Tic douloureux, nature's worst pain

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Lynn Poole shows an artist's rendition of tic douloureux or trigeminal neuralgia, and Dr. Smith describes this pain of the fifth cranial nerve. A sketch of the head shows the three nerve divisions in the face, and an electrical model traces the nerve's pain transmittal to the brain. The causes of this affliction are unknown and the occurrences unpredictable although the painful attacks often occur from eating, talking, or touching the face. This is a disease of advancing years, and Dr. Smith interviews an elderly patient, Mrs. White, who attempts to describe her symptoms until orifacial pain overcomes her. As early as the 1500s treatments included surgery to cut the nerve. This is still performed, and Dr. Smith interviews Mrs. Frank, who received such surgery and now has no sensation of pain at all in one side of her face, as evidenced by the doctor sticking a pin into her cheek. Other remedies now include chemically damaging the nerve by injecting it with alcohol or novocaine, cutting the fiber track.

Seven years old

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At the beginning of this last episode of the Johns Hopkins Science Review, John H. Fisher, superintendent of public instruction for Baltimore City, presents Lynn Poole with a citation from the National Citizens' Committee on Educational Television. Mr. Poole points out that in 1948, when this series began, there were only 22 television stations and 250,000 receiving sets nationwide. Now, in 1955, there are 423 stations and 36 million television sets. He spends the remainder of the program thanking the people who made it possible: the scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions who took a chance on being on television and who revealed their new discoveries, such as Dr. Arthur Parpart's vidicon camera; the teachers who included in their lesson plans the show's demonstrations of complex subjects, such as an atomic chain reaction represented by 100 mousetraps; industry, one of which credited the show with duct system design inspiration; foreign countries, such as England, France, and Canada, where many new scientific developments are taking place.

Last one in

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A film shows scenes of water recreation and sporting activities such as fishing, boating, walking in waterfront parks, and swimming. The film notes that infections and drowning are the primary dangers of swimming and that with the growth of safe pool facilities with lifeguards, swimmers can learn proper swimming techniques. Lynn Poole pays tribute to the YMCA, pioneers in teaching swimming and water safety. Lou Martin, Baltimore YMCA's aquatic director, explains and demonstrates the Holger-Nielsen (arm lift, back pressure) manual method of artificial respiration. The equipment used in the mechanical method is then demonstrated by Martin McMann of the Baltimore City police.

Science, the super sleuth

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Lynn Poole points out that science is often used in crime detection, as when Johns Hopkins physicist Robert W. Wood used ultra violet light to help police solve such crimes as the "candy box murder." Lieutenant Nelligan, Director of the Baltimore City Crime Lab, says that a criminalist, or scientific crime detective, requires a background in both science and police techniques. A dramatization follows the investigation of a fictitious crime, a burglary in a suburban house, to demonstrate the basic tools used to solve the crime: a microscope to match hairs and fibers, a spectrograph to analyze metals and glass, a vacuum cleaner to pick up evidence in a special filter, and a magnifying glass to enlarge details. The density gradient test is also demonstrated and explained. The cast for the scene is from Baltimore's Hilltop Theater: Caddell Burroughs, Elaine Swann, Earl Simmons, John Holland, Alex Quiroga, and Buff Shurr.

Farm to you

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Dr. Lee explains the research being carried out by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Dairy Husbandry Research Branch on milk production in tropical climates. He says that of the two major milk cow groups, the European cattle offer high milk production but low resistance to a hot environment and the native Indian humped cattle are the opposite. In addition to breeding the most heat resistant European cows and selecting the native cattle with the highest milk production for breeding, the Dept. of Agriculture is cross breeding Jersey cows and Sindhi cows. The research results seem to show that a cow that is 5/8 native Sindhi has the best combination of heat tolerance and milk production. In a film of the heat room, Mr. McDowell explains experiments which measure the cows' sweat and their respiratory cooling. He also notes that the color and thickness of a cow's coat and its blood flow to the skin are possible determinants in heat adaptation.

Beginnings of history: part 1

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In this unhosted program, a film by the British Information Service traces the remains of graves, temples, houses, tools and other possessions of prehistoric civilizations in the United Kingdom. During the Old Stone Age, men hunted wild animals with crudely made tools and lived in caves. When the ice receded in the New Stone Age, the environment and geography of Great Britain was much changed, and men became farmers. Archaeologists interpret this history based on findings at such sites as the Windmill Hill settlement in the U. K., which has yielded the earliest examples of British pottery. Scenes from Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands show the extensive remains of this prehistoric village preserved by blowing sand dunes. And Belas Knap burial mound near Cheltenham reveals the stone chambers and tombs of that period. This two-part program concludes with the Bronze Age, when men learned to produce metals and create more uniform tools, such as a cast ax head.

Life in your own yard

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Due to studio difficulties, there is no sound track on this program for the first few minutes. Dr. Schwartz displays some of the creatures brought from Cook's Pond near Blairstown, NJ: a painted turtle, a bullfrog, a tree frog, and an aquarium of pond water with a variety of fish, insects, plants, and tadpoles, all part of the web of life. He then describes smaller pond organisms (hydra, damsel fly nymph, and planaria) that he shows viewers under a television microscope he developed.

The wonder jet

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Lynn Poole recalls his first experience seeing an airplane. He then diagrams and explains jet propulsion, based on Newton's Third Law of Motion. A film by the British Information Service details the development of the jet propulsion gas turbine by its creators, Sir Frank Whittle and Captain Patrick Johnson, from its patent to its use in the air and sea. U.S. General H.H. Arnold arranged for the Whittle engine to be manufactured in the United States. A second film shows the July 15, 1954 maiden flight of the Boeing 707 Stratotanker/Stratoliner, America's first jet transport. In conclusion, Lynn Poole points out an article about "The Johns Hopkins Science Review" in the August 17, 1954 issue of the Saturday Evening Post.

Questions of science

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Lynn Poole shows photos and demonstrations from past programs and poses questions for viewers on the topics of skin grafting, atoms, electroencephalography, x-rays, and diffraction grating. Afterwards he gives the answers with explanations. Next a series of six simple experiments are performed, questions are asked about each, and answers are given afterwards. The experiments' concepts include molecular model identification, cold steam power, surface tension disruption, carbon dioxide production, and interaction of acetone with acetate rayon.

The skin you're in

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Dr. Sullivan explains that dermatology is the science of skin and its diseases. Skin, covering approximately 18 square feet, is a human's largest organ and serves as the body's protection. Using both live animals from the Baltimore Zoo and representations of animals, Dr. Sullivan explains their protective mechanisms: the lizard's skin changes color for camouflage; the duck's preen gland maintains its feathers with a precursor of vitamin D; the rat's sebaceous glands repel lice; the lion's mane protects it from other animals' bites; and a turtle's shell, a porcupine's quills, and a pachyderm's thick skin all protect the animal within. Dr. Sullivan draws a diagram of the layers of human skin, stressing the epidermis and protective barrier that prevents water from penetrating skin. He notes that a frog has no transitional layer, so its skin can take up water. The human sweat glands continuously secrete a wet film on the skin. The sebaceous glands secrete sebum, which contains two emulsifiers that allow the skin to sweat.