Mission, Measles: The Story of a Vaccine (Merck Sharpe and Dohme and USPHS, 1964)

This film illustrates the isolation, creation, and early distribution of the measles vaccine, including the historical background of virology. Included are death rates due to measles; laboratories, scientists, and physicians responsible for the vaccine's creation; testing and distribution; and details on how the virus was isolated, weakened, and tested on monkeys and 15,000 people in the U.S. It was then administered to 70,000 citizens of Upper Volta by medical staff from the U.S. Public Health Service, the World Health Organization, and U.S. Armed Forces, and finally licensed in the U.S. Also included are detailed shots of how the vaccine is made from chick embryos which are minced, washed, chemically broken down to cells, filtered, kept alive for three weeks with nutrients, and then frozen. Philadelphia Children's Hosp. interior and Boston Children's Hosp. exterior and exterior of Merck, Sharp, and Dohme bldg., West Point, Pa. are shown. Donated piece is 5th release print from A and B roll. Film shot at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and Boston. Some shots are of African villages. Produced by Merck Sharpe and Dohme and the United States Public Health Service. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8901910A Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collectio...