International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1930)

— 6 1 HYGIENE AND MEDICINE. HYGIENE AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROPAGANDA IN LATIN AMERICA So far wa have received the following answers from Latin American countries to our questionnaire regarding the use of the -film for social hygiene propaganda. These answers show that, with the exception of a few countries where the film is being very successfully used, cinema propaganda is still in the preparatory stage. Argentine Republic. — Film propaganda is centralized in the National Hygiene Department, which owns a good number of films, purchased partly at home and partly from abroad. The Department makes direct arrangements for screening these films, which deal with preventive medicine, prophylaxis against such diseases as the pest, tuberculosis, and malaria, and personal and social hygiene. The medical officers of the National Board of Education and of the Institute of Hygiene also carry on film propaganda on their own account. Film propaganda for the prevention of venereal disease is carried on by the Argentine Social Prophylaxis Society. There is no technical or scientific censorship of films of this kind. Costa Rica. — Cinema propaganda is carried on exclusively by the officers of the Public Health and Social Welfare Department of San Jose, which disposes of a certain number of films. This campaign is carried on at cinema hills and schools, exhibitions being preceded by explanatory lectures. There is no permanent organization of this kind of propaganda, nor is it subject to censorship. Dominican Republic. — The Secretary of State for Public Health and Welfare of San Domingo has recourse for propaganda of this kind to official and private local public health institutions. The propaganda is not subject to any legal regulation, nor is there any scientific censorship of the films. Ecuador. — The General Directon of Public Health at Quito states that film propaganda will be introduced in the course of the current year. Up to the present, films have been used for hygiene instruction only in the Vicente Rocafuerte National School at Guayaquil. Haiti. — The National Public Hygiene Service attached to the Ministry of the Interior at Prince's Port, where all cinema propaganda is centralized, draws up programmes for social hygiene propaganda in which films play a very considerable part. Together with the screening of hygiene and preventive medicine films, others dealing with agriculture are shown : both are accompanied by explanatory lectures, delivered by experts on the subjects. Hygiene classes for masters and pupils illustrated by motion pictures are also held in the schools. This service carries its very active propaganda right into the remotest corners of the country through the medium of its dependent offices. Mexico. — The Minister of Health, Dr. Bernardo Gastellum, has sent the Institute two highly interesting volumes dealing with the admirable organization of his Department. Dr. Gastellum is personally responsible for this organization. A special section for hygiene propaganda and instruction has been set up in connection with the Health Department ; this has its agencies in the remotest districts and does film propaganda work on preventive medicine and prophylaxis, accompanied by elucidatory lectures. Apart from this, official and private social welfare organizations carry on a film campaign that is well deserving of note. The above mentioned Section of the Health Department started its cinema work at the end of 1927 and during the present year has held about 1000 film shows and