Medical film that made thousands faint at Expo 67 to screen in Ottawa

A groundbreaking medical film that made thousands of people faint 50 years ago is making its Ottawa debut Monday night.

Miracles in Modern Medicine, directed by Robert Cordier,was shown in Montreal during Expo 67, projected onto three giant screens during theexhibition's six-month run.

The 19-minutefilm was lost after Expo 67 endedand rediscovered by University of Windsor professor Steven Palmer in the dusty depths of Canadian film archives.

Shown in the 1960s, the film put the medical world on display in a way few had seen, long before blockbuster films, medical television shows and theinternet.

"It's something that nobody would have seen at that point, other than a doctor or a doctor in training, which is a very close-up, intimate look at an invasive medical procedure," Palmertold CBCRadio's Ottawa Morning.

And the film was full of these procedures, Palmer said.

Miracles in Modern Medicine's opening sequence is a graphic depiction of a live birth likely one of the first births seen by a mass public audience.

"Up to this point, shots of birth were very tightly controlled," Palmer said."And only doctors or midwives in training would have seen these films and those were quite discreet. This is a real shift from something that is very taboo."

The shots of blood are what sent most people over the edge, Palmer said. The massive screens, too, gave the procedures a greater impact.

"It was an immersive, theatrical experience. There were live performers on stage as well. Most people were watching the film, but there was a theatre show going on, mimicking what was on in the film. So it really brought it to life," Palmer said.

About 2.5 million people saw the film at Expo 67, with about 200 people fainting each day, according to Library and Archives Canada.

Miracles in Modern Medicine is screening atLibrary and Archives Canada in Ottawa at 7 p.m.