Echoes of Štampar’s Public Health Activities in the Slavonski Brod Area

Abstract

The activities of the public health service in Slavonski Brod began already at the time of the Military Border, when a cordon sanitaire and quarantine were established to prevent the transmission of dangerous infectious diseases across the Sava River. However, a more developed form of preventive medicine was introduced during the time of Andrija Štampar, involving the establishment of the School Polyclinic, the holding of public health lectures, and the founding of the Anti-Tuberculosis Dispensary, the Anti-Venereal Clinic, and the Anti-Rabies Station. A major advance was made in 1946, when the Sanitary-Epidemiological Station was established as a separate institution. It proved very successful in combating the post-war epidemic of abdominal typhus, eradicating malaria, and introducing mass vaccination against children’s infectious diseases. A sort of stagnation followed during the 40-year period within the frame of the Medical Centre, especially when compared to the great progress of clinical and diagnostic medicine. Preventive activity developed significantly after the founding of the County Institute of Public Health in 1994. This is particularly applicable to the monitoring and combating of chronic degenerative diseases, malign tumours, protection of schoolchildren and youths, and increasing attention given to addictive disorders among the younger population.