Angry Boy (National Association for Mental Health, 1951)

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.

Midsummer's Nightmare (USPHS and American Red Cross, 1961)

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.

Girl to Woman (Churchill Films, 1962)

Designed for adolescent girls, this educational film focuses on the developments that take place as a young girl matures into adulthood. It discusses changes in growth rate, development of body hair, development of acne, and the maturing of the female reproductive system, including menstruation. The changing male reproductive system is also discussed briefly.

Observations Concerning the Phenomenology of Early Oral Behavior (Menninger Foundation, 1951)

This film provides descriptive documentation of variations in oral behavior in infants under 24 weeks of age. Infants are shown at different stages, moving their arms and legs, placing fingers, toes, and other objects in their mouths, licking items, grabbing a ring suspended above them, and biting a sterling silver cup. Behavior prior to feeding and after feeding is shown, with variations in infant response.

Congenital Deafness (Melvin W. LaRue Inc., 1958)

The development of the auditory apparatus in the fetus is illustrated in labeled drawings. Congenital nerve deafness is due to arrested development of the otocyst during the second and third fetal months or to prenatal degeneration of the organ of Corti. Charts show hearing loss and deafness in babies born to mothers who had rubella during the third month of pregnancy. Congenital nerve deafness cannot be corrected medically or surgically.

Childhood Cancer: Current Outlook (USPHS; American Radium Society, 1969)

This film was created as a professional educational extension of the American Radium Society on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The film stresses the need for multiple disciplines to work together to treat childhood cancer. The three disciplines represented on this panel discussion were: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Three childhood cancer cases were discussed: a 9-month old with a tumor on the right kidney, a 7-month old with a tumor in the left groin, and a 10-year-old boy with a tumor on the arm.

Preface to a Life (U.S. Public Health Service, 1950)

This film stars a young boy named Michael Thompson, who begins as a healthy baby. As he ages, the narrator explains the many people and places in his life that will be influential. He introduces the parents, and explains that they have two very different dreams for Michael - his mother wants him to stay young and needy forever, and his father wants him to grow up and become a better, more accomplished man than himself. When Michael is a toddler, he wakes up in the night afraid, and the narrator wonders if Michael's mother will baby him or if his father will scold him for being afraid.

Homefires (US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1963)

This film profiles a Homemaker Service that provides assistance to families and individuals in their own homes. The camera follows one homemaker as she cares for the families assigned to her. She is shown as she shops, prepares meals, and does light housework for an elderly couple who would otherwise be unable to live on their own. The homemaker works under the supervision of a public health nurse. When a Puerto Rican mother of six is injured, the homemaker looks after the children and helps with the housework as the mother recuperates.

Family Planning? (National Education & Information Films Ltd, Bombay, India, 1952)

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.

The City: Implications for the Future (Airlie Productions, 1977)

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.

Infections and Birth Defects (NIH, 1966)

Profiles a National Institutes of Health study of infectious diseases that can cause abnormal pregnancy outcomes in women. Outcomes include stillbirth, abortion, and birth defects. Fifty thousand pregnant women and their infants participated in the Collaborative Perinatal Research Project, a joint effort of several institutes at NIH. Blood is drawn regularly from mother and child and tested. The laboratory procedures and other workflows are shown and described in some detail.

Challenge for Habilitation: The Child with Congenital Rubella Syndrome (Texas Children's Hosp, 1977)

This film documents the rubella study group and nursery in the child development clinic at Texas Children's Hospital. The study group worked to rehabilitate 150 children with congenital rubella syndrome, a maternal viral infection that can cause hearing impairment, visual impairment, or motor handicaps. During the 1964-1965 epidemic, an estimated 20,000-30,000 children were born with congenital rubella syndrome.

Mother-Infant Interaction (New York University, 1967)

This is the first installment in a series about the behavioral and emotional interaction between mothers and infants in the first year of life. In a study of these relationships, more than 100 mother-infant pairs were observed clinically, and the feeding of each infant by the mother was filmed at intervals during the year. Seven types of maternal behavior with infants are shown. The narrator observes that a mother's handling of her infant during feeding is linked to the child's later behavior and personality.

Fears of Children (National Association for Mental Health, 1952)

A series of episodes typical of those arising in families with small children shows how the fears of a normal five-year-old named Paul are related to feelings about parents. His fears--of the dark, of being alone, of new situations--not only prevent him from enjoying experiences that other boys enjoy, but tend to widen the gap of misunderstanding between him and his parents. The film points out that Paul's feelings are common to children of his age and may be accentuated when parents become either unduly protective or over-severe. Sponsored by the U.S.