Infectious Disease by The National Library of Medicine

Handwashing in Patient Care (USPHS, 1961)

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the importance of handwashing in patient care in preventing the transmission of pathogenic organisms from person to person and from place to place. This objective is achieved with the aid of a nurse who demonstrates proper techniques in handwashing under various conditions. In this presentation the principle of medical asepsis is described first and compared to surgical asepsis. This principle involves the mechanical removal of dirt and microorganisms with the use of running water, soaps and related compounds, and friction.

Leprosy in India [Silent] (Albert Victoria Hospital, Calcutta, c1930)

Manifestations of leprosy from beginning to end stages are shown in this silent film. Images are interspersed with title slides in German, informing the viewer that he/she is seeing cases of nerve damage, skin damage, loss of extremities, and other effects of the disease. People are shown receiving injections, washing, and exercising as part of their treatment. Produced by the Albert Victoria Hospital.

Rabies Control in the Community (United States Public Health Service, 1956)

This video describes the symptoms of rabies in dogs and in humans. It relates how rabies can be transmitted from animals, especially dogs, to humans. The video shows how human rabies is treated. It also discusses how rabies can be prevented in a community by getting pets vaccinated, by picking up stray dogs, and through a state wildlife commission's control of the fox population.

A Venereal Disease Rapid Treatment Center (USPHS, 1944)

This film shows the medical treatment, social, recreational, and occupational activities, and rehabilitation of female inhabitants of a venereal disease rapid treatment center. Shots include: venereal disease treatment center for women (former CCC camp), girls arriving at a small county jail, physical exam with vaginal smear, inoculation, interview to determine sexual contacts, intravenous drip treatment, occupational therapy, both physical and mental, recreational activities,and farewell and departure. Produced by the United States Public Health Service and US Department of Agriculture.

Hospital Sepsis (Churchill-Wexler, 1959)

This film explores the problem of hospital sepsis. The narrator first explains that in the 1700s, when many hospitals were built, people knew nothing of the spread and isolation of germs. After the discoveries of Pasteur and Lister, people became much more cognizant of ways to prevent spread of infection, but it is still a problem in hospitals today. The film uses the example of a patient named Mrs. Sarah Allen who has staph infection that results in boils and pimples.

Yellow Fever in the Sudan [Silent] (Telford Work, 1954)

Telford Work made this film during an expedition to the Nuba Mountains in southern Sudan in search of evidence of yellow fever, and to evaluate the possible spread of yellow fever northward. The film shows laboratory equipment being loaded onto a Jeep along with Dr. Mansour, a Sudanese veterinarian and microbiologist in charge of the eradication of the tsetse fly, and Dr. Richard Moreland Taylor, Dr. Work's colleague on the expedition. The film documents the trip.

Easy to Get (US Army Service Forces, 1947)

In story format, over footage of soldiers picking up girls in a drug store and in a night club, the dangers of sexual intercourse with pick-ups and prostitutes are emphasized. The results of untreated gonorrhea and/or syphilis are shown ina man with swollen knees, a man having a heart attack, an infected penis, a bed-ridden older man, and a man whose speech and memory have become defective. Over and over, the narrator urges the viewer to use condoms, visit the pro station, and report to his medical officer immediately if he suspects that he has contracted a venereal disease.

Two Lives (National Tuberculosis Association, 1953)

This film dramatizes the case history of a family man who takes pride in the hard physical labor that is part of his job as a surveyor. Having set aside his college studies to work fulltime and get married, he is unsure what to do when he is diagnosed with tuberculosis, must spend more than a year recovering, and is told by his doctor that he needs to work in a field that is less physically taxing. The doctor helps him see this as an opportunity to complete his college degree in architecture, and use it to launch a new career.

An Outbreak of Salmonella Infection (USPHS, 1954)

This film tells the story of a group of soldiers who became infected with salmonella. First, clips of men getting sick and being taken to a hospital are shown, as the narrator explains that the men were experiencing abdominal pains, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and fever. A doctor then finds salmonella organisms in a stool sample from one of the soldiers, so the narrator explains the importance of looking back to the preparation of dinner to isolate the problem. After checking all of the food, it becomes clear that the chicken and gravy were responsible.