Emphysema (University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959)

This film begins by introducing a man named Mr. Mack. The camera follows Mr. Mack, a patient with severe emphysema, as he struggles to walk up the stairs to his doctor's office due to shortness of breath. The narrator gives a very bleak description of Mr. Mack, explaining that he has experienced many different respiratory diseases in his lifetime which have made him feel useless and embarrassed. He cannot do most simple everyday tasks, and therefore suffers depression. The film then shows a simple diagram of the lungs that illustrates the actual physical effect of emphysema on the lungs. The narrator mentions that Mr. Mack should stop smoking, and that while researchers are still unsure of the cause of emphysema, they believe that air pollution and smoking are two key contributors to the disease. Although Mr. Mack takes medicine, these drugs can only reduce the pain, not eliminate it. According to the narrator, had Mr. Mack gone to get treatment in its early stages, he likely would not be in such a crippling condition. The film then showed several charts and graphs showing emphysema death rates and its prevalence compared to other common diseases. The film concludes by stating that although emphysema is a bigger problem than tuberculosis, it lacks public recognition, and that the solutions to this problem are an educated public, more research and investigation, and a greater emphasis on screening.

Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101622456.

Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collections/films

Видео Emphysema (University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959) канала The National Library of Medicine