The Wellcome Trust in Jamaica : infant malnutrition.
- Date:
- [1986]
- Videos
About this work
Description
Portrays the work of the Wellcome Trust-funded Metabolism Research Unit in the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, for the clinical and biochemical study of marasmus and kwashiorkor in malnourished children. The clinical pathology of these diseases is shown in some detail and their treatment and management explained. 1 segment.
Publication/Creation
[Place of publication not identified] : [Wellcome Trust], [1986]
Physical description
1 encoded moving image (9.44 min.) : sound, color
Duration
00:09:44
Copyright note
Wellcome Trust; 2009
Terms of use
Restricted
Language note
In English
Creator/production credits
Produced by the Wellcome Trust Film Unit. Written by Dr Michael Golden and Dr Leonard Goodwin, narrated by Ray Moore, directed and photographed by Douglas Fisher and edited by Anthony Palmer and Robert Fisher.
Contents
Segment 1 A world map shows the five research centres for tropical medicine supported by the Wellcome Trust. The narrator explains that the Jamaica centre studies infant malnutrition. A montage of Jamaican scenes is shown. The Tropical Metabolism Research Centre in Kingston is shown. A baby boy with kwashiorkor is shown, and his symptoms are listed by the narrator. His liver is enlarged and he has skin lesions. His condition is assessed by the healthcare workers in the centre. The narrator points out that it is difficult to maintain the specialised equipment in Jamaica, and also difficult to locate spare parts. A chart shows the baby boy's nutritional deficiencies. A liver specimen from a malnourished child is shown. The narrator says that if untreated, kwashiorkor can lead to death. Treatment for the condition is described and shown, including antibiotics and regular feeding. Photographs of a girl before and after treatment are shown. Follow-up care after the child returns home is described and shown. The narrator explains that 1 in 200 children in Jamaica develops severe malnutrition, but that this figure would be higher were it not for a strong social structure with families helping one another. The centre's other work is shown, including its teaching and postgraduate study work. At the end of the film the narrator explains that in Jamaica, the problem of malnutrition is not complicated by tropical diseases, allowing it to be studied in isolation and in detail. Therefore, this research can be used to help tackle a problem found in developing countries. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:09:44:06 Length: 00:09:44:06