Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1935-03-22
SPOTLIGHT
ON THE
World Crisis
By DONALD GLEASON
Socialized Medicine
Health in Two Worlds
Hearst Lies VS.. Facts
A COMPARISON of the medi.

cal treatment here and In the
Soviet Union is just one way of
showing the difference between
a real workers state and a cap
italist one. 1t also proves that
the Hearst ISLANDERS about the
USSR are the lies of a man des-
perately afraid that the truth
will leak through the capitalist
barriers and set our own work
ers to wondering why they should
not have the same care.
In the United States thOus-
ands of doctors have lost their
sources of income while the need
for medical care has increased
due to the conditions OF under
nOurishment and lack of health
necessities for about One-half of
our population. In 1929, two per
cent of the doctors had incomes
of over $4,000 net, 80 per cent
had net income of $500, and
80 per cent were receiving less
than $500 BY 1894, according to
the American Medical Associa-
ton, these incomes had dropped
90 per cent. Moreover, those with
the lowest incomes suffered the
worst loss so that those who for
merly received less than $1,000
were actually having to pay for
the privilege of practicing.
In the USSR it has just been
announced that doctors salaries
which ranged from $50 to 400
rubles month will be practical
ly OLbled. Hospital staff doctors
will hencefOrth receive from $50
to 600 rubles a month. This sal
airy does not include the social
Insurance which the Soviet IN
ion guarantees the doctors as
well as all the rest of it's citizens,
such as old age pensions, vaca-
lions, and free medical treatment.
The total expenditure for health
protection in the Soviet Union
has increased from $500 million
rubles in 1884 to 400 millions for
1885. ar-Tf u-rsf L-Hs fs-rSi
In the United States there has
been much false publicity about
the state of health. Studies made
by the Millbank Memorial fund
have demonstrated that the sick
ness rate among the unemployed
was 40 per cent greater than
among the employed. 1t has been
estimated that over rs per cent of
all school children are under
nOurished. Pellagra, a disease
due to a defective diet, has ap-
peared in the Seattle sOupline.
1t has long been scourge of
the poor Negroes and whites in
the South. tuberculosis and
pneumonia are on the increase
among the unemployed.
In the USSR the child death
rate has fallen 80 per cent from
the pre-war figure. Diseases like
cholera that used to kill thous-
ands, are now completely con-
quered and others like tubercu-
lOsis are rapidly decreasing. One
reason for this is the increase in
medical care. There were 1900
doctors in 1913; now there are
$4,000, and 10000 students in pre-
paratiOn for doctors. Even this
increase is insufficient for the
needs of the people.
DR.. Emily Pferson, a we'll
known physician in Hartford,
Connecticut, just returned from
the Soviet Union, reported:
Medical education is so efficient
that since 1921 no epidemics have
occurred in cholera, typhus, ty-
phOid or smallpox, all of which
used to be frequent scourges of
Czarist Russia; tuberculosis pre-
VentiOn and treatment, which has
cut the death rate from this dis
in git
ductiOn is due not only to bet
ter living conditions, better sani-
tatiOn in the factories, but to the
chain of rest homes and sanatoria
which cover every part of the
Union, and admissions to which
are without charge to all who
need them"
The rest homes provide vaca-
lions of from two weeks to two
months for all classes of workers.
The day and night sanatoria are
for children and workers who are
below weight. After work or af-
ter school they attend the sana-
toia to receive high calory meals,
special treatment and sleep in
the open air. If they do not gain
within a week under this treat
ment, they are put on a four
hour day of work with no reduc-
ton in pay for time spent in the
sanitOrium. If after a month of
this treatment they do not make
satisfactory gains they are sent
to full-time sanitorium.