Bishop Fulton J. Sheen: America's public critic of psychoanalysis, 1947-1957.

This paper examines the role of Bishop Fulton Sheen in the popularization of Freudian psychoanalysis in the United States during the 1940s and 50s. Social historians argue that Freudian ideas were pervasive in American culture during this period. While their claim speaks mainly to the impact of psychoanalysis on the cultural elite and college educated, they also suggest that Freudian ideas affected ordinary men and women. In the former case, the group impacted is small and not representative of the population as a whole; in the latter, the evidence is sparse and impressionistic. Neglected in their consideration is the influence of Fulton Sheen whose opinions on Freud reached an audience of 30,000,000 during the height of the popularity of his TV show, Life is Worth Living. Sheen's audience was more inclusive and representative of mainstream America. The negative and highly cautionary view of psychoanalysis he presented to many Americans was contrary to that which was promoted to and embraced by many of the college educated and likely shaped both their views of Freud and psychoanalytic therapy.

Looking into the Test Tube: The Birth of IVF on British Television.

The birth of Louise Brown, the world's first 'test-tube baby', has come to signify the moment at which technologically assisted human reproduction became a re ality. This was a highly mediated and visible reality, as this article explores through the example of a British television documentary about Louise Brown broadcast when she was just six weeks old, 'To Mrs Brown… A Daughter' (Thames Television, 1978). In the article, I discuss the programme alongside data from an interview with its producer, Peter Williams. Williams sought to convince the public that IVF was morally acceptable and to cultivate sympathy for the infertile through this film. I will consider how he went about this by focusing on the programme's visual presentation of Louise Brown, Peter Williams' aims in making the film and his sympathetic relationship with the 'pioneers' of IVF, gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and physiologist Robert Edwards. I will conclude with a discussion of the political implications of this film and how it contributed to the normalisation of IVF at a pivotal moment in its history.

[Muscular dystrophies in literature, cinema and television]. / Las distrofias musculares en la literatura, el cine y la television.

INTRODUCTION: Muscular dystrophies are inherited disorders, produced by a genetic mutation, with a slow or rapid progression, that basically affect striated muscle tissue. There are several clinical forms, the most frequent being Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy. AIM: To analyse how muscular dystrophies have been portrayed in literature, cinema and television. DEVELOPMENT: Muscular dystrophy is a disorder that has been reflected in literature, cinema and television. In some cases it is only mentioned, sometimes it plays a secondary role in the plot, and in others it is the lead character who suffers from the disease. In general, reference is made to Duchenne's disease and, albeit less frequently, to Becker muscular dystrophy, although in some cases the patient is just said to be suffering from muscular dystrophy, without specifying what clinical variety it belongs to. Testimonials, novels, comics, fiction films, documentaries, short films and television programmes have all been produced with the aim of making the disease and its implications more widely known, as well as making the public aware of the need to invest resources in research. CONCLUSIONS: Muscular dystrophy has been portrayed quite realistically in literature, cinema and television, and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy is the clinical variety that has been shown most often. Aspects that have been reflected include its symptoms, progression, prognosis, the role of the family and caregivers, sexuality, palliative care, patients' will to overcome difficulties and the need to raise society's awareness of the condition and to invest more resources in research.

TITLE: Las distrofias musculares en la literatura, el cine y la television.Introduccion. Las distrofias musculares son enfermedades hereditarias, producidas por una mutacion genetica, lentas o rapidamente progresivas, que afectan fundamentalmente a la musculatura estriada. Existen diversas formas clinicas, y las mas frecuentes son la distrofia muscular de Duchenne y la distrofia muscular de Becker. Objetivo. Analizar como se han representado las distrofias musculares en la literatura, el cine y la television. Desarrollo. La distrofia muscular ha sido reflejada en la literatura, el cine y la television. En algunos casos solo se menciona, en otros tiene un papel secundario en la trama y en otros es un personaje principal el que sufre la enfermedad. Generalmente se hace referencia a la enfermedad de Duchenne, y con menos frecuencia a la de Becker, aunque en algunos casos solo se menciona que el paciente presenta distrofia muscular, sin especificar a que variedad clinica pertenece. Podemos encontrar obras de testimonio, novelas, comics, largometrajes de ficcion, documentales, cortos y programas televisivos que pretenden dar a conocer la enfermedad y sus implicaciones, y concienciar a la poblacion sobre la necesidad de invertir recursos en la investigacion. Conclusiones. La distrofia muscular ha sido representada con realismo en la literatura, el cine y la television, y la distrofia muscular de Duchenne es la variedad clinica que se ha mostrado mas habitualmente. Se han reflejado los sintomas, la evolucion, el pronostico, el papel de la familia y los cuidadores, la sexualidad, los tratamientos paliativos, el espiritu de superacion, y la necesidad de concienciar a la sociedad y de invertir mas recursos en investigacion.

