Diabetes and You, Too (University of Oklahoma, 1960)

This film is designed to familiarize the lay person with the nature, symptoms, and treatment of diabetes. We do not hear the voices of the actors, only the voice of the narrator. A teenage girl feels unusually tired. She sees a physician who diagnoses diabetes. The physician explains the disease and the benefits of insulin therapy to the girl and her mother. The girl is shown at home using a prepared kit to test her urine. A public health nurse shows the girl how to inject insulin properly -- the needle and syringe are sterilized, the syringe is filled and air expelled from it, the injection site on the thigh is swabbed with alcohol, and the girl injects herself. Healthy foods for diabetics are shown. Excessive thirst and excessive urination as symptoms of diabetes are illustrated. The girl is shown resuming normal activity as she becomes stabilized on insulin. Complications of untreated diabetes are outlined. The girl is shown talking to adult diabetics who assure her that she can live a long, normal life as a diabetic if she keeps her disease under control. The girl is shown having, then treating, a mild insulin reaction, filling out her diabetic identification card. Good foot care is advised to prevent gangrene. The girl's overweight mother shows symptoms of diabetes but refuses to take them seriously until her daughter gently bullies her into seeing a physician.

Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8800849A.

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