Military by The National Library of Medicine

Medical Service of the Finnish Armed Forces in the Winter: Paper in the Care of Casualties (1948)

his film is an English language version of a captured German film that describes the uses of paper products by the Finnish armed forces in protecting their wounded from freezing during initial treatment and evacuation. Paper proved to be good protection against wind and cold, it was inexpensive, fairly strong, and it could be used repeatedly. The film consists of footage of troops dressed in white cold-weather gear fighting in snow-covered terrain and of corpsmen caring for the wounded and demonstrating the uses of paper products.

Vulnerability to Covert Attack (U.S. Army Chemical Corps, 1959)

This film describes the vulnerability of population centers to covert biological warfare, identifying ways in which nerve gas or other agents could be unleashed on a populated area. The physiological effects of nerve gas and psychochemicals such as LSD on animals and humans are shown, with extensive footage of live animal experiments using rabbits, cats, and goats in open areas (a trench) and closed vehicles (a tank). Soldiers are shown attempting to march in formation before and after ingesting LSD.

DDT, Weapon Against Disease (US Army, 1945)

The discovery of D.D.T. during World War II, its effectiveness against lice, mosquitoes, and flies; tests made on its effectiveness; and examples of the good results it has shown in controlling military and civilian epidemics are presented. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9502511.

Use Your Head (US Navy, 1945)

In animated humorous cartoon, the enlisted man is instructed to use only designated areas for urination and defecation. The dangers of dysentery and fly-borne disease are outlined. The locale is the Asian jungle; the enemy is Japan. Film is aimed at marines in jungle camps. Produced by Hugh Harman Productions for the United States Navy. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9419629.

The Army Nurse (United States War Office, 1945)

Released in the closing months of the Second World War, this film explores the work of the army nurse in part from the perspective of a wounded soldier. Intended to be shown to a variety of audiences including servicemen, nurses, and potential recruits to nursing, it has a reassuring message about the skill and effectiveness of the army nursing service. It also comforts its audiences with a story about the therapeutic uses of femininity. The film opens with a soldier wounded in action. Coming out of delirium, the first person he sees is a female army nurse, who smiles and winks at him.

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.

Die englische Krankheit (Third Reich and UFA, 1941)

To toggle captions between German and English, select Settings button to the right of the “CC” symbol (place cursor in the movie frame itself, lower right). In Subtitles/CC box, change preferred language by clicking on the arrow. Captions: Leonhard Link. Made during World War II by the German Ministry of Health in collaboration with UFA, Germany's largest movie studio, this short film combines Nazi propaganda with a discussion of the symptoms, treatment, and prevention of rickets in infants and young children.

Evening Care (US Navy/US Army, 1943)

Part of the U.S. military's "Care of the Sick and Injured" series, this film offers instructions for Navy medical corpsmen on how to provide evening care to their fellow sailors recovering in the sick bay of a ship. Narration takes place over footage of corpsmen doing the following: washing patients, giving a back rub, checking for pressure sores, tidying beds, giving individual care, and completing records.

Practical Rat Control: Rat Killing (US Army, 1950)

This film details several methods of killing domestic rats, including various types of poison mixed into foods rats like, cleaning and repairing premises to discourage rat habitation, metal traps, and the elimination of rat harborages. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9423674.