Two promotional videos from the National Jewish archives have been digitized and are available for viewing. These videos are also available for viewing on the library’s patient and visitor resource guide, under the History tab.
“Forty Years of Human Service: The Work of the National Jewish Hospital” (1939)
This promotional video from the archives, narrated by Paul Felix Warburg, National Jewish’s Vice President at the time, showcases National Jewish’s campus, facilities, physicians, researchers, and patients. The hospital’s “thoroughly modern equipment” is highlighted, including an X-ray and fluoroscope for diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
Viewers can see snippets of research conducted under Dr. Harry J. Corper, including the culture of tubercle bacilli on potatoes. The enduring importance of individualized treatment is stressed as the video shows patients receiving special medical treatments, vocational therapy, and tailored care.
Children were admitted from all over the country for treatment and rehabilitation in the Colorado air. Often, parents were unable to fully care for their children’s illness and sent them to National Jewish for residential treatment. This video was part of a campaign for donations so that National Jewish could continue offering care free of charge to all patients.
“The Fight for Health” (c. 1946)
This 1945 promotional video highlights the work of National Jewish to raise $3.5 million for construction of three new buildings on campus. The video shows clinical work, such as the use of an X-ray, fluoroscope, and echocardiograph, as well as surgical procedures.
Research done at this time included sputum testing. This video shows the preparation of samples using a centrifuge, slide stains, and microscopes.
The video emphasizes patient recovery, and rehabilitating long-term patients with vocational skills was a major part of National Jewish’s program. Did you know patients created leather wallets, learned woodworking, and even performed radio shows out of the hospital?
