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Medicine in silent film has a long history. Although the silent era in cinema was dominated by burlesques (using escaped "lunatics") a number of themes emerged after systematic review. The cinematic representation of medicine coincided with the discovery of X-rays. During this "roentgenomania", short films were produced showing groundbreaking X-ray images, which fitted perfectly into needs of dramatic cinema. But soon the "cinema of narration" evolved: Starting just after the turn of the century, the short film "The Country Doctor" was able to address complex interplay between duties and limitations of the medical profession. This was followed by numerous feature films on infectious diseases, which often used tuberculosis as a centerpiece of its story. Directors often took advantage of the well-known stereotype of the omnipotent physician. But in certain medical fields, such as psychiatry or surgery, a more ambivalent figure of the doctor was portrayed, f. e. in "Hands of Orlac" (1924). Silent cinema also offered interesting ideas on the healing powers of the medium itself: in "The Mystery of the Kador Cliffs" (1912) a film screening could cure the patient of fears after reenactment. Finally, a closer look at the early era of film echoes how social conflicts where dramatized, especially in the case of nationwide birth control. How illegal abortion kept the society on its edge, was most clearly shown in the adaption of the scandalous play "Cyankali" (1930).In addition to discussing various topics in the cinematic representation of medicine, this brief overview shows that silent movies were a new and true art form, representing an exceptional resource for historians of film and medicine. |
