The Relaxed Wife

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DATE: 1957

LENGTH: 13:27

CATEGORY: Educational & Instructional, Color, Sound

CREATOR: On Film Inc.

DIRECTOR: Uncredited

PRODUCER/PUBLISHER: J.B. Roerig and Company

Summary

Turning the dominant ideology of 1950s America (frazzled housewife in need of “mothers’s little helper”) on its head, this film presents a calm and relaxed wife and mother. She guides her overwhelmed and frustrated husband toward relaxation and what today we might call self-care. Part of that care is the proper tranquilizer…Read The Essay

Supplementary Materials

Stills from The Relaxed Wife

Title card of "The Relaxed Wife" over top of two fists pulling a piece of rubber taught between them.

A woman serving a cup of tea to her husband, laying under the covers in bed, reading a book titled "Relax, Relax!"

A man on the phone sitting behind a desk piled high with files and papers, stressfully working.

A woman reading a book about managing stress to her husband who is seated in a chair across from her.

A close up of a man with a distressed expression on his face and a metered sign on his head reading, "Perfect", "My Very Best", and "Good Work".

A woman kneeling down and reading to her husband who is laying on the floor beside her.

A smiling man seated behind a clean desk, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head in a carefree manner.

Screenshot of a stack of books with titles about tension and relaxation.

In the Collections of the National Library of Medicine

NLM Historical Audiovisuals Collection

The film America on the Rocks examines motivations and contexts for drinking, including “to relax, to relieve tension, and to enhance social situations.”

Pioneers in Consumer Protection profiles (with a promotional bent) the history of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees food and drug testing, food labeling, inspection, and drug certification. The film describes the requirements for approval for drugs, including anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals such as Atarax.

The video, Panic Attacks , profiles anxiety and panic in both a housewife and a businesssman and discusses treatments for these and related mental health conditions. View in LocatorPlus Catalog.

NLM Archives & Modern Manuscripts Collections

This Medical Recipe Book produced in 1765 contains formulas and recipes to treat a range of illnesses, including several described as nervous disorders (nervous cough, nervous fit).

NLM Rare Books & Early Manuscripts Collection

Peace of Mind Atarax, 1957 by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. View in LocatorPlus Catalog.

An interior front cover, which reads, "You have your choice of good ataraxics. In this book are 3 reasons why we feel you should think of Atarax first."

A black and white close up of a smiling young girl and a cat.

A sepia-toned image showing a seated man wearing a stethoscope, smiling.

A black and white closeup of an older man and woman, intently reading a newspaper together.

An interior book page with numerically listed sections: "Anxiety and Tension", "Gastrointestinal Disorders", "Gynecological Disorders", Hyperemotivity in Children", "Pruritus", and "Senile Anxiety States".

The back cover of "Peace of Mind Atarax", showing a vividly green background of dense trees along a fence and pathway.

Wrecked Constitutions: How to Restore Them and Obtain Health, Strength, Flesh, and Nerve Force, ca. 1910 by Dr. Cassell’s Co. is primarily an advertisement for “Dr. Cassell’s tablets.” The text is chiefly testimonials. View in LocatorPlus Catalog.

Atarax Comprehensive Bibliography, 1961 by Roerig (J. B.) and Company. Medical Department. View in LocatorPlus Catalog.

NLM Prints & Photographs Collection

Informative poster from Pfizer Inc that reads at the top, Depression: it can affect you in ways you would never suspect. — Depression: it can affect you in ways you would never suspect, 19—
*National Library of Medicine #101449442*

A poster with an illustration of a man who instead of a head, has a bomb on top of his shoulders. The title reads, Defuse Stress: Take time to relax, eat right, and exercise regularly. — Defuse stress: take time to relax, eat right and exercise regularly
*National Library of Medicine #101437745*

Related Resources from the National Library of Medicine

Medicine on Screen

The essay, For Rebels, it’s a Kick…, by Erika Dyck, takes a deep dive into a film titled LSD: Insight or Insanity? The film warns passionately of the dangers of LSD, along the way tracing the history of the drug from its synthesis in a Swiss laboratory in 1938 through scientific experiments, casual use, and the widespread banning of LSD in the U.S and other countries.

Circulating Now

Learn more about collections related to pharmaceuticals on the NLM blog, Circulating Now.

Exhibitions

Pick Your Poison: Intoxicating Pleasures & Medical Prescriptions—Humans have used mind-altering substances as long there have been humans. While some of those drugs are socially acceptable, others are outlawed because of their toxic, and intoxicating, characteristics. These classifications have shifted at different times in history, and will continue to change. Pick Your Poison: Intoxicating Pleasures and Medical Prescriptions explores the factors that have shaped the changing definitions of some of our most potent drugs.

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning is an online exhibit tracing the history of aspirin, a “ubiquitous remedy for a constellation of ailments.”

MedlinePlus

For trusted, current health information, explore the MedlinePlus drug information page on hydroxyzine (which is the generic version of the drug, Atarax)

DailyMed

The DailyMed database contains labeling, submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including formulations containing hydroxyzine.

PubMed

PubMed Central® (PMC) is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM).

PubChem

PubChem is an open chemistry database at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Quickly find chemical information from authoritative sources, such as this compound summary for hydroxyzine.

External Resources

Essay author Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece discusses her research around the connected histories of filmgoing and mind-altering substances in this podcast from the New Books Network.
The National Institute of Mental Health sponsors research on and offers guidance for those with anxiety disorders and other mental health concerns. Read more about anxiety disorders.

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