British Pathe

Reel 1. Netley Hospital 1917 and Seale Hayne Military Hospital 1918.

01:00:01 Effect of treatment on shell shocked soldiers for various "hysterical" problems. Private Preston crawls under his hospital bed in fear when the word "Bombs!" is mentioned. Private Urand is filmed outside the hospital...

Reel 1. Netley Hospital 1917 and Seale Hayne Military Hospital 1918.

01:00:01 Effect of treatment on shell shocked soldiers for various "hysterical" problems. Private Preston crawls under his hospital bed in fear when the word "Bombs!" is mentioned. Private Urand is filmed outside the hospital after "10 days re-education" for his jaw spasm. Two Hysterical "Stump Orators" are shown. Private King walks unsteadily towards the camera making an angry gesture. Private King and Private Sandall are seen walking and talking together. Private Sandall is then filmed two hours later: "As a result of treatment by suggestion he is now able to speak without moving his arms". Two months later Sandall is filmed at work "on a farm". We also see Private King at work - possibly Seale Hayne farm or hospital grounds. The improvement in Private Pudmore's "Hysterical shuffling gait" is filmed six weeks after his admission to the hospital. Improvements in Private Willis' "Hysterical pseudo-spastic gait" and Sergeant Peters' "wire spring gait" are shown. Private Williams' "slippery-ice gait" and the "ataxic gait" of Private Ashley are filmed. Sergeant Bissett's process of recovery is described.

01:09:30 Six weeks later all the men featured are cured or almost cured except Private Williams. We see them all walking normally. Private Richards is shown before treatment, after half an hours treatment then cured after an hour of treatment. Private Bradshaw is seen being attended to by a uniformed medical officer. He lies on a bed and lifts his legs. His legs are manipulated. He sits up in bed than stands and walks. Private Read's hysterical gait, swaying movement and nose-wiping tic are shown before and after treatment. He is shown two months later at work on Seale Hayne farm feeding chickens. An Intertitle in verse states that the cure for this ill is to do some hard work! Men are seen at work in the fields with horse drawn ploughs.

See Reel 2.