Mexican public health history through film: the riches of a film archive, 1945–1970

Abstract

In Mexico, the use of film for educational campaigns on hygiene and public health topics has a long history, beginning with the films made by the Ministry of Health (Secretaría de Salud) under the presidency of Porfirio Díaz in the late nineteenth century. Subsequently, in the early twentieth century, American films were used at two important moments in the history of Mexican public health. Due to the predominance of American films, Mexican public health educational films have remained largely unknown.