The period from 1956 to 1970 saw the promotion of medical knowledge in the Polish society. Popularisation by the written word was of particular significance at the time. Readers would be given access to popular-science publications promoting knowledge from various fields of medicine. They were authored by both practitioners well known in the medical circles and by individuals without rich scientific achievements. Some of those publications were written with clear language, in a way accessible to the uneducated readership, and provided fundamental information on the causes of diseases, prevention and treatment. It needs to be underscored that many popular-science medical books were published by thousands by the Państwowy Zakład Wydawnictw Lekarskich Publishing House. These books are now valuable sources of information on the activities taken for health education of the Polish society in the Gomułka Period.

The poster is a combination of graphic elements and a text layer that is informative. Its development in the 1940s was influenced by the socio-political situation of the country, which was rebuilding itself from war damage. In the following decades, it was a narrative in line with the ideological foundations of the Eastern Bloc countries. Over time, the poster became a tool of conscious propaganda by the authorities. Social posters, including those dealing with multifaceted issues of public health, broke away from the monotonous narrative. In the collection of the History Department of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, there are over 5.5 thousand posters of various content and caesura. A small part of them, 80 objects, analyzed in this study, concern activities in the field of prevention and health promotion, documenting the activities of the Polish Red Cross or compliance with safety regulations in the work environment and everyday life. Many of them were prepared by artists associated with the Polish Poster School, cooperating with Polskie Zakłady Graficzne, Wydawnictwo Artystyczno-Graficzne, Instytut Wydawniczy Centralnej Rady Związków Zawodowych and Wydawnictwo Państwowego Zakładu Higieny. Posters were placed in visible places, e.g. in hospitals, clinics, offices or mass media. Their task was to educate the society and develop proper habits in everyday life.

In Soviet Lithuania many fields of daily life fell under heavy political influence. Medicine and health care was no exception. The health care system that existed at that time was presented in public discourse as the best possible and beyond any criticism. However, the society suffered from diseases, e.g. venereal diseases, just like at any other historical period or political system. Therefore, preventive actions in fighting the diseases had to be organized. The medical doctors and hygienists had to inform society about the possible health risks. And at the same time, they also had to keep with the “red line” by not criticising the faulty social system, which was partly responsible for the social origins of the diseases. Or, in a case there was a need to criticise someone/something, they needed to find someone/ something to criticise, e.g. gay people, hippies.

Alcohol abuse was one of the most serious social problems in Poland, mainly throughout the period of the People’s Republic of Poland. It caused a threat of social pathologies and was a significant criminogenic factor. Therefore, the activities of the authorities were aimed not only at prosecuting and punishing crimes committed under the infl uence of alcohol, but also at their prevention. Confidential reports prepared for the government outlined the scale of the problem and proposals for improvement.

1960s was the time when the model of school medicine organization moved from the stage of theoretical disputes to years of implementation. For ten preceding years there had been numerous discussions conducted by doctors hygienists who offered various concepts. As a result a new original and Polish model of school medicine appeared. The new concept was being adjusted to everyday life realities and it was built upon new legal bases. The core of the model became an interesting presentation of school hygiene by Marcin Kacprzak who had been active in the field even before 1939. The concept was based on preventive medicine which treated preventive and curative activities of doctors as their most important tasks. Kacprzak introduced to school medicine the system of organized (dyspanserial) healthcare over children and youth and it was incorporated by doctors. In towns the health protection system was conducted by school doctors and in the countries by rural health care doctors. As a result, the whole population of pupils was under medical care. Due to it, the range of free medical service included children and youth up to the age of 14. The children were mostly from insured families (mostly farmer families) which was important from the point of view of social benefits.

