Educational film magazine; (19-)

SURGEON SAVES LIFE AFTER SEEING FILM With No Other Knowledge Than That Gained from the Movie, Doctor Constructs Crude Apparatus and Operates Successfully MOTION pictures are the coming method of teaching sur- gery, according to Dr. Charles R. Bardeen of the University of Wisconsin. In addition to giving the i student a living picture, which he is unable to get from "cold" ■ type or lectures, it is possible to stop the operation at any point ; for an explanation. Even though the student were in the surgical room, this would be impossible. The story of a physician who watched the picture of an intri- cate decompression operation and later saved a life by per- forming it, with no other knowledge than that gained from the , film, is told by Dr. C. H. Davis. "At a recent convention a motion picture of this operation was shown. Some months later one of the physicians who was present attended a man suffering with a compound fracture of the skull. The physician was vacationing in the north woods and was without his instruments. The man was dying. As an emergency measure the physician rigged up some crude apparatus, similar to that he had seen in the picture, obtained sharp chisels, and performed the operation. The patient is a well man today." The obstetrical pictures shown recently at the Auditorium in Milwaukee were the best from more than 50,000 feet of film taken. To get them motion picture photographers were kept constantly on duty, night and day, for more than two years at the ; Wertheim Clinic, Vienna. A student watching these pictures. Dr. Davis pointed out, would get the "cream" of two years' work in a few minutes. Physicians may keep in touch with all the latest developments in foreign lands without being forced to give up their practice for months while they make trips abroad. CHICAGO WOMAN MOVIE CAMERA FAN SO far as known, the only woman in Chicago who, for amuse- ment, flies about with a motion picture camera is Mrs. S. Ella Wood Dean. She started her fad because she loves to travel and because she cannot be languid. She kept on with her fad because she loves children and had observed that they were rather overlooked in the film world, having little but adult plots and problems presented to their eager eyes, writes Helen Wetherell in the Chicago Daily News. "I cannot understand why children should not have their news features and special films on programs given at motion picture houses," Mrs. Dean said. "They are naturally dramatic and al- ways dressing themselves up for a play of some kind. When they go to see a movie they must be disappointed, for seldom is any- thing shown that can interest them especially. All sorts of pro- grams are being given in which children take part, but they do not seem to be filmed. Once in a while some comics, made with a little boy and dog or some with animals are shown, but every program should have its news pictures for children. "I am enthusiastic about the film world as a means of education for the young, who are more quickly impressed with pictures than they are by anything else. A teacher may talk himself out of breath and not make as much of an impression as he would with a picture of what he was explaining. I have taken many films of my small nieces and nephews, and always find an au- dience of children, and an appreciative one. "I have taken my camera about with me on my travels. It is great sport to start the crank revolving and later start it again to throw the completed film on a screen. There is hardly an im- portant event that has taken place in any large American city in the last two years that I have not been able to film and reproduce. It is far more fun than an ordinary camera. I have yet to tire of it, and am getting a reliable eye for the selection of episodes that will screen well." N. Y. EXCHANGES DE.4L DIRECT WITH EXHIBITORS PDL'CATIONAL FILM MAG.\ZINE has been requested bytlie F. 1. •*-' I,. M. Club of New York City, 719 Seventh avenue, to publish the following'letter which has been mailed to many non-theatrical motion picture exhibitors in the New York and New Jersey territory. The letter conveys its own story: "Heretofore some middleman has arranged bookings between the ex- changes and the non-theatrical exhibitor of films. This practice has lieen thoroughly unsatisfactory to motion picture exchanges and led to the general practice now prevalent for all motion picture exchanges to refrain from doing business with non-theatrical users of motion pictures through the medium of a middleman, but to transact business direct. "This is to advise you that the leading motion picture companies, all of which you find listed hereon, are prepared to transact all their business with you direct. That if it is inconvenient for you to call at the offices of the exchanges, arrangements will be made whereby representatives of all motion picture companies will be pleased to call upon you at a time and place suitable and convenient to you. "We beg to express to you our assurances that the service which will be rendered to you under this system will be of greater value to you; that your needs and requirements will receive much more study and that through such direct contact, more suitable films will be made available for you than were heretofore." The following film distributors are members of the club and are af- fected by the above-described ruling: Alexander Film Corp.; Arrow Kxchange, Inc.; .\ssociated Producers, Inc.; .\ywon Film Corp.; Big U Film Exchange; Capital Film Exchange; Climax Film Corp.; Common- wealth Film Corp.; Educational Film Corp.; Elk Photoplays, Inc.; Famous Players-Lasky Corp.; First National Exchange, N. Y.; First National Exchange, n" J.; Fox Film Corp.; Goldwyn Distributing Corp.; Graphic Film Corp.; D. AV. Griffith's Service; W. W. Hodkinson Corp.; Jans Film Service; Merit Film Corp.; Metro Pictures Corp.; New York Independent Master Film, Inc.; Path^ Exchance, Inc., N. Y.; Path6 Ex- change, N. J.; Pioneer Film Corp.; Realart Pictures Corp.; Robertson- Cole Distributing Corp.; Select Pictures Corp., N. Y.; Select Pictures Corp., N. J.; StoU Film Corp.; Warner's Exchange. ELECTRICITY FILMS MADE AT CHICAGO UNIVERSITY 'T'HE Society for Visual Education has completed the first group of an ■*• elaljorate series of reels dealing with electricity and magnetism. These films are being produced at Ryer.son laboratory, University of Chicago, one of the best-equipped physical laboratories in the countryy, under the direction of Dr. Harvey 15. Lemon. "Many experiments essential to an imderstanding of electricity and magnetism call for equipment of a sort that only a great university can afford. Also, they demand a great deal of time in setting up the appar- atus and conducting the experiment," said Dr. I.emon, in commenting on the plan to make the screen an "assistant instructor'" in the teaching of physics. "Educational films and portable projectors make these import- ant demonstrations available to schools anj-where in the country, however- limited their own laboratory facilities." Experiments that show different ways of producing electricity, its identity under all conditions, the molecidar nature of magnetism, and the connection between magnetism and electricity, are among the first to be pictured. The four initial reels. Dr. Lemon explained, are devoted to the "classic" experiments. One of the most interesting of the demon- strations screened at the meeting was the so-called "ice pail experiment" of Faraday, establishing the fact that positive and negative electricity always appear in equal amoimts. One more spectacular in character showed a large Wimshurst machine producing charges that gave forth long, bright sparks. Succeeding reels of the series. Dr. Lemon announced, are to deal with the modern aspects of the subject of electricity, and magnetism. WRITE FOR THIS CHURCH REPORT A FTER using motion pictures for a year in Greystone Presbyterian -'^■Church, Elizabeth, N. J., Rev. George E. Bevans has prepared an interesting report called "Motion Pictures—The Experience of One « Church." Printed by the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions, it has been widely circulated throughout the country. It contains an outline of the pictures used including the source of supply, the cost, and the companies which aim to supply churches with satisfactory films. 9