Anniversaries of the Serbian Medical Society. 1947. 75 years since the founding of the Society

During the Second World War the country was again occupied by the enemy, and the Allies were liberating it--but it was bombarded by both! Graves and tombs covered the country once again--once again Serbian people had to suffer the greatest possible sacrifies as an ally with the progressive part of the world. Serbian medical association (SMA) had to restrain its activities once again in 1941 and share the fate of its people. Since the country was occupied the University of Belgrade and Medical school were closed. SMA restored its activities in 1946 and since then it turned to creating a new organization--establishing local branches and specialist groups all over the country. The Association initiated activities on improving professional skills of its members in order to fulfil its goals: solving the most important health care problems "which have flooded the country after the occupation of the country and plight of the people". As soon as the first post-war conference in the Autumn of 1946 took place, the Association brought resolutions concerning the "question of tuberculosis, question of paediatrics and question of dentistry in attempts to protect the people from the social disaster (tuberculosis)" and to deal adequately with the problem of health care of the young, as the most important task of the health care policy," and also to establish a "University School of Dentistry as soon as possible, in order to provide a sufficient number of dentists". The established tasks are being fulfilled, local branches and specialist groups are formed, thanks to commitment of the members of the SMA board, and above all because of the "hearty response of the Medical school colleagues--to go to all parts of the country"--as it was stated in the annals of the SMA. Engaged entirely in organizing its activities and professional improvement of its members, the SMA was most widely involved in dealing with basic problems of health care of the population. Therefore, the 75th Jubilee of the SMA is a crucial part of its history and a period of great success in creating a health-care system which brought our country among the most advanced in the world, regarding the accessibility of health care to the population!     

125 years' of the Serbian Medical Society

In the second half of the last century and under the influence of the European civilization, Serbia abandoned the conservative and patriarchal way of life and began to introduce a new, contemporary political, cultural and social spirit into the country. The development of these civilizing features was under the influence of young intelectuals who, as former scholarship holders of the Serbian government, were educated in many European countries. Among them, there was a group of physicians who returned to the country after having completed their education. They were carriers and holders of the contemporary medical science in Serbia and the neighbouring areas. On April 22, 1872 a group of 15 physicians founded the Serbian Medical Society with the intention to offer an organized medical help and care to the population. The first president was Dr. A?im Medovi? and the first secretary Dr. Vladan Dordevi?. At the meeting held on May 15, 1872 the text of the Statute of the Society was accepted and immediately submitted for approval to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the letter addressed to the minister of internal affairs the following reasons were cited: "... The Belgrade physicians feeling a need for having the main office for their professional and scientific meetings, for which they will find the opportunity and the funds, and in spite of their hard medical labor which requires almost all their time, decided to establish the Serbian Medical Society because they wish to be in trend and follow-up the medical progress and exchange the latest medical information not only among them but also with other graduated doctors living in areas with the Serblan population as well as with all scientists who are willing to contribute to the development of medical science in Serbia...". In the first year of its existence the Serbian Medical Society had 9 regular members, 1 honorary member and 34 corresponding members from Serbia, Slavic and other foreign countries. On August 5, 1872 it was decided to start the publication of a professional journal "Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo" (Serbian Archives of General Medicine). The journal has still been edited. On suggestion of the Serbian Medical Society the Law of Health Care was promulgated in 1881. It was translated into German and French languages and sent to about 400 addresses in different European countries with the request for their opinion and suggestion. The reply of the Vienna Medical Society was as follows: "... While the Austrians carry out some stupid regulations of health care, at the same time a small Balkan country, Serbia promulgated a Law according to which no one, including the King, the Government or a political party dare not use a cent intended for health service, treatment of the sick people and payment of physicians...". On the occasion of the centenary of the First Serbian insurrection and coronation ceremonies of the King Petar I Karadjordjevi?, and under the King's patronage, the First Congress of Serbian physicians and naturalists was organized from 5 to 7 September 1904. There were 433 participants of whom more than 100 foreign participants. A Serbian professor of infectious diseases at the University School of Medicine in Vienna, Dr. Jovan Cokor, presented a paper with results of his studies of tuberculosis according to which tuberculosis could be transmitted from a sick cow to man; in this way he complemented the results and explanations of Dr. Robert Koch who discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 1907 the Serbian Medical Society organized in Belgrade the First meeting of Yugoslav surgeons. At that time, the foundation of a University school of medicine was planned. The Serbian Red Cross Organization was initiated by the Serbian Medical Society in 1876. On February 2, 1891 a procedure was brought for the establishment of the Medical Chamber. Its activity began in 1901. During the First and Second world wars the activity of the Serbian Medical Society was di     

