Americana :: Health

Cancer - a word that brings terror to any patient told this news by their doctor - is examined in this collection of early films in the discovery and treatment of this dread disease.

A glimpse at psychiatry as it was practiced in the mid 20th century.

Historical Footage of Mental Hospital Conditions and Treatments for Patients

We Heard the Bells, narrated by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order), explores the personal and family experiences of a diverse group of Americans during the influenza pandemic of 1918. History unfolds as survivors of the pandemic tell their stories. Their memories frame the key questions that still drive the search for answers to help us weather the current H1N1 pandemic and future flu pandemics. The pandemic of 1918-1919 occurred in three waves. The first wave occurred when mild influenza erupted in the late spring and summer of 1918. The second wave occurred with an outbreak of severe influenza in the fall of 1918, and the final wave occurred in the spring of 1919.