Cellular and molecular actions of anaesthetics.

London : University of London Audio-Visual Centre, 1973.

1 encoded moving image (36.58 min.) : sound, black and white.

00:36:58

University of London

Unrestricted

CC-BY-NC

Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales

In English

Presented by Dr John Nunn and Dr Michael Halsey. Produced by David Sharp. Made for British Postgraduate Medical Federation. Made by University of London Audio-Visual Centre.

This video is one of around 310 titles, originally broadcast on Channel 7 of the ILEA closed-circuit television network, given to Wellcome Trust from the University of London Audio-Visual Centre shortly after it closed in the late 1980s. Although some of these programmes might now seem rather out-dated, they probably represent the largest and most diversified body of medical video produced in any British university at this time, and give a comprehensive and fascinating view of the state of medical and surgical research and practice in the 1970s and 1980s, thus constituting a contemporary medical-historical archive of great interest. The lectures mostly take place in a small and intimate studio setting and are often face-to-face. The lecturers use a wide variety of resources to illustrate their points, including film clips, slides, graphs, animated diagrams, charts and tables as well as 3-dimensional models and display boards with movable pieces. Some of the lecturers are telegenic while some are clearly less comfortable about being recorded; all are experts in their field and show great enthusiasm to share both the latest research and the historical context of their specialist areas.

Segment 1 Nunn introduces the lecture and describes how there are different molecular and cellular sites which are affected by inhaled anaesthetic agents. He focuses, in particular, on the effects of anaesthetics on microtubues which he demonstrates on a 3-dimensional model of a microtubule. A short film of the heliozoan Actinosphaerium, a simple pond water creature with notable microtubules, is shown reacting to anaesthetics. The film clip ends. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:05:47:00 Length: 00:05:47:00

Segment 2 Nunn shows a series of electron micrographs of heliozoan Actinosphaerium microtubules and describes their function in detail. He talks about the drug halothane and shows a slide of a broad bean root tip exposed to the drug, then a sea urchin egg before and after exposure to halothane. Nunn introduces Halsey. Time start: 00:05:47:00 Time end: 00:10:55:00 Length: 00:05:08:00

Segment 3 Halsey demonstrates a 3-dimensional model of a haemoglobin molecule. He describes which parts of it are affected by drugs such as halothane. He then shows a diagram detailing the effect of anaesthetics on bioluminescent bacteria in the enzyme system, then a chart showing details of interactions between different types of anaesthesia. Halsey hands back to Nunn. Time start: 00:10:55:00 Time end: 00:16:36:00 Length: 00:05:41:00

Segment 4 Nunn discusses the effects of anaesthesia on motility. He shows a short time-lapse film which shows the effect of anaesthetics on the activity of lymphocytes and narrates over it to explain what is happening. The film clip ends. Time start: 00:16:36:00 Time end: 00:20:11:00 Length: 00:03:35:00

Segment 5 Nunn refers to studies showing the effects of anaesthetics on other micro-organisms such as mould. He also talks about how skeletal muscle is insensitive to anaesthetics while cardiac muscle is very sensitive. Nunn shows another time-lapse film, this time showing the effects of anaesthetics on the micro-organism Tetrahymena pyriformis. The film clip ends. Diagrams are used to chart the swimming speeds of Tetrahymena following various doses of anaesthetic drugs. Time start: 00:20:11:00 Time end: 00:25:05:11 Length: 00:04:54:11

Segment 6 Nunn shows a transverse section of the cilia of a micro-organism after exposure to halothane. He hands over to Halsey. Halsey refers to a diagram showing the effects of anaesthesia on red blood cells. He discusses too the effects of anaesthesia on synaptic transmission. Time start: 00:25:05:11 Time end: 00:30:43:00 Length: 00:05:37:14

Segment 7 Halsey discusses the way in which anaesthetic drugs affect neurotransmitters, referring to detailed diagrams to highlight his points. He hands back to Nunn. Nunn sums up the lecture by saying a proper study of the cellular and molecular effects of anaesthesia should also include studies on the effects of drugs other than inhaled anaesthetics. Time start: 00:30:43:00 Time end: 00:36:58:24 Length: 00:06:15:24