The article discusses issues related to combating venereal diseases among Polish Army soldiers in the last months of World War II and in the first post-war years, based on the bibliography of “Military Physician” from the discussed period. In January 1945 publishing of the magazine addressed to military doctors was resumed and aimed to inform about the developments of the military health service, promotion of new medical achievements and theories on their practical use. One of the serious problems discussed in the journal were venereal diseases, which recorded an epidemic increase in incidence, especially syphilis. A systematic, planned action to combat these diseases was already carried out in the 2nd Army of the Polish Army, where venereology ranked second among medical specialties. In the post-war period, the fight against the epidemic was undertaken by the Ministry of Health on a national scale. Legal regulations were introduced, appropriate laboratory, diagnostic and treatment facilities were prepared, effective drugs were used, including penicillin. One of the forms of infection prevention was the implementation of serological tests among the population, detection of sources of infection and conducting a wide propaganda campaign. The military health service worked closely with state authorities. The actions taken turned out to be beneficial and already in 1948 a clear decrease in the incidence of venereal diseases was observed

The work presents the activities of institutions providing medical care to Jewish survivors soon after the end of II world war within the borders of post-war Poland. The health situation of former prisoners of concentration camps and the scope of the assistance provided are described on the basis of accounts and memories of former prisoners and doctors, as well as available studies. An attempt has also been made to outline the activities of institutions entrusted with the task of caring for the health of the survivors, such as: the Society for the Protection of the Health of the Jewish Population in Poland (TOZ) and the Department for Aid to the Jewish Population. The first results of research on the effects of chronic starvation in concentration camps and attempts to optimize treatment are also described. The need for nutrition and the treatment of infectious diseases came to the fore.

The post-war activities of the Jewish health care in Upper Silesia, were part of a centuries-old tradition of activity by Jewish aid organisations. Its task was not only to spread medical aid, but also to provide, under adverse conditions and at short notice, the basis of existence and a sense of security for several thousand people. In the first half of 1945, issues of health care for the Jewish population settled in Upper Silesia after the Second World War remained the responsibility of the health departments at the field committees of the Central Committee of Jews in Poland. Starting from August 1945, the health policy and the protection of the health of Jews in Poland rested on the shoulders of the Society for the Protection of the Health of the Jewish People (TOZ) reactivated within the structures of the CKŻP. The organisation’s functioning was based on provincial branches, with interventions including: primary and specialist medical care, preventive measures including spa stays or maternal and child health. The Katowice branch was established in April 1946. At its busiest, it was the second largest branch of TOZ in Poland and covered five cities in Upper Silesia: Bytom, Chorzów, Zabrze, Gliwice and Opole. Among other things, there were nine outpatient clinics, mother and baby clinics, a maternity home and a dental surgery. Their activities came to an end in 1950, when all social organisations, including Jewish ones, were nationalised in Poland.

Summary After the end of World War II, Poland began a period of reconstruction of the country, but also of great ideological changes. A new regime was introduced, which set as its goal the nationalization of all branches of the economy. One of the areas of implementation of the new policy was health care. However, the introduction of all intentions was not immediately possible due to the massive destruction of the material base and the shortage of qualified medical staff. One of the demands of the new government was to universalize the health service and provide free care to all citizens. Obstetric care had a special place in these plans. It was considered necessary to create as soon as possible a network of facilities where parturients would be able to give birth in proper sanitary conditions under the care of qualified personnel, and thus limit the practice of the time being reduced to the use of unqualified village midwives for deliveries. In view of the insufficient number of gynecological-obstetrical hospitals, they began to create hitherto unknown institutions, which were intended to be located mainly in villages, so that they would be relatively close to the women giving birth. These institutions were birthing rooms and obstetric units. The text shows the specifics of the functioning of these three institutions providing perinatal assistance – functioning throughout the entire period of the People’s Poland – as well as the social perception of the services provided in them.

The paper is an attempt to show the situation within medical sciences concerning motherhood and care for woman in a socialist state. It focuses mainly on the medical health system in the Polish countryside after The Second World War. The existing data points to major shortages in this area, mainly caused by the state’s economic situation. An additional issue was that social insurance for farmers was implemented only in the seventies and that medical education was not sufficient. One of the main consequences of that state of affairs was, amongst others, turning to people involved in alternative medicine mainly so called “babki” (quacks).

