Work of Jewish Medical Community and the Health Culture at School in the Second Republic of Poland (1918–1939)

Abstract

This article is an attempt to more closely examine health problems in the area of education in Poland during the interwar period while taking into account the actions of the Jewish medical community. Because of the large number of Jewish doctors in this professional group it is possible to refer to the issues in question by looking at their activity within Jewish social organisations such as TOZ the Society for Safeguarding the Health of the Jewish Population and CENTOS [Central Office of the Union of Societies for Care of Orphans and Abandoned Children] that focused on private schools for Jewish children. The activity of representatives of the Jewish medical community especially advocating of school hygiene in public education is also considered in the analysis. Considerations concern in particular these elements of school health culture that are connected to hygiene and medical care of pupils’ health as well as to the evaluation of the condition of children’s health, and to the investigations initiated in this respect. One can notice here some attempts to show otherness of Jewish pupils observed against the general background. There is also some information about organized activity in respect to health prevention in schools, and of issues related to hygiene education. Conceptual, organizational, and practical activities of Jewish doctors for school hygiene have been presented in the article. Special achievements of Jewish doctors in treatment and prevention of tuberculosis were reflected in creation of forms of healthcare for pupils suffering from or threatened by this social disease, as well as in the search for an explanation of the incidence of this disease. These considerations are based on the image that had been created in the Polish inter-war medical and pedagogical magazines. The following examples were taken into consideration: Warsaw Medical Magazine [Warszawskie Czasopismo Lekarskie], Child Care [Opieka nad Dzieckiem]. Also, the contents of Jewish press published in Polish by TOZ and CENTOS, such as Social Review [Przegląd Społeczny], Health Almanac [Almanach Zdrowia], and the magazine containing Polish abstracts TOZ-Jedies/Social Medicine [Medycyna Społeczna]were analysed.