African sleeping sickness.

Pilot film for the Wellcome Trust series on the history of research into trypanosomiasis. Traces the history of the disease from the 14th. to the 19th. century and includes much historical material which did not appear in the final versions.

This is the pilot film for the Wellcome Trust series of films on sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis). Crest; Map of Africa; Stills of sleeping sickness victims; Stills of David Bruce, E. Dutton, and A. Castellani; 1374: Mali: extent of territory; trade routes - map; History of sleeping sickness, first evidence recorded by K.H. Becker. 1734 "The Navy Surgeon" by John Atkins (naval surgeon). Print of battle wound. Appendix includes observations taken off the coast of Guinea. "The Sleepy Distemper" describes the onset of sleeping sickness, believed to be caused by excess phlegm. Print - person with common cold. Still - victim of sleeping sickness, dribbling. But the disease remained unknown outside Africa. 1803: Thomas Masterson Winterbottom made a clinical reference to glands swollen in the neck - "Winterbottom's sign". More prints showing signs of sleeping sickness. Winterbottom's account introduced the medical profession in Britain to sleeping sickness.

London : Wellcome Trust, 1988.

1 videocassette (VHS) (16 min.) : sound, color, PAL
1 videocassette (UMATIC) (16 min.) : sound, color
1 videocassette (DIGIBETA) (16 min.) : sound, color
2 DVDs (16 min. each) : sound, color

Produced by the Wellcome Trust Film Unit. Written and narrated by Dr B. I. Williams. Character voices by Dick Graham.

Wellcome Trust.