Public Health and USPHS by The National Library of Medicine

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dental Care for the Chronically Ill and Aged (USPHS, 1965)

This film details how dentists can serve people who are elderly, ill, and/or homebound. A dentist and his assistant are shown making home visits and providing care using portable equipment to people who appear to be confined to bed. Dental staff demonstrate how to adapt an office setting and procedures to meet the needs of a person in a wheelchair or who otherwise may need special attention, such as someone with diabetes. The process of making dentures for a homebound person is shown, with every step carried out at the patient's bedside.