Thin blue lines: product placement and the drama of pregnancy testing in British cinema and television.

This article uses the case of pregnancy testing in Britain to investigate the process whereby new and often controversial reproductive technologies are made visible and normalized in mainstream entertainment media. It shows how in the 1980s and 1990s the then nascent product placement industry was instrumental in embedding pregnancy testing in British cinema and television's dramatic productions. In this period, the pregnancy-test close-up became a conventional trope and the thin blue lines associated with Unilever's Clearblue rose to prominence in mainstream consumer culture. This article investigates the aestheticization of pregnancy testing and shows how increasingly visible public concerns about 'schoolgirl mums', abortion and the biological clock, dramatized on the big and small screen, propelled the commercial rise of Clearblue. It argues that the Clearblue close-up ambiguously concealed as much as it revealed; abstraction, ambiguity and flexibility were its keys to success.

El teatro guiñol, la televisión mexicana y la educación para la salud a mediados del siglo XX / Puppet shows, Mexican television and health education in the mid-twentieth century

Resumen Este artículo rescata la obra de teatro guiñol Las calenturas de Don Ferruco, televisada a finales de la década de 1950 para promover la erradicación del paludismo en México como un útil instrumento de educación para la salud. Se analiza cómo la difusión del teatro guiñol educativo en la televisión mexicana evidenció la necesidad de mantener vigente la enseñanza dirigida a prevenir enfermedades y se subraya la importancia de la televisión como una producción educativa para promover la salud hacia mediados del siglo XX. El artículo muestra los inicios de su uso como una herramienta de especial importancia para lo que posteriormente sería la masificación de los discursos emitidos por la Secretaría de Salubridad y Asistencia.

This article resurrects the puppet show Las calenturas de Don Ferruco (Don Ferruco’s Fevers), which was televised in the late 1950s in order to help eradicate malaria in Mexico, as a useful instrument for health education. It analyzes how the spread of educational puppet shows on Mexican television showed the need to keep updating preventive healthcare pedagogy and it underlines the importance of television as an educational health-promotion production in the mid-twentieth century. The article discusses the early use of puppet shows as an especially important tool for what would later become mass-media transmission of discourses from the Secretaría de Salubridad y Asistencia (Department of Health and Healthcare).

[Puppet shows, Mexican television and health education in the mid-twentieth century]. / El teatro guiñol, la televisión mexicana y la educación para la salud a mediados del siglo XX.

This article resurrects the puppet show Las calenturas de Don Ferruco (Don Ferruco's Fevers), which was televised in the late 1950s in order to help eradicate malaria in Mexico, as a useful instrument for health education. It analyzes how the spread of educational puppet shows on Mexican television showed the need to keep updating preventive healthcare pedagogy and it underlines the importance of television as an educational health-promotion production in the mid-twentieth century. The article discusses the early use of puppet shows as an especially important tool for what would later become mass-media transmission of discourses from the Secretaría de Salubridad y Asistencia (Department of Health and Healthcare).

Based on a True Story? The Portrayal of ECT in International Movies and Television Programs.

