Building an Original and Internationally Standardized Public Health System in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Željko Dugac

doi:10.5937/acthist43-52883

Željko Dugac Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for History and Philosophy of Science, Division for Philosophy of Science, Zagreb, Croatia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/acthist43-52883

Keywords: history of medicine, history of public health, interwar period, Ministry of Public Health, Health Organization of the League of Nations, Rockefeller Foundation, School of Public Health, Institute of Hygiene, Andrija Štampar

Abstract

This paper analyzes the key processes involved in establishing the public health system in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), drawing upon existing scholarly studies and relevant archival sources. In the aftermath of World War I, the nascent state was confronted with numerous public health challenges. The establishment of the Ministry of Public Health marked the beginning of efforts to address these issues, as the Ministry assumed responsibilities over healthcare, medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and military health. This initiative included the enactment of necessary legal regulations, the creation of social medical institutions, and the regulation of medical personnel training, thereby laying the groundwork for a new approach to public health. The Ministry spearheaded reforms in the organization of health services, encompassing the establishment of new healthcare institutions, the creation of an innovative educational system, and the implementation of health programs and competencies designed to address both crisis situations and ongoing healthcare needs. Concurrently, the Ministry launched various preventive and social programs, as well as comprehensive health education initiatives, aimed at enhancing public awareness of hygiene and healthy behaviors. Additionally, significant efforts were made to establish enduring conditions for the integration of new scientific knowledge into daily life. All these programs were unified by a common ideological principle that posited that medicine, healthcare, and scientific advancements must serve the broader society, ensuring equal access for all community members. These initiatives were undertaken under the auspices of the Hygiene Department of the Ministry of Public Health, led by Dr. Andrija Štampar, an internationally recognized public health expert. The development of this public health system was further supported by professional and financial assistance from international organizations, including the Health Organization of the League of Nations and the Rockefeller Foundation. This collaborative effort resulted in the creation of a public health system that was both original and internationally standardized.

References

1. Šišić F. Dokumenti o postanku Kraljevine Srba Hrvata i Slovenaca 1914-1919. Zagreb: Matica Hrvatska; 1920.
2. Dugac Ž. Like Yeast in Fermentation: Public Health in Interwar Yugoslavia. In: Promitzer C, Trubeta S, Turda M, editors. Hygiene, Health and Eugenics in Southeastern Europe to 1945. Budapest, New York: CEU Press; 2010.
3. Dugac Ž. Andrija Štampar – Slike velikih formata. Zagreb: Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti; 2022.
4. Letter, Municipal doctor in Nova Gradiška. Report on the plague of cholera in the district of Novogradiško, undated. HR-HDA-831, sign. 3.2. Croatian State Archives in Zagreb.
5. Prausnitz C. The Teaching of Preventive Medicine in Europe. Oxford University Press, London: 1933. ; Porter R. The Greatest Benefit to Mankind. London: Fontana Press; 1999.
6. Statistical yearbooks 1929-1939, book I-IX. Belgrade: Državna štamparija Kraljevine Jugoslavije.1939.
7. Spitzer A. Zaštita dojenčadi. Liječnički Vjesnik. 1920;42:637-44.
8. Dugac Ž. O sestrama, siromašnim i bolesnim: Slike socijalne i javno zdravstvene povijesti međuratnog Zagreba. Zagreb: Srednja Europa; 2015.
9. Štampar A. Izabrani članci. Zagreb: Izdanja Škole narodnog zdravlja, JAZU; 1966.
10. Uredba o ustrojstvu Ministarstva narodnog zdravlja od 7 lipnja 1919. Narodne novine. 1919;85:1.
11. Spitzer A, editor. Uredba o zdravstvenom prosvjećivanju naroda Ministarstva Narodnog Zdravlja od 3. III. 1928. Zbirka zakona i naredaba tičućih se zdravstva i zdravstvene službe, dodatak XV. Zagreb: Izdanje nakladnog zavoda Neva; 1928.
12. Štampar A. Deset godina unapređivanja narodnog zdravlja. Zagreb: Zakladna tiskara Narodnih novina; 1934.
13. Dugac Ž. Protiv bolesti i neznanja: Rockefellerova fondacija u međuratnoj Jugoslaviji. Zagreb: Srednja Europa; 2005.
14. Zebec M, Vuletić S, Budak A, editors. 70 godina rada na promicanju zdravlja hrvatskog puka. Zagreb: Gandalf; 1997.
15. Cvetnić Ž, Dugac Ž. Selo Mraclin i Andrija Štampar – susret lokalnog i globalnog. Mraclin: HAZU Zavod za znanstvenoistraživački i umjetnički rad Velika Gorica, Škola narodnog Zdravlja „Andrija Štampar“ Medicinskog fakulteta u Zagrebu; 2018.
16. Belicza B. Kronologija najvažnijih događaja do 1944. godine. In: Švajger A, editor. Medicinski fakultet u Zagrebu 1917-1997. Zagreb: Sveučilište u Zagrebu Medicinski fakultet; 1997.
17. Dugac Ž. Kako biti čist i zdrav: Zdravstveno prosvjećivanje u međuratnoj Hrvatskoj. Zagreb: Srednja Europa; 2010.
18. Majcen V. Filmska djelatnost Škole Narodnog Zdravlja Andrija Štampar (1926-1960). Zagreb: Hrvatski državni arhiv; 1995.
19. Kohler ER. Science and Philanthropy: Wickliffe Rose and the International Education Board. Minerva. 1985;23:73-95.
20. Dugac Ž. Andrija Štampar (1888-1958): Resolute Fighter for Health and Social Justice. In: Borowy I, Hardy A, editors. Of Medicine and Men: Biographies and Ideas in European Social Medicine between the World Wars. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang; 2008.
21. Weindling P. Philanthropy and World Health: The Rockefeller Foundation and the League of Nations Health Organisation. Minerva. 1997;35:269-81.
22. List of included in the Medical Literature - Aid for Europe program, from 1920 to 1928. RG.710, S.1.1, B.2, F.14. RAC. New York.
23. Agreement on cooperation between the Rockefeller Foundation and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade, 25. studenog 1921. Emergency aid, RG.710A, B.2, F13. RAC. New York.