Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines how the state and medical profession responded to the issues and also assesses the drawbacks of having a fragmented system with no direct control at the centre. It analyses the Bolshevik vision of health and welfare after October 1917 until the end of the civil war. The book explores the new Leninist principles of health and welfare including state responsibility for public health; attempts to centralise health care; the notion of free and comprehensive medical aid; the emphasis on preventive medicine; and the unity of theory and practice. It assesses health conditions and medical care in Leningrad during the Stalinist era, focusing in depth on trends during the first, second and third five-year health plans, and 1928–32, 1933–37 and 1938–41 respectively.