“THE INVADER“ 1954 HISTORY & TREATMENT OF SYPHILIS VENEREAL DISEASE EDUCATIONAL FILM 18934

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website George C. Stoney’s “The Invader” (1954) is a black-and-white education film that traces the history of the disease Syphilis, its effects, attempted cures, the discovery of its scientific diagnosis, early treatments and later Penicillin, and attempts to educate the public. Produced by the Georgia Department of Public Health and distributed by the Center for Mass Communications of Columbia University Press, Alexander Scourby narrates over a montage of various illustrations, paintings, and archives pieced together to tell the story of Syphilis. Opening credits overlaid footage of doctor performing physical exam on male patient (0:08). Close-up organisms as seen under microscope (0:26). Title page, opening credits continue accompanied by dramatic music (0:40). 1453 - 1530: Renaissance-style woodcut illustration of European port city, perhaps Venice, various illustration of work explorers meeting and trading goods (2:08). Renaissance map of Europe (2:38). Illustrated map with sea monster appears out of sea, attacks ship - represents the unknown/ unexplored (2:48). Illustrations, etchings of Renaissance-era explorers’ conquest in New World - subduing indigenous populations, pillaging, returning to Europe with wealth and discovery (3:17). Etchings and illustrations of battles, diseases brought from New World spreading (4:07). Dramatic scenes of battles, early spread of Syphilis; sequence ends on “Discovery of America with portraits of Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus” by Jan van der Straet (4:21). Etching of king addressing royal court (5:28). Astrologers and scholars try to account for origins of the disease, trace early outbreaks (5:45). Clinical medicine reborn for first time since Ancient Greece, physicians learning about disease by studying patients i.e. Girolamo Fracastoro (6:24). Copies of Fracastoro’s Poem on Syphilis, conclusion that disease spread through sexual contact (6:38). Illustrations/ etchings of physicians applying treatments to patients with scabs and open wounds - mercury salves, baths, special tea (7:48). Illustration high society gather at theater, syphilis became topic of shows and source of comedy (9:49). Montage illustrations of scenes of men and women in taverns, drinking, smoking from pipes (10:11). Illustration women thought to be infected rounded up in street (10:32). Sketches of scenes at asylums of victims that had gone insane, perhaps illustration of University Hospitals Pitié Salpêtrière - Charles Foix (10:43). Reverend preaches about how Syphilis is punishment from God to congregation (11:15). Drawings of Victorian society (11:33). Victorian-era newspaper adverts for Syphilis cures (12:07). Dr. Hermann von Zeissl, lecturing to medical students (13:38). Canadian Physician Sir William Osler with a patient (14:20). 19th century Compound Microscope followed by montage of various microscopes from earliest clinical trials through to 19th century (14:50). Syphilis germ as seen under microscope (15:40). Portraits of ​​Fritz Schaudinn and Eric Hoffmann - credited with discovering bacterium that was responsible for Syphilis in 1905 (15:56). August Von Wassermann - developed first successful blood test for diagnosing the disease (16:08). German Paul Ehrlich sits in office conducts research to find arsenic compound to cure disease (16:32). Ehrlich and assistant Sahachiro Hata discover cure - publications celebrating discovery of Salvarsan “Magic Bullet” (17:11). Men undergo treatment at clinic (18:07). Man in Indian headdress preaches to crowd about cure in a bottle “Chief Webb’s Tonic” (19:04). Alexander Fleming experiments with bacterial cultures in a London hospital, discovery of penicillin (19:47). Conference of doctors, public health officials about Syphilis in America in the 1930s (20:43). United States Capitol Building (21:56). Thomas Parran - Surgeon General of the United States (1936-1948), oversaw the notorious Tuskegee syphilis experiment, Guatemala syphilis experiment (22:00). Materials used as part of public health education campaign 1936 (22:02). Syphilis Rapid Treatment Center - male patients receive IV drip of Salvarsan (22:49). Dr. Howard Florey conducts experiments on mice studying penicillin - cure for infection (23:36). Dr. John Mahoney and staff at U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Staten Island do further experiments on animals, test effectiveness of penicillin (24:08). Healthcare workers trained in new techniques, education campaign continues, theaters with films on Syphilis (25:52). Summary (27:24). This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit