6416mm Original Network Lab Print
EXAMINING THE NEWBORN (1959)
Produced by Pfizer Laboratories
Offered here is a 10-minute 16mm color sound medical training film titled “Examining The Newborn,” produced by Pfizer Laboratories as part of their long-running educational film program created for physicians, nurses, and medical students. During the mid-20th century, Pfizer maintained an active Medical Film Department dedicated to producing instructional films that could be screened in hospitals, universities, and professional medical conferences. This particular film was created in consultation with Dr. Leo L. Leveridge, Director of Pfizer’s Medical Film Department, and demonstrates the standardized clinical procedures used in the examination and evaluation of newborn infants immediately after birth.
The film provides a detailed visual guide to the systematic physical examination of the newborn, illustrating the early post-delivery assessments used to evaluate a baby’s health, neurological response, and developmental condition. Through clear close-up cinematography, the film demonstrates procedures such as checking reflex responses, observing muscle tone, evaluating breathing and circulation, examining the mouth and palate, inspecting the skull and scalp, and observing natural infant reactions such as grasp reflexes and limb movement. These educational sequences were designed to help medical professionals recognize both normal developmental characteristics and potential abnormalities that may require further medical attention.
Educational medical films like this became widely used during the 1950s through the 1970s, when pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions collaborated to produce high-quality instructional films for professional training. Pfizer’s medical film division was particularly known for producing carefully documented clinical films that emphasized practical teaching value, combining real patient demonstrations with clear narration and structured examination steps. These films were commonly circulated to teaching hospitals, nursing programs, and medical schools, making them an important part of mid-century medical education.
Today, surviving prints of professional medical training films from major pharmaceutical producers represent a fascinating intersection of medical history, educational filmmaking, and pharmaceutical industry outreach. Examining The Newborn offers a compelling look at how newborn care and neonatal evaluation were taught to generations of healthcare professionals. For collectors interested in vintage medical cinema, educational films, pharmaceutical history, or historic hospital training materials, this 16mm color sound print represents an intriguing and authentic artifact from the golden era of instructional medical filmmaking...
This would make an EXCELLENT addition to any film fan's collection...
About the print:
16mm color sound print.... about 10 minutes long... Not on a reel or core... just the film itself flange wound...
Condition: great... The film is warm... has some scratch lines at times... but runs very smoothly... BOOMING sound... sold AS-IS!!!!