FLASH REVISE CARDS - THE HEALTH ORGANISATION OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
1. League of Nations – Mr. D’s History – St. Peter’s College, Auckland, New Zealand
THE HEALTH ORGANISATION
OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
League of Nations Health Organization in the late 1920s. Rajchman is standing on the right.
It is interesting to note the number of women in this photograph even though they worked in
secretarial and clerical positions (left); Ludwik Rajchman, a Polish physician and
bacteriologist who completed post-doctoral studies at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, was
medical director of the Health Section of the League of Nations between 1921 and 1939.
Among his other accomplishments, he was a respected leader of European social medicine.
Courtesy: United Nations Archives at Geneva (right).
Under the leadership of Ludwig Rajchman, this was regarded as one of
the most successful of the League agencies.
It established links with non-members countries such as Germany,
Soviet Russia, and the USA to provide an information service, technical
assistance, and advice on public health matters.
The Health Organisation of the League was effective.
It organised educational campaigns, distributed medicines,
trained health officers and set up clinics for children.
It started a worldwide campaign to exterminate mosquitoes which
helped reduce cases of malaria and yellow fever.
It also helped reduce the incidence of leprosy and began an
international campaign on health and sanitation.
In the 1930’s it took over and ran the public health system in China.
Helped Soviet Russia to prevent a typhus epidemic in Siberia.
2. League of Nations – Mr. D’s History – St. Peter’s College, Auckland, New Zealand
Setting up research units in Copenhagen, London, Singapore to
develop vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, and tuberculosis.
After the demise of the LON, the Health Organisation became the
World Health Organisation, under the United Nations.