The article familiarises its readers with the circumstances in which the housing co-operative aimed for with rheumatic diseases was established, the course of the investment’s completion in Gdynia – a housing building with medicinal and rehabilitation functions – as well as the years-long functioning of the complex which was so important to the Tricity (Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot). In mid-1960s Doctor Jadwiga Titz-Kosko, one of the pioneers of Polish rheumatology, began gathering a group of the people involved in helping implement the idea of small flats for people with special needs – lonely and often elderly ones with diseases. In the face of difficult housing and economic situation in Poland of that time, the people had limited opportunities to get a place, medical help or care and, at the same time, remain independent and as self-sufficient as possible. The co-operative was established in 1967 and in 6 years it constructed a facility with small (15m2) flats with bathrooms, large shared parts including kitchen and dining room, practical facilitations as well as round-the-clock medical care and help in everyday activities. The offer was complemented with a wing with a rehabilitation department, a small hospital for bedridden patients and a supported employment enterprise which allowed the inhabitants to learn a new type of work and earn extra money. The third building was a swimming pool with a necessary support area.

The facility and the mode of its functioning required co-operation of welfare services, healthcare system and various levels of administration. It was the first solution of this type in Poland and, according to what was said at that time, in Europe. The innovative character of the idea is also a result of a different attitude to people with diseases and the elderly who are now treated as subjects, with respect to their right to spend their autumn years as they like. Contrary to original plans and a large interest in the idea in Poland and abroad (especially in Central Europe and Scandinavia), the economic situation in the 1970s and 1980s shortage of funds and ill-adjusted regulations did not allow to turn the Co-operative and the housing building it had designed into a model project. What is more, before 1989, construction of similar facilities began in the Tricity and they were also copied upcountry. Significantly, the “Za Falochronem” building also had impact on the perspective on the elderly and people with diseases or their needs. It was visible not just in Gdynia and the Tricity but also in the rest of Poland as it became a part of a nationwide debate on cooperatives and old age.

The articles presents the history against trachoma in Poland after Second World War. The infestation of the country with trachoma felt down from 1,1% to about 0,2% i.e. more than 5 times. It was possible thanks to the use of new drugs, mainly antibiotics and sulfonamides, as well as raising the standard of living of the society and paying special attention to combating the disease in children.

The article presents the sanitary condition of the Polish countryside at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s on the basis of press reports and bulletins of sanitary and epidemiological stations I will try to answer the questions to what extent and what intensity the higienization of villages in various regions of Poland developed of society to the introduced changes and finally what was the final effect of these struggles.

State Collective Farms (PGR) were established in Poland after the Second World War. Their employees were covered by free health care provided by rural health centres. The knowledge gained from a search of medical bibliographies provided little insight into the subject. On the other hand, an analysis of the contents of “The Rural Medicine” scientific journal (1963–1994) provided valuable information. The information obtained from the journal made it possible to visualise the social and living situation of State Collective Farm (PGR) employees, the state of hygiene of their dwellings and workplaces and the health care provided to them. The state of health care provided to the farm workers during the mentioned above period was unsatisfactory due to the shortage of qualified medical staff as well as the insufficient number of health centres, the lack of housing and means of transport for the employed. However, in accordance with the principles of the national class policy applied at the time, employees of State Collective Farms were favoured through the organisation of tiny and greater health centres at farm premises. The employees were also given priority in the use of services provided by other than local health centres, as well as additional medical care during the period of field work, etc.

Aging is a slow but progressive and irreversible process. It leads to old age, which is characterized by increasing unfavorable changes in the body. They cover the biological, mental and social spheres. They affect all organs and systems. They cause, among others: failure of regulatory and adaptive mechanisms, instability of water, heat and electrolyte management, and failure of detoxification organs. In the post-war period, this posed a challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of this age group. Due to the specificity of diseases in the elderly, diagnostics attempted to distinguish groups of patients in relation to the severity of changes, which could facilitate the identification of deficits, needs and problems in order to make a diagnosis. The ongoing changes in the morphology, physiology and pathology of older people resulted in specific therapy, both in terms of conservative and surgical treatment, with particular emphasis on pharmacotherapy.

The aim of the study was to learn about selected aspects of the development of geriatric medicine in the post-war period, with particular emphasis on the specificity of pathology, diagnosis and therapy in old age.