[Social diseases in the interwar period in the Lwów Province]

The health state of Polish society in the interwar period was unsatisfactory. In particular, the danger was posed by social diseases, understood to be serious diseases of prolonged type, widespread among people. The diseases included: tuberculosis, trachoma, venereal diseases, infancy diseases causing a large scale infant mortality, excessive mortality among mothers in the peripartum (around birth) period, alcoholism, mental diseases, goiter, cancers, and occupational diseases. Because of the character of the social diseases, fighting them was long, and the interactions aimed not only at the ill ones, but also at their environment. The main role in this process was played by social ambulatories, whose chief task was prophylaxis. The actions differed depending on individual diseases. The personnel consisted of doctors, social nurses, school hygienists, sanitary supervisors, and social keepers. There were undertaken coordinated actions, supported by the state, provincial and district self-governments, and social organizations. Regulations governing the fight against social diseases were created. They mainly applied to organizing institutions and obligatory registration of diseases. Thanks to cyclically growing number of institutions, personnel trainings and sanctioning of the fight against social diseases, the epidemiologic situation improved noticeably towards the end of the period.