Anniversaries of the Serbian Medical Society. 60 years since its founding. The dream is fulfilled--the home of the Serbian Medical Society is opened

The Serbian Medical Society was founded in Belgrade in 1872, 126 years ago. At that time, Serbia was liberated from the Ottoman domination, and was one of some thirty existing independent states gaining international recognition in 1878. In 1932 an old dream has been fulfilled--on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the existence and activity of the Serbian Medical Society--the home of Serbian Medical Society was opened. A 30-year-long period in which the building of the Home was one of the main preoccupations and a "guiding light" of Serbian doctors thus ended. Money from charitable funds was used, which caused certain benefactors to be praised as noted personalities. Medical practice in those days was in the state of choice. There were no means for adequate treatment of certain ailments, and therapy without realistic scientific base was given, often covered by fictitious reasons. This was especially true for tuberculosis and cancer. Under the pretext of the introduction of "new therapeutical approaches" into medical practice and treatment, diverse pharmaceutical formulas were introduced without knowledge of their real effect--injections of milk, drug containing animal embrional cells and special attention was paid to transplantation of the sexual glands. The injection of "camphor oil" (5 cc) was thus "recommended, harmless but useless". The treatment of tuberculosis, which domineered the pathology of population, was very chaotic. The greatest number of drugs for "successful cure" were to be found here. Most commotion was caused by the so-called Friedman's cure for tuberculosis which was rejected only after vigorous debates. Our drug "Joannin" on the basis of "the old tuberculine" was also represented in this confusion (and Koch himself was forced to recant it). This medicament was also hailed as "successful cure". The origin of serious scientific efforts, however, are to be found around newly formed journal "Medicinski pregled", which attracted new and progressive contributors. At this time, the newly formed Ministry of Public Health started a campaign for the introduction of a modern organization of the health care and the inclusion of all population in it. However, in a country devastated by war and stricken by poverity, annomalies in the functioning of the health care existed, as financial preconditions did not exist and healt insurance was still in its infancy. This made the status of doctors difficult, causing long debates in the Serbian Medical Society and fierce criticism of the Ministry of Public Health. The responsible persons were accused of introducing and promoting communist ideas and revolution under the duise of health care for the poipulation.     

Psychologist-legislator: Reflection on the first year in office.

As a Massachusetts State Representative, the author describes how being a psychologist affected her campaign and 1st year in office. Her history of past and current political interests in women, education, labor, and human services has contributed to her legislative and political agenda. This article reports how the Massachusetts Psychological Association played a significant role in her campaign and how mental health issues have been her top priority. Serving as a state legislator has integrated her 2 passions: political activism and psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of minority physicians on health care

BACKGROUND: The fact that few doctors have their own GP may help explain doctors' poor health outcomes. Barriers to the doctor as patient role may arise from problematic perceptions of the 'doctor' subject position and from its subjugation of 'other-than-doctor' positions. Medical culture appears to foster and construct inappropriate health seeking behaviour of doctors. OBJECTIVE: A behaviour model is proposed--delusion, denial and delay; self-investigation, self-diagnosis, self-treatment and self-referral. Application of a behaviour change model could facilitate the doctor as patient role. DISCUSSION: Literary theory and sociology critiques may help peel off the social construction of 'doctor'. The realisation of such myths may allow access to medical care enjoyed by the general community.     

Low education, high GP consultation rates: the effect of psychosocial factors

The purpose of this study was to estimate the contribution of psychosocial factors to the increased use of a general practitioner (GP) among those with a lower level of education. The use of GP services was elicited from survey data from 2867 respondents from the Dutch Longitudinal Study on Socio-Economic Differences in the Utilization of Health Services (LS-SEDUHS) using a simple "Yes/ No" format. Psychosocial variables included long-term stressful conditions, social support, external locus of control, coping styles, and tendency to consult (a measure of people's propensity to go to a doctor with health problems). People with primary education used the GP services more than people with higher vocational training or a university degree (OR 1.87, p<0.05), adjusted for health status and health insurance. Only tendency to consult partially explained this difference (OR: 1.74, p>0.05). Most psychosocial factors do not seem very important in explaining high GP utilization rates among those with a low socioeconomic status. Alternative explanations are discussed.     

