Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Public Health Movie From 1944 - Learning From The Past

This was a public health movie about encoraging soldiers to get treatment for venereal diseases. This was something you did not say out loud in the 1940s. The movie tries to talk about the topic without talking about the topic.



This means no discussion of sex, how you contracted the disease or how to prevent it. Yep, a sex education movie without sex being mentioned once. Now besides the fact that it has Robert Mitchum and Noah Berry at the beginning of the movie, there are other reasons why I am positing this PSA.

I had heard of the Jean Hersholt Awards for years. Had no idea of who the guy was. The actor playing the doctor is Mr. Hersholt himself. This was also the guy who help to build the Screen Actor's Hospital and other humanitarian acts.

The final reason that I wanted to post this movie was that toward the end of this 20 minute movie there is a segment about health care overseas. The film mentions that anyone at any time can go in, get tested and treated without a fuss or a commotion. The rate of disease was far less than the United States at the time.

If I need a sledge hammer to make my point I'll go get one. We've got work to do. We have 50+ years to catch up.

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