Louise Cavagnaro, originally from Portland, Oregon, was a major figure in the history of the Johns Hopkins Hospital for the last half of the twentieth century. She served as an operating nurse in combat zones during World War II and the director of nursing in Hiroshima with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, after which she earned an M.A. in Hospital Administration from Columbia University and came to work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1953. She filled many roles during her time teaching and administrating in the Hospital, as well as the School of Nursing. Most notably, it was Cavagnaro who led the charge to desegregate the Hospital and its affiliate institutions, about which she wrote a book in 1992 titled "A History of Segregation and Desegregation at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions." In this oral history, Cavagnaro describes the challenges of being a female in the male-dominated medical milieu of the 1950s, the Johns Hopkins Hospital and how it has changed over time, and the racial politics of the Hospital. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Lynn Poole invites members of the Federal Communications Committee, meeting in Washington, DC for hearings on the use of television as an educational medium, to watch this program as a practical example of how educational institutions can bring educational programs to the American people. This is the first public showing and demonstration of a combination of x-ray photography and fluoroscopy picked up by a television receiving tube, affording both dynamic and clear internal views of patients. The equipment was constructed at The Johns Hopkins University with funds from the U.S. Public Health Service and developed by Dr. Russell H. Morgan. Dr. Morgan shows and explains the dim images of a standard fluoroscope and the static x-rays of a chest, colon, and kidney produced on a radiographic table to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each procedure. With physicist Ralph Sterm at the controls and assisted by Vernon Bowers, Ed Custer, and Roy Collier, Dr. Morgan then demonstrates his new invention, which amplifies images 300-3,000 times, and x-rays the movement of the chest and hand of Joan Hunter for viewers to see. Finally, in the first live television, inter-city diagnosis, Dr. Paul C. Hodges, at the University of Chicago, and Dr. Waldron Sennott, at the U.S. Marine Hospital in New York, observe the x-ray/fluoroscopy images broadcast on their televisions and consult with Dr. David Gould, at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and together diagnose and prescribe treatment for a patient, machine operator James Carter, who has metal particles clearly lodged in his chest and possibly his lungs.

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.

This program takes place during the meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in Washington, DC, where new developments in X-ray technology are exhibited. After Lynn Poole explains x-rays' discovery by William Roentgen (1895), their definition, and their use, Dr. Russell Morgan interviews three scientists from the conference. Dr. E.S. Gurdjian, a Wayne State University radiologist, describes types of automobile accidents and shows how x-rays can demonstrate the severity of skull fractures at different speeds. Dr. Wallace Tirman, of Caylor Nichol Institute in Bluffton, Indiana, demonstrates a technique for using fine-grain film to make x-rays viewable under a microscope. These microradiographs show thin slices of body tissue for analysis on a diffraction x-ray unit. Dr. Jeffrey P. Moore, of Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, shows that inserting a needle into a patient's back and injecting an opaque material is a more direct method for x-raying the spinal column to diagnose cartilage problems.

Lynn Poole discusses x-rays for treatment and diagnosis of disease and displays a recent report from the National Academy or Sciences and National Research Council on the biological effects of radiation. Dr. Russell Morgan, Director of Radiology Dept. at Johns Hopkins University, fields questions from members of the press: Nate Hazeltine, a "Washington Post" science writer; Pare Lorentz, a film producer; and Earl Ubell, a reporter and science editor with the "New York Herald Tribune". Dr. Morgan explains that x-rays affect both individual cells and the whole body, making them more susceptible to premature aging. He discusses the research by John Lawrence on the effects of radiation on mice and their extrapolation to man. He also notes a study on radiation vs. non-radiation workers that showed no difference in life spans of the two groups. It is the amount of radiation exposure that determines the effects of the damage. For example, a chest x-ray only delivers about 1/20th roentgen, a unit of radiation. However, Dr. Morgan discusses the feasibility of a reporting system for patients' total x-ray exposure and the need for a set of standards. And he does admit that the complexity and amount of radiation exposure is increasing in diagnostic studies and could double by 1960-65. A film clip demonstrates that this radiation exposure can be reduced by filtration, distance from the x-ray machine, length of time of exposure, and protection of areas not being radiated. Mr. Poole points out that Dr. Morgan has developed a fluoroscopy machine reducing by up to ten times the radiation time. In conclusion, Dr. Morgan discusses whether the Atomic Energy Commission or the U. S. Public Health Services should be responsible for the public's radiation health problems.