The Medical and Dental Device Patenting Blog

Movies entertain, they inspire, and they force us to take a moment away from our own lives. Here are five movies about medical inventions and their inventors to inspire those that are pursuing their own inventive processes.

1. “Lorenzo’s Oil” (1992)- this movie follows the creation of Lorenzo’s oil, an oil combination that is a 4:1 ratio of oleic acid and erucic acid that is extracted from rapeseed oil and that is used to treat Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). The oil was created by British Chemist Don Suddaby after he was contacted by the parent’s of Lorenzo Odone who were desperate to find a cure for their son’s rare disease.
2. “Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet”- (1940)  in a time when the cure for a widespread disease like syphilis did not exist, Dr. Paul Ehrlich decided that it was time to find a cure. Though Ehrlich did not set out to cure syphilis and was in fact looking for a cure for the sleeping sickness, Ehrlich and his colleague eventually developed a “magic bullet” that was able to wipe out syphilis and other similar diseases. His work also inspired researchers like Alexander Fleming who would go on to develop penicillin, one of the most effective drugs in the world. This movie goes to show inventors that their inventions can inspire others to do similarly wonderful things.
3. “And the Band Played On”- this movie focuses on the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. The movie follows epidemiologist Don Francis as he studies the outbreak, the effects, and the social ramifications of this disease that seemingly only affects the homosexual population. This movie shows those watching that even though their cause may be frowned upon, if you believe in it you should follow it.
4. Hugh Dancy as Mortimer Granville, “Hysteria” (2011) Ever wonder who came up with the vibrator? Well, the invention is credited to a man named Mortimer Granville who originally invented the device not for the purpose that it is used for today, but rather to relieve muscle aches and body pains. This movie is one that certainly is going to help inventors realize that though their inventions may be intended for one use, they may not always be used for your intended purpose.
5. “Awakenings” (1990) – this movie is based on the true story of patients that were affected by an encephalitis outbreak and the drug L-Dopa that was pioneered by neurologist Oliver Sacks. The movie follows the invention of the drug, its effectiveness, and its eventual lack of effectiveness as the drug wears off. This shows those watching that even though your invention may not be successful at first, it is a process that is well worth following.

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