The Anti-Tuberculosis League as the cornerstone of Štampar’s concept of public enlightenment (A review of the 2nd and 3rd Meetings of the Osijek County Physicians)

Abstract

This paper presents the activities of the Anti-Tuberculosis League in the Osijek County (oblast) as the foundation of Štampar’s concept of public health education, focusing on two Meetings of the Osijek County Physicians (the 2nd and 3rd) in 1927 and 1928. The introductory section provides an overview of the anti-tuberculosis movement in Europe and the development of the dispensary system and public health reforms in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes during the 1920s. The establishment of the Anti-Tuberculosis League in Osijek in 1926 was a result of the actual health condition of the population and a broad campaign to combat tuberculosis and reform public health, following the healthcare principles of Andrija Štampar. According to the established rules, the League’s work was based on the anti-tuberculosis movement, with the primary task of placing the entire population in the Osijek County under the same organised expert supervision. In line with this, the paper describes the activities of the Anti-Tuberculosis League and the two Meetings of Osijek County Physicians, with an emphasis on the humane attitude of physicians towards patients and their dedicated approach to treating tuberculosis as a severe social disease. Numerical data on the prevalence of the disease as a threat to the population shows that medical care was envisioned as a comprehensive action aimed at achieving socio-medical objectives. The role of Dr Prokopije Uzelac, the League’s secretary, is particularly emphasised in this context, with a detailed account of his presentation at the 2nd Meeting of Osijek County Physicians and the 14-point resolution on the League’s work that he proposed, highlighting the comprehensive approach and understanding of the severity of tuberculosis protection issues. The paper also provides a brief description of the 3rd Meeting of Osijek County Physicians, excerpts from the participants’ speeches, and quotes from Andrija Štampar’s speech at the meeting. By describing the physicians’ meetings and quoting from their speeches, as well as the proposed resolution, the paper aims to show the pivotal shift in the approach to health education and the transition from individual physician engagement to a socially engaged and organised approach to treating tuberculosis as a social disease. The paper also analyses available materials to provide insight into the social atmosphere and the willingness of Osijek physicians to actively support the League as an important socially organised effort in disease prevention and management.