Validation of a self-report measure of somatic health

The primary purpose was to assess the validity of a new self-report inventory of general somatic health status. In addition, we sought to examine the influence of social desirability and negative affectivity on health reports and to learn whether asking respondents to report concrete, memorable aspects of illness episodes such as seeing a doctor or staying home in bed for all or most of a day would enhance validity. The somatic component of the Cornell Medical Index was used as a criterion measure of health status because that Index has been shown to reflect medical records with great accuracy. Scores on the new health inventory correlated highly with the Cornell somatic scores, and this relationship was independent of negative affectivity and social desirability. The addition of the "concrete, memorable" aspects of illness accounted for no additional variance in the Cornell Index somatic scores beyond that accounted for by mere reporting of the presence of the symptom or illness. This study offers evidence supporting the validity of the Inventory of Health Status as a predictor of somatic health independent of social desirability and negative affectivity and also indicates that a simple indication of whether the patient had the symptoms is sufficient.     

Gene-expression screens in vertebrate embryos: more than meets the eye

The health control of the travellers and medical assistance for them and their families is one of the oldest and most fundamental missions of the "Office des migrations internationales" (OMI) as defined by the reglementary treaties of November 1945 and June 1946. More recent reglementations have broadened the competence of the OMI to include certain categories of foreigners who had been exempt from all controls. Finally, the ministerial order of November the 7th 1994 specifies means of the health screening. Medical examinations are carried in various French and foreign institutions. It nowadays has become a consultation aiming at prevention and orientation. The medical examination has three principal objectives: the detection of little known abnormalities; the contact between the medical service of the OMI and regional services in charge of the first check-up; the health education of the examined persons. The clinical and paraclinical results are communicated to the patient who is also informed of the most serious health questions, as well as ways of gaining access to medical care in France; this is done by taking into account all medical parameters and health conditions prevailing in the patient's native country. All detected abnormalities are brought to the attention of the head physician of the OMI who in turn informs the medical inspector of the "Direction départementale des affires sanitaires et sociales" (DDASS) in charge of making sure that the migrant benefits from health and social assistance and receives medical treatment. All pathological results are given to the examined persons in form of a written and confidential report, enabling them to visit a doctor of their choice. A network has thus been built up throughout the various departments involved in the first medical examination and the DDASS has made available for the OMI medical staff listings of public institutions likely to welcome the migrants.     

Chlorambucil-induced pulmonary disease: a case report and review of the literature

This paper is a retrospection of hospitals and some outstanding physicians who lived in Pancevo, written in the honor of 50th anniversary of "Medical Review". Hospital bed capacity and the process of building hospitals have been: described briefly. Fire and wars have destroyed a lot of written evidence important for Pancevo health services. Nevertheless, the preserved sources let us read about facts that have already or will soon become part of the history of medicine. Apart from this, the paper also contains important details from the life and work of Konstantin Peici? (1802-1882), a famous physician, writer of the first Serbian original medical book "De pauperum aegrorum" (About Treating the Sick and Poor) and many other medical and fine literature works. He had worked in Pancevo for more than 30 years, but after he had retired, he moved to Budapest to become the manager of the Tekelianum in 1874. He spoke Latin, Hungarian, French, Italian, German and of course Serbian language. The paper also gives data on some other physicians: Ljubomir Nenadovi? a dentist and a writer, Jovan Jovanovi?-Zmaj, a physician and a great Serbian poet and a founder of the journal "Ziza" and assistant of the journal "Pancevac" founded in 1869, and so on. The above mentioned physicians had lived and worked in Pancevo since the first medical institution "Kontumac" was built in 1726, but then others were built too: the first civil hospital in 1803 and the first army hospital in 1830. Modern departments were built in 1965, whereas the Children's Department for Internal Diseases and the Department for Internal Diseases were built in 1974. This retrospection tried to present the history of Pancevo as well as great people from our past who worked there to our readers. They were great physicians, educators and gifted writers.     

Toward a just society: Lessons from observations on the primary prevention of psychopathology.

Discusses an important distinction that should be maintained between preventive efforts to reduce psychopathology and those aimed at improving public health. It is argued that many mental conditions are not discrete diseases; they are often learned patterns of socially deviant behavior or idiosyncratic thought that result from stress, powerlessness, and exploitation. Prevention efforts aimed at reducing psychopathology will often require social change and a redistribution of power. Efforts to change the power structure and to reduce social class inequalities are opposed by persons who accept (1) the belief that class differences are natural and even desirable from a social Darwinian perspective and (2) the "just world" belief that says that people deserve whatever happens to them. Prevention workers are more likely to accept the fatalistic view that people, only through their own political efforts, can improve the quality of life for most of humankind if they accept the fact that there is no "divine plan" and that evolution has no goal. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Strategic questions for consumer-based health communications

