Ergot: the Story of a Parasitic Fungus. Wellcome Film Unit, 1971., 1971
Dates
- Creation: 1971
Language of Materials
Material is in English.
Access Restrictions
Access by appointment only. Applications to consult this material should be directed to the staff of the Harvard Film Archive.
Film prints are made accessible in close consultation with HFA staff. Although materials do not circulate for individual use, students, filmmakers, artists, and researchers are encouraged to use the collections on-site.
Extent
1 collection (45 16mm film prints)General note
Ergot, which infects most grapes and grasses, contains substances of therapeutic value--particularly in obstetrics. Ergot is also poisonous. Bread made from infected rye flour has produced all the symptoms of "St. Anthony's Fire": a burning sensation in the limbs, gangrene, convulsions, hallucinations and ultimately - death. The film traces the growth, development and propagation in nature of the fungus. Laboratory growth and cultivating of ergot and fungus-bearing grass is described. Discovery of ergot alkaloids, their extraction for medical uses and therapeutic applications are examined. (worldcat.org)
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Film Archive, Harvard Library, Harvard University Repository
The Harvard Film Archive is one of the largest university-based motion picture collections in the United States, with a collection of 40,000 audio visual items, a growing number of manuscript collections, and nearly one million still photographs, posters, and other promotional materials from around the world and from almost every period in film history. The HFA's collection of paper materials, including the documentation of individual filmmakers as well as promotional materials such as posters, film stills, and ephemera are accessible to Harvard affiliates as well as to outside researchers.
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