[Tone]

[National Library of Medicine HF1911. This transfer made: 12/21/05 Length: 00:16:30]

[The Arthritis Foundation Presents] 

[One of Sixteen Million] 

[A bell rings and sounds of traffic are heard.]

[George:] It's been nice all week. It'll probably rain all weekend.

[Friend:] No, it's gonna be beautiful and I'm gonna give you six strokes and still take all your money.

[George:] Leave me out, guys. I had a bad week and I'm just gonna rest.

[The Guys:] Huh?

[Second friend:] Come on George. You haven't been out in weeks.

[George:] Well, to tell you truth, I've been thinking of...

[Second friend:] Oh, you're getting to be an old man.

[George:] Ha, getting to be an old man. 

Ha. Ah, I don't know. 

Maybe it's true. 

I'm feeling blah. 

Good evening, Mrs. Green. 

Well, the whole weekend to do just what I want to do, nothing. 

Mrs. Orange. 

Unless Ethel's got one of her lists again. 

Well, it won't take long to find out.

[Ethel:] After dinner, George, I was thinking, there are a few things I'd like to take care of.

[George:] Well, why don't we wait until after dinner? 

I want to rest. I want to take the weekend off.

[George's Son:] On four, hut, hut, hut, hut.         

Hi.

[George:] Hey.

[George's son:] Hey, is this going to work?

[George:] Sure, if you work it right.

[George's Son:]  A delayed reverse strong side sweep of five, three, split left option.

[George:] How does he flunk?

[Ethel:] Chow!

[George:] Ahhhhhh. Da-da-da-dum!

[George's son:] Wow.[George's daughter:] Gee.

[Ethel:] George!

[George's son:] Fumble.[George's daughter:] Daddy.

[Ethel:] Pass the duck to your father, dear. 

What is the matter with you, George?

[George:] Nothing. I slipped. I feel fine.

[Ethel:] I've been making a list, George. 

We've got a busy weekend. It's going to be split-second timing. 

Now, while I'm doing the dishes, you run right around the corner to the hardware store, and get...

[Cheering] Go, George, go! Go, George, go! Go, George, go! Go, George, go! Go, George, go! 

Go, George, go! Go, George, go! Yay!

[Ethel:] Well, why didn't you say something about it? 

You used to enjoy working around the house.

[George:] I do.

[Ethel:] Well, you ought to go see a doctor today.

[George:] I'm not sick, got to go.

[Ethel:] Your toast!

[George:] Gotta hurry. 

Gotta slow down. 

Boy, it's been hanging on. 

Glad it's Monday, got a chance to take it easy.

[Co-worker:] Why don't you keep these, Mr. Brown. I never get headaches.

[George:] Oh, no, no, just two is all I need.

[Co-worker:] Oh, look, go ahead and keep them. 

My grandmother's got arthritis, and she takes them all the time. 

I'll see you.

[George:] Arthritis. 

So I think maybe I'm getting a touch of arthritis.

[Dr. Clyde:] Let's have a look.

[George:] I know you're busy, and I didn't make an appointment.

[Dr. Clyde:] How long has it been bothering you?

[George:] Ohhh! Well, a few months off and on.

[Dr. Clyde:] In the morning when you get up?

[George:] Yeah.

Yeah, usually. Ahhhh.

[Dr. Clyde:] Uh-huh. How long does it take to go away?

[George:] Not long.

[Dr. Clyde:] Taking aspirin?

[George:] Yes. Yeah, yes.

[Dr. Clyde:] Good, now get dressed. 

Arthritis is from the Greek, "arthron," joint, "itis," inflammation. 

Pathogenesis can be metabolic, infectious, traumatogenic, congenital, or obscure. 

Differential diagnosis determines prognosis and optimum therapeutics. 

Symptomatic relief is advisable. 

Initially, radical pharmacology is contraindicated. 

Mitigation can be achieved by salicylates. Aspirin.

[George:] Doc, that's over my head.