Using the consumer-oriented approach of social and commercial marketers, this article presents a process for crafting messages designed to improve people's health behaviors. The process, termed consumer-based health communications (CHC), transforms scientific recommendations into message strategies that are relevant to the consumer. The core of CHC is consumer research conducted to understand the consumer's reality, and thereby allowing six strategic questions to be answered. The immediate result of the CHC process is a strategy statement--a few pages that lay out who the target consumer is, what action should be taken, what to promise and how to make the promise credible, how and when to reach him or her, and what image to convey. The strategy statement then guides the execution of all communication efforts, be they public relations, mass media, direct marketing, media advocacy, or interpersonal influence. It identifies the most important "levers" for contact with the consumer. Everyone from creative specialists through management and program personnel can use the strategy statement as a touchstone to guide and judge the effectiveness of their efforts. The article provides a step by step illustration of the CHC process using the 5 A Day campaign as an example.     

Moral reasoning and political orientation: The context sensitivity of individual rights and democratic principles.

Following Emler, Renwick, and Malone's (1983) argument that political values are likely to influence the perceived importance of different moral considerations, in this study we tested people's preferences for specific moral justifications as a function of the interaction of political standpoint and political issue. We avoided a possible shortcoming of the role-playing methodology used in the Emler et al study by requesting subjects of different political persuasions to indicate the extent to which they saw particular moral premises as relevant to their positions on two political topics. We found that left- and right-wing thinkers' preference for "principled" moral criteria varied according to the compatibility of these considerations with their opinion on a specific issue. The results are interpreted as supporting the Emler et al case and as suggesting an interdependence of social reasoning and social context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-perceived health in East and West Europe: another European health divide

There is a great, and possibly also a growing, difference in public health between the central, eastern (CEE) and western European countries. Several suggestions have been put forward as explanations for this health divide. A broader framework than one focusing on medical care systems or behavioural patterns is necessary to examine this difference. It will be more fruitful to try to identify social and economic factors at large, as well as specific explanatory factors. The aim of this study is to find out to what extent "The East-West Mortality Divide" was apparent in people's perception of their own health in 1990-1991, as a division in self-perceived health across Europe. If there were indeed differences, the aim is to examine whether or not they can be explained by specific economic and social conditions present in the early 1990s. Data from "World Values Survey 1990" reveal a striking east west divide in self-perceived health among people in the age group 35-64 yr, one of greater size than the gender gap in self-perceived health. The importance of a number of circumstances for people's self-perceived health in the 25 European countries was estimated. The assumption was that any resulting difference between eastern and western European countries could help to explain the health divide. An attempt was made to estimate how much the east-west health divide would be reduced if some of these circumstances were similar in CEE to those in the west. The results indicate that people's participation in civic activities has a positive effect on their health. This effect is recognised especially on a societal level. This supports theories about civic activities and community performance. In western Europe the tradition of the active citizen is more developed than in eastern Europe. People's life control was important for their self-perceived health in almost every European country, both in the west and the east. In the former communist countries, however, people did not feel that they had the same control over their lives as did people in the west. People's economic satisfaction was the most powerful predictor of self-perceived health, both in the eastern and western parts of Europe. The average level of economic satisfaction in 1990 1991 was considerably lower in CEE. If people's influence and economic resources were the same in the former communist countries as in the west, the health divide, according to my estimations, would decrease by something between 10-30%.     

Continuing medical education in Europe: a survey

The Continuing Medical Education (CME) in Europe Project is conducted by the World Federation for Medical Education, in conjunction with the Association for Medical Education in Europe, the Association for Medical Deans in Europe, and the European Office of the World Health Organization, with Upjohn Medical Sciences Liaison Division. The aim of the Project is to promote the development of CME in all European countries. It also has global relevance: all six Regions participated in initiating the Project, and its progress and outcomes will be generalized to the other five Regions. This Project coordinates information about the important developments in CME in all countries of Europe. In addition to this coordinating function, the Project has a dissemination function, promoting knowledge about good examples and CME experience (demonstration projects) in the countries of Europe. A survey was made of the methods of CME in each country, the informants being the members of the Project's CME Task Force. It consists of nominated representatives from the National Associations for Medical Education of countries in the European Region.     

Eliciting patient preferences in today's health care system.

