditioned with battle training. Psychiatrists interview the men. A chronic anxiety case is shown, as well as an hysterical amnesia patient. The need for men to actively participate in their own recovery is stressed. At the end, recovered patients are shown at a neuro-psychiatric clearing station.

This is the dramatization of the case history of Margaret, a 23-year-old girl who has physical disorders with no clear cause. A psychiatrist, probing Margaret's past, shows her the root of her troubles--childhood overprotection and discouragement of her efforts to express herself, resulting in a crippling fear of failure and a complete inability to assert herself. When Margaret understands her problem, she begins to handle it, starting new and healthier habits of behavior.

Convulsive shock's usefulness in treating affective disorders is discussed. Metrazol convulsions have been the most popular method, but spinal and extremity fractures made it hazardous until preliminary curare therapy markedly softened the convulsions. A case of manic excitement is shown to illustrate the curare-metrazol therapy. Good results are usually seen after six to eight treatments. A second treatment using quinine methochloride instead of curare is shown. Methoquinine and metrazol may be administered simultaneously. Post-treatment apnea is more prolonged with curare.

The life of the typical teen in the late 1960s is presented, with rebellion and experimentation in clothes, hair, and extracurricular activities discussed, along with peer pressure and the effect it can have on teens. The dangers of drugs, and LSD in particular, are described, with doctors, scientists, and geneticists discussing the possible effects of LSD on the body, including chromosomal damage that can affect future generations. The impact on fetal development in animals given LSD is shown.

This program describes and illustrates steps being taken by the Plymouth State Home and Training School, Northville, Michigan, to bring mentally retarded children out of the wilderness into the mainstream of life. The wilderness is considered the rather bleak institutions in which society has attempted to isolate these children. At the Plymouth State Home and Training School, the children are encouraged to become involved in meaningful goals, not just in passing the time. Their daily activities are carefully structured but not regimented.

The purpose of this presentation is to describe the role of the medical examiner and describe and demonstrate clinical findings which should alert the medical examiner to the possibility that death has resulted from battering. This objective is achieved with the aid of photographs of clinical examples and views of gross specimens. In this presentation Dr. Milton Helpern first discusses the role of the medical examiner investigating the cause of death.

This film examines child psychology through the story of a boy named Tommy Randall who has behavioral issues and has been caught stealing in school. The principal suggests to Tommy's mother, Mrs. Randall, that she send him to counseling. She reluctantly agrees, and she, too, speaks with a social worker about their home life. The counseling sessions are enjoyable and helpful for Tommy. The therapist and social worker suspect that Tommy's mother and his home life are the cause of his troubles. Mrs. Randall's mother lives with the family, and still treats her daughter like a child. Mrs.

This film illustrates how quickly the pleasures of the beach, lake, pool, and water sports can turn dangerous when safety practices are not followed, such as wearing a life jacket, maintaining a close eye on small children, and learning how to swim, preferably when young. The film notes that drowning is second only to auto accidents as a cause of fatal accidents. The film also urges that one never swim alone, nor overestimate stamina. A swimmer can overdo it and become weak.

Focusing on Bogotá, Colombia as a case study, this film discusses reasons for rural-to-urban migration, and the consequences of that population shift. Homes and land are scarcer, and rural farming skills don't suit urban factory jobs. Large families aren't the asset they might be in other settings. The film profiles a successful "community-based distribution" (CBD) program sponsored by Profamilia, which assures easy access to contraceptives, providing an alternative to a large family that may not be the best choice for all households.

The necessity of family planning and population control in India are presented. Children suffer in families that cannot fully support them, and the country as a whole cannot achieve prosperity when jobs, food supplies, medical care, and housing are not plentiful enough for a large and rapidly growing population. The film urges planned parenthood as one element of the solution to healthier children and a healthier nation.