[Dr. Clyde:] I see. Well, let's make an appointment next time, okay. 

Tuesday, two weeks? We'll make some tests and really get into it. 

Oh, Miss Ferbel, give Mr. Brown Diet 3, please. 

I'll see you in two weeks, George.

[Miss Ferbel:] Here you are, Mr. Brown.

[George:] Yeah, here I am. Thanks. 

Aspirin, a diet, and a lot of big words.

[Man on the street:] Doctors, they don't know what to do about arthritis.

[George:] Well, he seemed to know a lot about it.

[Woman on the street:] Did he do you any good?

[George:] Well, what else is there? 

Does anybody know what to do?

[Man's voice:] Sassafras tea. You ought to try sassafras tea.

[George:] Get serious, will you?

[Man's voice:] Don't knock it until you try it.

[Another male voice:] A good stiff drink'll fix it. 

It's good for what ails you.

[George:] Yeah.

[Various male voices:] Complete rest. Do absolutely nothing.

You might try ice packs.

Why don't you start lifting weights?

[Woman's voice:]  Aspirin.

[Man's voice:] Opium.

[Woman:] Yoga.

[Skeptical man:] I think it's all in your mind.

[George:] Huh?

[Skeptical man:] Psychosomatic.

[George:] Now look, buddy, I know when my arm hurts.

[Skeptical man:] Take it easy, it's just an opinion.

[George:] Who asked you?

[Skeptical man:] I thought you did.

[George:] Everybody's got an opinion, even Ethel. 

"Go back to the doctor," she said. 

What for? Take two aspirin, and keep your chin up. 

Well, if it doesn't get any worse, I'll be okay. 

Ah, that dirty, oh, for heaven's, I don't know.

[Sound of lamp breaking]

[George's daughter:] Whatcha doing in the dark?

[George:] I'm just thinking, honey.

[George's daughter:] Can you fix my puppet?

[George:] Sure.

[George's daughter:] Thank you.

[George:] Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm.

[Ethel:] George, for heaven's sake.

[George:] I'm going.

[Ethel:] Don't slam the door.

[Dr. Clyde:] George Brown. Come in. It's been a while.

[George:] Yeah, well, I missed the appointment. It wasn't bothering me at the time.

[Dr. Clyde:] Uh-huh, remission of symptoms.

[George:] Hold it, hold it, Doc. 

There are enough words I don't understand around here already.

[Dr. Clyde:] I see.

[George:] Anyway, the elbow is worse. 

Hands are beginning to get stiff in the knuckles, you know. 

Now what's going on?

[Dr. Clyde:] Miss Ferbel, no calls please. 

Well, let's see, you're easily fatigued.

[George:] Yeah.

[Dr. Clyde:] And you regularly woke up stiff and sore.

[George:] Yeah.

[Dr. Clyde:] And your elbow and now your knuckles are inflamed and painful.

[George:] That's me. I've got arthritis.

[Dr. Clyde:] Well, it's not that simple. 

The word "arthritis" covers all the disorders that affect the joints of the body. 

They've been around since the year one, plaguing every generation of mankind. 

Gradually, we learned that there are dozens of really different disorders that show up in the joints. 

So, for somebody who is regularly stiff and sore someplace, here's the first question: 

"Just what have I got?"

[George:] Okay. That's my question.

[Dr. Clyde:] Well, I can give you a quick opinion, George, but we'll make some tests to be sure. 

There are a lot of possibilities. 

Here's the most familiar type.

[George:] Osteoarthritis.

[Dr. Clyde:] Right. This is the one that makes most people think arthritis is an old folks' disease. 

Here's what happens. 

A joint has, let's say, a normal shape and works beautifully because of it. 

Osteoarthritis is a change in that shape. 

Little by little, cartilage deteriorates in the lining and new bone grows around the edges. 

Many things seem to be able to start this remodeling, so even though it seems to be 

connected just with the wear and tear of a lifetime, well, that isn't the whole story. 

