LIVING LONGER

When penicillin became available to World War II troops, it let the wounded overcome previously fatal battlefield infections, changing the face of medicine forever. Antibiotics prolonged life and gave doctors new ammunition for a war on disease.

This PBS program traces major public health campaigns, including the drive to eradicate tuberculosis and get ordinary citizens--egged on by Hollywood--to contribute money through Christmas Seals.

The public relations push continued against polio, a muscle-wasting disease that reached epidemic proportions in the 1950s. Although early images showed youngsters immobilized in the prisons of iron lungs, they were replaced by March of Dimes poster children, two of whom are interviewed here. In 1955, America began winning the polio battle when Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine. Since then, there have been global strides to eradicate smallpox, cholera and typhoid, and curb the spread of AIDS. The program ends on the upbeat prediction that with advances in health care, babies born today can be expected to live through the entire 21st century.