Look Who it Was Random video

Drugs Against Cancer (NET Science, 1968)

4,915 views · Published 29 June 2015 · 57:39 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: National Library of Medicine · 2015 · Education

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In this film made for National Educational Television and Radio Center (NET), the search for anti-cancer properties in plants and animals is outlined. Workers are shown gathering plants and starfish, processing this material, and running studies on mice, rats, and monkeys to determine whether or not the extracted compound is efficacious in reducing tumor size or remitting leukemia. If the compound proves to be efficacious, it is analyzed to try to determine the active agent. Attempts are made to synthesize new cancer agents. Cooperation and sharing of information among researchers and clinicians is stressed. The importance of bone marrow studies is emphasized and the taking, preparing, and studying of bone marrow are shown. Blood studies are discussed and illustrated. The special handling required by infection-prone cancer patients is outlined and shown. Balancing dosage against toxicity is discussed, as are leukemia in children, and Hodgkins disease. Cancer researchers' work on the disease at the cellular level is detailed as footage of scientists working in their laboratories is shown. Graphs are used to illustrate some aspects of their work. Drug testing on mice is presented with illustrative footage. Extensive footage of research laboratory activity is shown as the text is narrated. Shots include: physicians and patients discussing the disease, treatment, and prognosis; exterior of the National Cancer Institute and the Clinical Center of NIH; a scientist building model molecules; a clinical conference; an isolation bubble for cancer patients; continuous flow blood cell separator; physicians examining and treating patients; cinemicrographs of normal and cancerous cells, and of cancerous cells as drugs are introduced.

Produced by the NET Science and the National Cancer Institute.

Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8800777A.

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

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