Even in a young person, osteoarthritis can begin if the joint is under constant strain, 

like tennis elbow or housemaid's knee.

[George:] Housewife's jaw?

[Dr. Clyde:] Not usually. 

Anyway, many people technically have osteoarthritis and don't even know it, 

because it begins slowly in only a few joints and doesn't get inflamed. 

It's not usually as serious as say, gout.

[George:] Gout? That's that funny thing, isn't it?

[Dr. Clyde:] Well, here's the traditional picture. 

[Music and giggling]

The trouble is, the traditional picture is wrong. 

You can live very sensibly and still have gout. 

It's a metabolic disease.

[George:] Ah, ah, ah, ah.

[Dr. Clyde:] I'm sorry. In other words, the body's chemistry is out of balance. 

There's too much of one chemical, uric acid, and little crystals form in the joint linings, 

often right here. 

Now suddenly, there's an attack, and it's not funny. 

It causes some terrific pain. 

But we've got some very reliable drugs to stop attacks, and if we know someone has gout, 

we can even prevent them with drugs that control the uric acid and restore the chemical balance. 

And then there's rheumatoid arthritis. 

It's really more than a local joint disorder. 

It spreads, inflames a number of joints in the body, affects the general health. 

Some doctors think it's an infectious disease caused by an agent, like a germ or a virus, 

so we're trying to find out who he is. 

There's another theory that this agent is responsible only for the first step

of a more complex process. 

The theory is that normal cells in and around the joint are changed by this agent just enough

to make them strangers to the body's defense forces in the bloodstream. 

So the defenders, tricked by the change of uniform, 

attack them like they would an invader from outside. 

There's a lot of research going on in these theories, and now there's two. 

All of it's aimed at understanding the causes of the disease so we can get a cure. 

But for now, I'm afraid the picture isn't exactly clear.

[George:] Have I got it?

[Dr. Clyde:] I can't say yet, but it's possible.

[George:] One of the those rare things, huh?

[Dr. Clyde:] Rare? No. About three or four million cases in the country. 

All together, all types of arthritis, over 16 million.

[George:] No kidding. 16 million.[Dr. Clyde:] Um-hum.

[George:] And all of us are stumbling around gulping aspirin and hurting like the devil. 

There's got to be a cure. Somebody must have found something.

[Dr. Clyde:] If you insist on believing that. 

Let me show you just what you're in for. 

You won't need much money to begin with, you can start with nice, simple things, 

like a copper bracelet. 

Maybe a warm watchband. 

Spend only 15 minutes a day with the electromagnetic vitalizer. 

Then try a little local vibrator. 

Graduate to the heavy-duty model. 

Forget your pain under the amazing Spectronic V-Ray. 

Take your pick of a hundred fantastic, miraculous brand new time-tested formulas,  

or go sit in a helpful old uranium mine.

[George:] [Coughing]. Doc, you don't think I'd fall for all that.

[Dr. Clyde:] Lots of people do, George. It's a 300 million dollar business.

[George:] Wow. Well, what about those people who say they've been cured?

[Dr. Clyde:] Testimonials. 

Arthritis is a screwy disease, erratic. 

Sometimes the symptoms will just stop for a few weeks, a few years, and if you were using

moose grease about that time, you'd think it was a miracle drug. 

But then, some morning you'll wake up and find you spent years here, 

and your pain is back now, worse. 

And you're getting crippled.

[George:] Doc, you're not making my day, you know what I mean?

[Dr. Clyde:] Well, George, now...

[George:] Now, wait a minute. I come in here, you tell me, I've got it. It's going to get worse. 

I might be a cripple, and nothing's gonna help.

[Dr. Clyde:] Sit down a minute, George.[George:] No, go ahead.

[Dr. Clyde:] There are two false notions about arthritis. 

One is, there's a quick cure. 

But there's another: there's nothing to do but suffer. 

Now that's false, too, and dangerous, because just about the worst thing 

you can do about arthritis is nothing. 

