Health History

5 DVD Box Set

Disc 1: Disability & Handicap Persons Films (1940s - 1950s)

Brief Synopsis of DVD: This DVD collection of historic handicapped and disability themed films has four great historic movies from 1940-1958. With two disabled worker wartime movies, one rare United Fund charity video and one vintage newsreel, this compilation is a great educational tool and contains some of the most poignant forgotten scenes from the history of disability in America.

Title #1: All out for Victory

Production Date: 1943

Running Time: 21 minutes

Brief Description: This WWII wartime production film highlights many of the disabled and handicapped workers at the US domestic factories, with great footage of disabled workers, woman workers and other interesting socio-industrial historic scenes.

Title #2: The Inner City

Production Date: 1958

Running Time: 10 minutes

Brief Description: This heart wrenching United Fund charity film shows handicapped and orphaned children in a very emotional and touching way, including footage of blind children in cages and other affecting images.  This is a great historical look at charitable video in the 1950s.

Title #3: Winning Against Odds

Production Date: 1940s

Running Time: 11 minutes

Brief Description: The Caterpillar factory made this video to show their acceptance of handicapped and disabled workers during WWII.

Title #4: Guide Dogs for the Blind

Production Date: 1950s 

Running Time: 1 minute

Brief Description: A vintage newsreel of seeing-eye dogs and disability training in 1950s California.

Disc 2: Insomnia & Sleeping Disorders Films (1945 - 1950)

Brief Synopsis of DVD:  "Dreams don't make much sense do they?"  The Sleep and Insomnia films collection is a rare glimpse into the past when sleeping disorders were becoming acknowledged as a widespread problem.  Research and science have explained lots about sleeping and dreaming since the 50's, but these fascinating film attempted to explain how to get good sleep, what dreams are, and how to cure insomnia, with the limited research that was available at the time.  Temperature of the room and sheets, relaxation, softness of mattresses, and lighting are all focus points to good sleep. 

Title #1: Sleep For Health

Production Date: 1950

Running Time: 10 minutes

Brief Description:  Dreamy film about how good sleeping habits should begin at home when children are young because good sleep is vital to a happy lifestyle.  No details are left out in this film that even discusses how the right sheets and mattresses should feel.

Title #2: Insomnia

Production Date: 1945

Running Time: 19 minutes

Brief Description: Features an old Donald Duck cartoon, but mainly follows around a young mechanic who fears he may die from insomnia.  Strange film claims relaxing will and releasing tension will solve sleeping disorder.

Title #3: Rest And Health

Production Date: 1949

Running Time: 10 minutes

Brief Description:  John eats right, is in great shape, doesn't drink coffee, alcohol or smoke, so why is he feeling so down all the time?  Yes, that's right.....he cant get any good sleep.

Disc 3: Asbestos Films

Brief Synopsis of DVD: Two (2) classic asbestos siding films from the 50's and 60's.  Great footage of new home construction from the post WWII era housing boom. 

Title #1:Parade Of Homes

Production Date: 1965

Running Time: 19 minutes

Brief Description: Parade of homes from Birmingham, Alabama that includes homes made with asbestos.  

Title #2:According To Plan

Production Date: 1952

Running Time: 18 minutes

Brief Description: Classic sales film that promotes asbestos cement siding for homeowners. 

Title #3: Asbestos Suit

Production Date: 1956

Running Time: 1 minutes

Brief Description:  Newsreel footage of a new fire suit made from asbestos. 

Disc 4: Pregnancy & Childbirth Films (1950s - 1960s)

Brief Synopsis of DVD: Delve into the pleasures and the pains of pregnancy with rare childbirth films hailing from the Baby Boom era. This highly informative collection of (3) historical childbirth films features invaluable instruction for successfully giving birth in both normal and unusual delivery situations. The combination of profoundly powerful images and significant sociocultural subtext contribute to the compilation's broad educational appeal.

Title #1: Dream Hospital

Production Date: 1953

Running Time: 1 minute

Brief Description:  This newsreel may invoke nostalgia for the dawn of innovative modern design when giving birth at the "revolutionary hospital of the future" included  amenities such as bedside baby drawers, futuristic ashtrays, and an outdoor pool.  Features footage of the founders of Kaiser Permanente and the cutting edge medical technologies of the 1950's.

Title #2: Labor and Childbirth

Production Date: 1950

Running Time: 16 minutes

Brief Description: Vintage childbirth film uses dated diagrams and comical narration to detail what to expect during the three phases of labor. The film was produced at a time when shaving the pubic area and applying makeup before delivery were common procedure.

Title #3: Sudden Birth

Production Date: 1963

Running Time: 22 minutes

Brief Description: Extremely entertaining and highly educational for its blend of bad acting and graphic depictions of a real child birth, Sudden Birth is a must see for anyone with an appreciation for rare moments caught on film. The vintage film features useful tips for delivering a baby in the backseat of a car, and may also serve as an effective means for birth control.

Disc 5: Pharmacist & Pharmacy Film (1946)

Brief Synopsis of DVD: This DVD features a vintage vocational film thats all about what its like to become a pharmacist. This movie was digitized and converted to DVD format from 16mm film…you cant find this special product anywhere else!

Title #1: Pharmacist, The 

Production Date: 1946

Running Time: 9 minutes

Brief Description: This movie shows the ins and outs of a career as a pharmacist, including footage of training, pharmacy work life and everyday job tasks.  The film was part of the Your Life Work Series presented by Vocational Guidance and was written by Arthur P. Twogood, Professor Vocational Education, Iowa State College.