Science

Multiple Screening (Communication Materials Center, 1950)

This film promotes the concept of multiple screening. The narrator first explains that Americans in the 1800s had many health concerns, but modern medicine has alleviated many problems and life expectancy has risen. Still, blood pressure, obesity, heart and kidney problems, tuberculosis, and syphilis are persistent problems. Early detection can fix them. The narrator introduces the concept of multiple screening, in which blood and urine samples, x-rays, and other testing methods can be used to screen for several different diseases rather than just one.

Lung Cancer: Early Diagnosis and Management (American Cancer Society, 1969)

This program discusses the preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic measures indicated for lung cancer. The program notes that pre-cancerous lesions from smoking may be reversible and that periodic chest x-rays should be used as the primary diagnostic tool. Such pathologic conditions as the thickening of the bronchial epithelium basal cells with atypical nuclei are described through microscopic views. Radiographs and drawings of several clinical cases illustrate the inoperability of lesions due to their location.

Penicillin and other Antibiotics Produced by Microorganisms (US Navy, 1943)

This film depicts the preparation and use of penicillin for medical treatment and surgical procedures. A panel of military physicians is shown discussing cases, and patients are shown in hospital beds receiving treatment for open, healing wounds. The administration of intravenous antibiotics is presented.

The Search for Cancer Viruses (NET Science and USPHS, 1966)

This Net Science film begins by introducing a child named Sandra with leukemia and following her as she gets routine blood work done. The narrator then explains that scientists are seeking to prove that a virus is the cause of cancer in humans. Doctors Grace and Stuart are called upon to help explain the present knowledge. The narrator explains that cancer is a disease of the cells, and then gives a brief description of cells, and shows through time-lapse photography how normal cells and cancerous cells reproduce differently under a microscope.

Threshold (Audio Productions, 1969)

This film presents medical research and treatment in the field of anesthesiology. The application of research-based anesthesiology in surgical, respiratory, and intensive care units for the critically ill, and the diagnosis and treatment of persistent pain, are shown and addressed. Physicians discuss how much is still unknown about how anesthesia works, how they prepare patients to participate in research studies, and their inclincation to test certain approaches on themselves before using them on a patient. The challenges of pediatric surgery are mentioned.

Pathological Findings in the Stomach: Fluoroscopic Observations (N. Schenker and R. Janker, 1953)

Cinefluorography shows chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, and carcinoma at the lesser curvature and advanced carcinoma in the upper part of the stomach. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8701015A Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collections/films

Diabetics Unknown (Public Affairs Committee, Inc., 1962)

This film, using the documentary technique, is coupled with a seven-minute discussion about identifying and living with diabetes, featuring national experts on the disease. Several individuals of varying ages and backgrounds who have diabetes discuss their symptoms, discovery of, and life with the chronic illness. The film stresses how many people have diabetes but don't realize it--the "diabetics unknown." It urges an annual physical checkup for everyone, particularly persons in the highest risk categories and those who show possible symptoms.

The P4 Containment Facility for Recombinant DNA Research (NIH, 1977)

This film presents the configuration, equipment, security procedures, and DNA research activities at the P4 Containment Facility lab at the Frederick Cancer Research Center in Frederick, Maryland, where experiments with recombinant DNA are carried out. The interior of the lab is shown, along with an exterior shot of Building 500, marked with a "Biohazard Recombinant DNA" sign. Produced by the National Institutes of Health.

Doctors Talk about Epilepsy (Geigy Pharmaceuticals,1965)

Doctors discuss different types of epilepsy, symptoms and treatment for each, and the importance of tests to diagnose exactly which manifestation a patient has. Most people with epilepsy are treated with medication, but there are varying compounds and dosages depending on the type of disorder, the age and weight of the patient, and many unknown factors that seem to influence the efficacy of any given drug. Some people are not helped by medication and must consider surgery to remove a small portion of the brain where the excess electrical discharges common in epilepsy are centered.

Blood Vessels and their Function [Silent] (J. Sarnoff, Bray Productions, 1925)

The functions of the blood vessels are discussed. A post-mortem specimen of the heart, great vessels, kidneys, uterus, ureters, and adnexa is shown with the heart pulsating. Diagrams with moving arrows illustrate blood flow. Blood flow through the arteries and veins is shown cinemicrographically. Animated graphics illustrate oxygen, carbon dioxide, and cell waste movement. A physician is shown feeling the radial pulse. A male model, nude to the waist and with a pulsating heart photographically superimposed on his chest, has his chest listened to by a physician with a stethoscope.