BACKGROUND: Movies and television (TV) programs are an important source of public information about ECT. OBJECTIVE: To narratively review the portrayal of ECT in international movies and TV programs from 1948 until present. METHODS: Several Internet movie databases and a database of phrases appearing in movies and TV programs were searched, supplemented with a Medline-search. No language restrictions were applied. RESULTS: ECT was portrayed in 52 movies (57 scenes), 21 TV programs (23 scenes), and 2 animated sitcoms (2 scenes). In movies, the main indication for ECT is behavioral control or torture (17/57, 29.8%), whereas in TV programs, the most frequent indication is erasing memories (7/25, 28%). In most scenes (47/82; 57.3%) ECT is given without consent, and without anesthesia (59/82; 72%). Unmodified ECT is depicted more frequently in American scenes (48/64, 75%), as opposed to scenes from other countries (11/18; 64.7%). Bilateral electrode placement is used in almost all (89%, 73/82) scenes. The vast majority of movies (46/57, 80.7%) and TV programs (18/25, 72%) show a negative and inaccurate image of the treatment. CONCLUSION(S): In the majority of scenes, ECT is used as a metaphor for repression, mind and behavior control, and is shown as a memory-erasing, painful and damaging treatment, adding to the stigma already associated with ECT. Only a few exceptions paint a truthful picture of this indispensable treatment in modern psychiatry.

Homosexuality and the Law: The Construction of Wolfenden Homonormativity in 1950s England.

This article analyses a television broadcast in England in 1957 in response to the Wolfenden Report (Wolfenden, 1957) into homosexuality and prostitution. Here I argue that those participants in the broadcast who are sympathetic with liberal reforms of the legislation on homosexuality utilize discourses related to normality and the public/private domains to discursively construct the Wolfenden homonormative male. In addition, I also show how, particularly through the trope of homonormativity, both the heterosexual and homosexual audiences are interpellated by the discourses exploited within the broadcast as publics whose subjectivities are reconfigured toward Wolfenden homonormativity.

[Reflex seizures, cinema and television]. / Crisis reflejas, cine y television.

In movies and television series are few references to seizures or reflex epilepsy even though in real life are an important subgroup of total epileptic syndromes. It has performed a search on the topic, identified 25 films in which they appear reflex seizures. Most seizures observed are tonic-clonic and visual stimuli are the most numerous, corresponding all with flashing lights. The emotions are the main stimuli in higher level processes. In most cases it is not possible to know if a character suffers a reflex epilepsy or suffer reflex seizures in the context of another epileptic syndrome. The main conclusion is that, in the movies, the reflex seizures are merely a visual reinforcing and anecdotal element without significant influence on the plot.

TITLE: Crisis reflejas, cine y television.En el cine y las series de television existen escasas referencias a las crisis o epilepsia refleja, a pesar de que en la vida real constituyen un subgrupo relevante del total de sindromes epilepticos. Se ha realizado una busqueda sobre el tema y se han identificado 25 documentos cinematograficos en los que aparecen crisis reflejas. La mayoria de las crisis observadas son tonicoclonicas generalizadas y los estimulos visuales son los mas numerosos, y todos se corresponden con destellos luminosos. Entre los estimulos por procesos de nivel superior destacan las emociones. En la mayoria de las ocasiones no es posible saber si el personaje padece una epilepsia refleja o bien sufre crisis reflejas en el contexto de otro sindrome epileptico. La principal conclusion es que, en el cine y la television, las crisis reflejas no son mas que un elemento visual de refuerzo y anecdotico, sin incidencia relevante en la trama argumental.

