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United States National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

Films and Videos

NLM historical films and videos are administered by the Historical Audiovisuals Program.

  • About the Historical Audiovisuals Program

    The Historical Audiovisuals Program collects, preserves, and makes available to researchers and the public moving images and sound which document the history of medicine, biomedical science, health and disease in all time periods and cultures. Administered by the NLM History of Medicine Division (HMD), the program promotes and conducts scholarly research and public education through popular and scholarly programs of seminars, lectures, exhibitions, film programs, publications, and online catalogs and subject guides.

    • Films and videos collection

      The NLM films and videos collection is a principal repository for biomedical images in the U.S. The HMD collection includes more than 4,300 films and video recordings dating from 1900 to the present. More than 500 titles date from before 1950. The collection includes instructional films, public health documentaries, commercial films with medical themes, public service announcements, histories of medicine on film, recordings of public lectures and ceremonies, and documentary footage of biomedical research.

      The collection is particularly strong in the following areas:

      • Mental health
      • Drug abuse prevention
      • Sexually transmitted diseases
      • U.S. Public Health Service films
      • History of clinical dentistry

    • Selected films of interest

      The Sarnoff Collection (1918-1948) consists of early films of patient education, anatomy studies, and surgery. Of interest is The Respiratory System (1918). Call no. WF 100 MP35 no.1 1918

      The Petrolagar films (1928-1930) show footage of early surgery. Ivan Pavlov and Chauncey Leake appear in the film of the 13th International Conference of Physiology (1929). Call no. WZ 112.P5 MP16 no.1 1929

      Root Technic shows a root canal procedure shot with a hand-cranked camera through a magnifying glass (1917). Call no. WU 230 VC no.40 1917

      Combined Right Herniotomy and Appendectomy under Cocaine shows the use of cocaine as anesthesia (1917). Call no. QV 113 MP35 no.1 1917

      Atomic Medical Cases documents the effects of the atom bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1949). Call no. WN 610 MP16 no.2 1949

      Forgotten Frontier shows footage of traveling nurses in the Appalachian Mountains (1931). Call no. WY 100 VC no.85 1931

      The American Dental Associations collection of approximately 400 films represents a significant compilation of the history of clinical dentistry. One example is Classroom Talks by Dental Supervisor (1910). Call no. WU 113 VC no.28 1910

      While most of the films are in English, important parts of the collection are in German, Russian, French, and Spanish. One example is Herr Professor Doktor Jakob Erdheim (1933). Call no. QZ 35 MP16 no.1 1933

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  • Guides to the Historical Audiovisuals Collection

    Download pdf version of the guides here. Request hard copies from History of Medicine Reference desk at 301-402-8878 or via e-mail at hmdref@mail.nlm.nih.gov. Specify the title you want, provide your name and address, and the guide will be mailed to you.

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  • Other Sources for Historical Films

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  • How to Search Films and Videos

    Search for films, videos, and audio recordings in the Library catalog (LocatorPlus).

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  • How to Access and Use Films and Videos

    • View films and videos in the Library

      Request films and videos through the Library Catalog (LocatorPlus).  Films and videos can be viewed in the History of Medicine Reading Room, which is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M.-5:00 P.M., except on federal holidays. 

    • Borrow films and videos

      Service copies of films and videos may be borrowed through interlibrary loan.  For more information see Interlibrary Loan Fact Sheet.

    • Purchase copies of films and videos

      Films and videos may be duplicated if they are determined to be in the public domain, or if written permission from the copyright holder has been received by the Historical Audiovisuals Collection Manager.

      For more information, see Historical Films and Videos Duplication: Information and Vendor List (pdf) and the five steps listed below.

      Before a film or video can be copied, the patron completes the following steps:

      1. Resolve copyright status
        If the film or video is not in the public domain, obtain written permission from the copyright holder. The copyright holder is often named on the LocatorPlus records. See also Historical Collections Copyright Information.

      2. Choose vendor
        Choose one of the Library’s approved vendors.  Arrangements are in place at each of the companies for hand-carrying our films. Courier costs are charged to the patron. The film company will tell you the cost of conversion and the length of time it will take to complete the job. The Library does not charge patrons a service fee for copying. 

      3. Complete forms
        After arrangements with the vendor are complete, fill out the Historical Films and Videos Duplication: User Agreement (pdf) and Restriction Notice (pdf). Complete and return one set of forms for each film to the Collection Manager by mail or in person. The forms cannot be faxed, as faxed signatures are not necessarily legal and binding. 

      4. Confirm arrangements
        Once the Collection Manager receives the forms, she will contact the patron to confirm arrangements. The collection manager will prepare the manifest and deliver the films to the Preservation and Collection Management Section. The Preservation and Collection Management Section will pack the films for shipment, call the vendor, and arrange for the films to be picked up. After the film has been copied, the vendor will send the copy to the patron and return the original to the Library. If the patron has questions about copying, contact Vic Clunet at 301-402-1345, Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm or via email at clunetv@mail.nlm.nih.gov.

      5. Credit line
        If using the film in a production, please include the phrase Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.

    • Vendors

      Note: The following commercial non-government Web sites are linked for your convenience. The government does not endorse or guarantee the services of these companies.

      The laboratories approved to make film-to-film or film-to-video reproductions of NLM's vintage footage are:

      Bono Film and Video
      3200 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22207
      E-mail: lab@bonofilm.com
      Phone: (703) 243-0800
      Fax: (703) 243-6638

      Colorlab
      5708 Arundel Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852
      E-mail: info@colorlab.com
      Phone: (301) 770-2128
      Fax: (301) 816-0798

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  • Contact Historical Audiovisuals

    Collection Manager
    Nancy Dosch, Ph.D.
    E-mail: doschn@mail.nlm.nih.gov
    Phone: (301) 402-8818
    Fax: (301) 402-0982

    Historical Audiovisuals Collection
    History of Medicine Division, Bldg. 38, Rm. 1E-21
    National Library of Medicine
    8600 Rockville Pike
    Bethesda, MD 20894 

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Last updated: 09 September 2004
First published: 22 April 2004
Permanence level: Permanent: Dynamic Content