A CAREER IN PHARMACOLOGY
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Year Published: 1961
Format: 16mm
Description: This 1961 black and white film was presented as a tongue-in-cheek satire by the Department of Pharmacology for a meeting of the British Pharmacological Society. A new research assistant walks to Examination Hall in Queen’s Square, London. He walks through the laboratory to the secretary’s office, who speedily types on her Corona. She asks him to wait in the professor’s office and hands him "A Career in Pharmacology" book. The Arthur Saunders & Co wall clock with roman numerals shows 10:30 and then noon (:06-2:20). The young man sleeps sitting in the chair. The hands pass 2:30, the entire clock spins, and it’s 9:00. In his dream, a series of people come through the door: a footballer, cleaning woman, police constable with a criminal, a clergy, guitar player, businessman swinging an umbrella, a woman in a graduation robe, a waiter holding a beverage tray, an artist, butcher, violinist, and a vendor riding a bicycle (2:21-4:00). Last is a woman, who enters her office, greets the waiting doctor, and gets her stenographer tablet. She offers the ailing doctor "Prelewdin" pills, which cause him to flirt with her (4:01-4:42). A doctor reads "The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics". He straps the blood pressure cuff around a patient’s arm, which rises up every time he squeezes the ball. He uses the large book to hold it down (4:43-5:42). A single researcher’s project is completely taken over as multiple staff join (5:43-6:45). A researcher has the results repainted by an artist (7:35-8:17). A "self-inserting suppository" is visualized using a rocket launch (8:18-8:39). A kitchen tray has an enamelware pot. A researcher catches a paper on fire and lights an experiment. Atomic bomb footage is shown (8:40-9:32). A researcher grows bored reading a pharmacology book and replaces it with a tabloid of a bombshell with a pharmacologist. He shows it to a researcher whose head is attached to a machine pulling on it. A doctor uses a magnifying glass to examine research details (9:33-11:21). A researcher watches an experiment counting heartbeats, which speeds up when a pretty girl comes in (11:22-11:51). A stuffed dog is given anesthesia and chained to the table. He makes a cut and pulls out a string of "Y" letters and says "Much wiser." (11:52-12:33). A little girl (future pharmacologist) performs her own experiment (12:35-13:14). A supervisor destroys an experiment and forces the researcher to begin again. The supervisor chants "inject" over and over as the researcher does an injection (13:15-14:01). An anesthetist casually kills a pharmacologist. An article says there aren’t enough of them (14:02-14:27). "Picture yourself" shows the same man working in a hospital, in industry, in a government lab, and in a university lab, with very different working environments (14:28-15:06). A PhD degree is presented to a student, who then takes bribes from other students taking exams (15:08-16:29). A photograph of British Pharmacological Society members spins and the new researcher wakes up. The doctor finally arrives and comments on the "A Career in Pharmacology" book (16:30-17:36).
Complete Record:
Transcription
this is Queen Square London home of the National Hospital for nervous diseases the royal homeopathic and the Italian hospitals it is also the home of examination hall where future doctors sit for their qualifying examinations less well known on the fifth floor of exam hall is the Department of Pharmacology of the Royal College of Surgeons and here is a young man about to start work in that department [Music] most of the research is carried out in a main laboratory through which you have to walk to reach the secretary's office good morning can I help you good morning I am the new research assistant could I see the professor please I'm terribly sorry he's not here at the moment would you like to wait in his office thank you would you care to take a seat he won't be long perhaps you'd like to read this while you're waiting a career in pharmacology [Music] pharmacology is a many-sided science there is a place for almost every talent in pharmacology [Music] what is pharmacology almost anything that a man or an animal does can be influenced by drugs drugs can even affect how man thinks good morning doctor your later getting miss Dowd I know but I'm all ready for those notes well I'm feeling pretty toxic this morning oh oh well try one of these hmm all right doctor [Music] pharmacology is the basis for modern therapy in medicine pharmacology is vital to a physician come in come in good morning doctor oh come and sit down my dear good just give me your arm will you just want to take your blood pressure oh there we are good good dr. Gordon has gracious me they never taught me about missing prom try again a new pharmacology will come in useful somewhere the growing importance of pharmacology it indicated in several ways this is how it used to be [Music] we'll the enlargement of laboratory space there has been an increase in the size of staffs automation - plays its part in pharmacology [Music] [Applause] [Music] pharmacology is not pharmacy this is the department of pharmacology [Music] [Applause] [Music] and this is a school of pharmacy as a pharmacologist you may work alone or with some other specialist [Music] [Music] the most modern equipment serves the pharmacologist three two one zero the latest invention in pharmacology a self inserting suppository do you have what it takes to be a successful pharmacologist see if you can answer yes to most of these questions do you like to be a trailblazer would you like to apply your inclinations for science in the field of helping your fellow man [Music] [Music] do you like to read about science and scientists do you enjoy figuring out what makes things tick I say Ted take a look at this I suppose he would call this an aesthetic adventure and you know good would come of that study and leave at the folly bersia all right yes thank you do you refuse to close easier yes don't you finished your experiment yet doctor good heavens no I'm only just beginning no I wonder what that can be yes there's a very tiny rise here hmm I think I must investigate this further yes yes very reproducible results very I think this needs looking into I wonder what that means oh yes this looks more like it yes yes yes ah very interesting indeed hmm I think this one's a clinical trial [Music] do you like to see a problem through with independent thinking and intuition do you like to search for new things do you enjoy doing a job that always demands your best [Music] do you wonder about the whys in living things ah they're much wiser do you like to work with animals pharmacologists are made not born plan early if you begin now to plan and study toward a career in pharmacology you will be just that much ahead during your graduate training you will begin research at first under the supervision of a faculty member let's do it properly this time shall we [Laughter] it's only five o'clock put up another one will you you will work in an atmosphere of constant stimulation inject inject inject inject inject inject inject inject there is now an acute shortage of pharmacologists there are more jobs than there are pharmacologists to fill them how is he doctor I think he's dead I suppose another chair is vacant now picture yourself in a large Hospital [Music] picture yourself in industry picture yourself in a government laboratory picture yourself in a university it pays to be a pharmacologist for your investment in the PhD degree you receive an extra compensation of at least 800 pounds a year for the rest of your life [Music] [Applause] in addition it serves as a springboard to many different opportunities [Music] [Music] less publicized than cancer less a named disease than polio mental disorders nevertheless incapacitate more people than the other two combined [Music] don't get up I'm sorry I'm late now let me tell you something about pharmacology I see you've been reading that interesting booklet [Music] [Applause] [Applause]
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