Public perception of pharmacists: Film and television portrayals from 1970 to 2013.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the percentage of pharmacists portrayed in a positive, negative, or neutral light in films and television shows available in the United States from January 1970 to July 2013. Secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacist characters as heroes, villains, or victims; assess pharmacist characters' demographics; and determine the presence of pharmacist characters in medical-themed television shows. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, descriptive study. SETTING: A review of available U.S. film and television from January 1970 to July 2013 at an academic institution. PARTICIPANTS: 214 television episodes or films that contained at least one pharmacist portrayal. INTERVENTION: Electronic inquiries requesting submissions of known pharmacist portrayals were distributed to pharmacy professionals in national and state-affiliated pharmacy organizations and to faculty, staff, and students at the University of South Carolina. Electronic databases and search engines (Internet Movie Database [IMDb], Bing, and Google) were consulted and used to further research possible pharmacist portrayals. The study investigators developed an algorithm incorporating social norms, common pharmacist practices, and viewer perceptions to determine positive, negative, or neutral status for each pharmacist portrayal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Year and genre of media, demographics of identified pharmacist characters, portrayal status of identified pharmacist characters, and number of pharmacist characters and appearances per each television show reviewed. RESULTS: In the films and television shows reviewed, there were 231 pharmacist portrayals, with 160 unique pharmacist characters. Of the 231 portrayals, 145 (63%) were negative, 30 (13%) were positive, and 56 (24%) were neutral. Of the 160 unique characters, 121 (76%) were male, 120 (75%) were Caucasian, and 86 (54%) were younger than 50 years old. The name of the character was provided for 70 (44%) of the pharmacists portrayed. CONCLUSION: The portrayal of pharmacists in U.S. film and television is primarily negative. Pharmacists and pharmacy organizations are encouraged to be vocal proponents of the profession and educate trainees on the importance of an enhanced public perception.

[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in literature, cinema and television]. / La esclerosis lateral amiotrofica en la literatura, el cine y la television.

INTRODUCTION: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with a progressive course that affects the corticospinal and spinal cord motor neurons, the main manifestations of which are muscular weakness, amyotrophy and hyperreflexia. It has an incidence of 0.4-2.4 cases/100,000 inhabitants/year, and a prevalence of 4-6 cases/100,000 inhabitants. It is more frequent in adult males over 50 years of age. A number of different neurological diseases have been portrayed in literature, cinema and television, including ALS, which has been presented correctly and realistically. AIM: To analysis how literature, cinema and television have addressed ALS. DEVELOPMENT: Several different literary works have dealt with ALS, such as El desencuentro, Lou Gehrig: the luckiest man or Tuesdays with Morrie; the cinema has also depicted this disease in films such as The pride of the Yankees, My love beside me (closer to Heaven) or Right to die; and on television this disease has been shown in series, documentaries and television films, such as: Tuesdays with Morrie, Jenifer or A love affair: the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story. Most of the works are of a biographical and testimonial nature, and portray the disease realistically, with the intention of making ALS more widely known and raising the population's awareness about the condition. CONCLUSIONS: Literature, cinema and television have portrayed ALS in a realistic and believable manner, unlike some other diseases of a neurological origin.

TITLE: La esclerosis lateral amiotrofica en la literatura, el cine y la television.Introduccion. La esclerosis lateral amiotrofica (ELA) es una enfermedad neurodegenerativa de curso progresivo que afecta a las motoneuronas corticoespinales y medulares, y que se manifiesta principalmente con debilidad muscular, amiotrofia e hiperreflexia. Su incidencia es de 0,4-2,4 casos/100.000 habitantes/año, y su prevalencia, de 4-6 casos/100.000 habitantes. Es mas frecuente en varones adultos mayores de 50 años. Se han mostrado diversas enfermedades neurologicas en la literatura, el cine y la television, entre ellas la ELA, que se ha presentado de forma correcta y realista. Objetivo. Analizar el abordaje que la literatura, el cine y la television han hecho de la ELA. Desarrollo. Existen diversas obras literarias que abordan la ELA, como El desencuentro, Lou Gehrig: the luckiest man o Martes con mi viejo profesor; el cine tambien ha reflejado esta enfermedad en titulos como El orgullo de los Yankees, My love beside me (closer to Heaven) o Derecho a morir; y en la television se ha mostrado esta enfermedad en series, documentales y telefilmes, como Martes con mi viejo profesor, Jenifer o Mi vida con Lou Gehrig. La mayor parte de las obras es de tipo biografico y de testimonio, y muestra la enfermedad con realismo, con la intencion de dar a conocer la ELA y de concienciar a la poblacion. Conclusion. La literatura, el cine y la television han mostrado la ELA de forma realista y creible, a diferencia de otras enfermedades de origen neurologico.