The American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs recommends that physicians discuss advance directives with their patients and the patients' proxies. The council could have gone further by recognizing the difficulties physicians will encounter in trying to implement its proposal in a managed health care system. There is an undeniable need for caregiver participation in end-of-life planning, but the health care system must recognize and support implementation of the council's recommendations to make that possible. More explicit recognition of this fact on the part of the council would have helped physicians attempt to comply with its recommendations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

American Medical Association sponsors press conference in home care

On September 12, 1996, the American Medical Association, with an educational grant from Hoffmann-La Roche, sponsored a National Press Conference in New York City at the Millenium Broadway Hotel on Times Square. Attended by more than 40 of the nation's top health care correspondents from the leading magazine and newspapers in the country, this conference was designed to promote "The Revolution in Home and Outpatient Care." With an emphasis on new sites and new technologies, speakers from the Academy of Homecare Physicians presented a number of related subjects.     

Art, wellness, and innovation: Heads up Kentucky! Puts psychology's contribution to healthy living in the public eye.

The Kentucky Psychological Association (KPA) Foundation is an organization that 2 years ago had little name recognition in its community or the state. In the past year, the KPA Foundation has contributed a major public art project to the city in which it resides, enhanced its financial assets, introduced educational material on the mind-body connection to public forums across the community, been the subject of feature articles in some of the community's major publications, taken health promotion curriculum to public elementary schools, and achieved national recognition for its public education campaign. This article describes the successful "Heads Up Kentucky!" campaign and the mobilization of the membership in the state's psychological association to make the fruits of psychological science accessible to members of the public. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pure Types are Rare.

Reviews the book, Pure Types Are Rare by Irwin Silverman. This is a provocative book. In it, Silverman, with ambitious abandon, sets out to denude the "medical model of mental illness" of its Emperor's Clothing. Unceremoniously, Silverman strips away the clothing of the medical model: psychiatric diagnoses are unreliable and invalid, labels are applied at the whim of the psychodiagnostician; mental illness bears no resemblance to physical disease, mental "illness" is a myth; biological causes of mental illness do not exist; biological treatments serve only to mask the real social and psychological causes of madness; psychotherapy is no treatment at all, there are no "treatment" principles or methods. What remains after Silverman's assault on the medical model? The medical model as Emperor remains, albeit naked. Silverman views the medical model and the entire mental health enterprise as an Emperor indeed: it is a political ideology that serves to control the socially and economically impoverished. Silverman goes on to offer an alternative to the medical model, a social psychological perspective on madness. He favours a view of madness as a social role which may be adopted by a person in the process of coping with life conflict. Silverman attacks practically all of the important assumptions and practices of psychiatry and clinical psychology. His radical social perspective on mental illness is at such odds with the common psychological perspective that, obviously, most psychologists, be they practitioners or researchers, will not like this book. Silverman insists on too radical a departure from our common beliefs. Despite the reviewer's disagreement with Silverman's radical social perspective on mental illness, he thinks that this is a worthwhile book. While the reviewer disagrees with his premise that clinical practices are exclusively or primarily political in essence, the reviewer does agree that there are essential social and political functions served by our practices. Silverman relentlessly and effectively uncovers important social and political meanings of diagnostic and treatment practices. This, according to the reviewer, is the strength of the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disability, health care, and public policy.

Efforts to persuade policymakers to rely on data to plan health care services for people with a disability or a chronic illness must confront the fact that many competing definitions of disability are currently used. It is important to recognize that pressures for standardization as well as disputes over disability definitions take place in a broader social and political context. Despite the practical difficulties facing researchers and the highly charged atmosphere in which disagreements over definitions must be managed, researchers have made progress in developing policy-relevant data that underline the importance of the health needs of people with a disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The first physicians in Banat--II

The second part is dedicated to the physicians in Vrsac, Bela Crkva and Pancevo. Vrsac was first mentioned in 1350 as Podvrsan. Building of the city of Vrsac (Vrsac tower) dates back to the middle of XIV century. It used to have a suburb, and it is the present Vrsac. One of the first and most important physicians in Vrsac during the XIX century was doctor Gavrilo Pekarovi? born on March 15, 1812 in Banatsko Arandjelovo (Oroslama) and died on March 8, 1851 in Vrsac. He had worked in a Serbian hospital founded by the Serbian Church in 1779. He wrote the first Serbian and Yugoslav book Cadoljub in 1836. Bela Crkva was first mentioned in 1355, but not many facts are known about its first physicians from the XVIII century. Up to 1812 medical corps was performed by a battalion physician-surgeon. In 1758 district surgeons are mentioned, as well as a surgeon from Bela Crkva. As a settlement Pancevo was first recorded in 1153 as a settlement of Greek merchants. A hospital in Pancevo was first mentioned in 1736, while the first physicians were military physicians. Doctor Kapaun was first mentioned in 1743 as a district physician. At the beginning of the XIX century doctor Trapl was the city physician whereas doctor Sloser was mentioned as a military physician without other data.