While you sit there feeling sorry for yourself, it's getting worse, and that's just what 

you want to prevent.

[George:] What can I do?

[Dr. Clyde:] Well, you make up your mind. 

You've got a chronic disease. 

You're going to have to deal with it for a long time, maybe all your life. 

But we've learned a lot that can help you.

[George:] Well, fill me in.

[Dr. Clyde:] You're already using one thing, aspirin.

[George:] Oh, well.

[Dr. Clyde:] Now, don't underrate it because it's common. 

With the dose increased to high level, it's pretty powerful. 

It reduces pain and swelling and inflammation. 

It's the basic drug as long as it does the job. 

Later, if we need them, there are some even more powerful drugs.

[George:] I knew there must be something.

[Dr. Clyde:] Yes, but it's not that easy. 

These drugs, steroids, gold, affect each case differently. 

It might take a while to judge the success of a drug, and there can be some bad side effects. 

So, we begin conservatively, advance slowly, and watch carefully. 

Another thing we watch is what you eat.

[George:] There was nothing special about that diet you gave me.

[Dr. Clyde:] No, no gimmicks, just good nutrition and proper weight 

to give those bones a fighting chance. 

Now, you can't handle arthritis just by putting the right things in your mouth. 

There's physical medicine in the program, too. 

Here's the theory behind it. 

If a sore joint is favored too much, if you retire it, the surrounding muscles get weaker 

and the whole thing drifts apart. 

In time, the space in the joint gets filled in with tissue, and when that hardens, you're crippled.

[George:] So I've got to keep it working.

[Dr. Clyde:] Right. The motto is, "If you can, do."

[George:] Yeah, well, that's my wife's motto, too. I'm pretty active.

[Dr. Clyde:] Good. But don't just grit your teeth and go on. 

You've got to keep the pain and inflammation down.

[George:] Good thought.

[Dr. Clyde:] The one thing that helps is heat.

[George:] Yeah, I noticed that.

[Dr. Clyde:] Okay. Dry heat, wet heat, and special treatments, like hot paraffin baths. 

Each has its advantages, and they do more than soothe pain. 

They make a physical therapy routine easier and more helpful. 

Suppose a certain set of muscles needs toning up. 

The routines are tailored to accomplish that. 

Or if the joint is overstrained, there are all sorts of devices designed to rest it, or reinforce it. 

So there's a lot we can do. 

The best program for an individual takes cooperation, the patient, his doctor, and his family. 

Each has a part, but the patient is the key. 

If he lets himself feel like an invalid, his arthritis can make him one. 

But if he starts a treatment program early and sticks to it, arthritis won't keep him 

from leading a pretty normal life, active, satisfying. 

What do you think, George? 

[George:] I think he should keep his head down. And I guess I'll keep mine up.

[Dr. Clyde:] Let's make these tests.

[George:] You know, I don't keep mine down all the time, either. 

And the grip's terrible. 

How about this physical therapy? 

I've got some muscles that keep forgetting I'm trying to play golf, you know. 

[Music]

Evening, Mrs. Green.

[Narrator:] George Brown has had a hard time getting to know 

what he needed to know about arthritis. 

It took him a year to learn what you just learned in 15 minutes. 

Now, if you'll just keep the facts straight, it could save a lot of time and a lot of pain,

if you should ever happen to become one of those 16 million Americans who have arthritis.

[Produced for the Diabetes and Arthritis Control Program, The National Center for Chronic Disease Control,

Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare] 

[Executive Producers: Allan M. Wolfe, M.D., Robert Roach] 

[Written and Produced by Al Hillmann] 

[Designed, Animated & Directed by R. Drew] 

[Animation Camera: Dick Dodge, Animation Assistants: Mickey Kilduff, Bill Lesjak] 

[Music: Gene Rush, Voices: Ed Walker, Willard Scott, Flo Ayres] 

[Production by Design Center Incorporated Washington. D.C.] 

[The Arthritis Foundation Box 2525 New York, N.Y. 10001]