Synopsis
Contents. The evolution of life and the fundamentals of mammalian reproduction, presented through animation, photomicrography, and natural photography. The commentator quotes William Harvey's statement that all animals have their origin in the single egg cell and views of several different animals illustrate this remark. Marching cadets, girls dressed in white marching in a religious procession, and men at work are shown as the commentator says, " all of mankind who have lived and labored on this planet since the beginning -- all have come from the microscopic egg, many, many times smaller than a mustard seed." The investigation into the beginnings of life opens with views of biologists operating on a rabbit. Close-ups show the uterus, the ovary, the follicles, and oviduct. In an animated drawing the reproductive organs of a female rabbit are identified and their functions explained. Close-ups many times normal size show a follicle bursting and releasing the egg. A recently fertilized egg is washed out of the rabbit's oviduct. The reel closes with a microscopic view of the egg. Reel 2 opens with microscopic views of sperm cells approaching the egg. One and, as the commentator explains, only one enters the egg. When the sperm enters the egg, a membrane forms that excludes the other sperm cells. Under the microscope a fertilized egg is shown dividing into cells as the commentator explains the process of accelerating growth. After a close-up of the rabbit's uterus, which…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 16 minutes
- Collection
- Prelinger Archives
- Internet Archive item
- 0530_In_the_Beginning_11_19_29_00
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★ · Ugh. · Spuzz · 2016-01-30
Another one of these films that look far too innocent in the beginning, but then turn on you and gets graphic. The initial stages of this shows plenty of mammals and their young, like deer.. and rabbits.. Wait a minute! Did we see say Rabbit? Ever wonder how a rabbit is born? Why, we'll show you! Then it cuts into (literally) a rabbit being dissected and we see it's ovaries. Geez. After that, a pretty detailed course on how a rabbit egg is fertilized and grows. At the very end, I am not making this up, we cut into another rabbit, to see the rabbits ovaries with rabbit young still inside! then…