Anyone who read Washington Post "Sunday Style" editor Gene Weingarten's hilarious 1998 book The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life and Death will no doubt recall that after a lifetime of worrying about phantom illnesses, Weingarten was finally diagnosed with Hepatitis C, a viral disease of the liver, which affects nearly 4 million Americans today. Primarily spread through blood contamination, Hepatitis C, for which there is presently neither a vaccine nor a cure, is not initially life-threatening; however, it can lead to serious health complications and does negatively impact quality of life. Interviewing doctors and people with Hepatitis C (including Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh, who was saved by a liver transplant), this talking heads program offers relatively sketchy information on how the disease operates (no animated reconstructions or computerized models), and few comments on symptoms (although many people are asymptomatic), focusing instead on personal profiles and general awareness. The final third of the program looks at contemporary conventional (interferon) and alternative (Qi Jong) treatments. Not discussed are the new potentially breakthrough drugs Pegasys and Pegintron, currently in testing, which promise better results with less side effects. Of questionable value in consumer medical education collections (especially since viewers are not told where to turn for more information), this program is still a strong optional purchase for larger collections since so little exists on the subject. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
Hepatitis C: A Viral Mystery
(2000) 31 min. $195. Fanlight Productions. PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 1-57295-308-X. Vol. 16, Issue 1
Hepatitis C: A Viral Mystery
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.