[Deserved punishment? Legal settlement 1945-50. Sociomedical aspects]. / Straff som fortjent? Rettsoppgjøret 1945-50. Sosialmedisinske betraktninger.

Following the German occupation during the Second World War, about 92,000 Norwegian citizens were charged with treason and 18,000 sentenced to imprisonment. The prosecution of offenders turned out to be far more extensive and lead to higher social cost than anticipated at the outset. Norway's pre-war prisons were designed to accommodate about 2,000 inmates. With a wave of arrest amounting to 14,000 within a few weeks, it was necessary to establish temporary jails and prison camps staffed by inexperienced guards seconded from the resistance movement and Norwegian military personnel trained in Sweden during the war. A number of infringements of prisoners' civil rights occurred and are recorded in a report from the Director General of Public Prosecution. Medical supervision was very incomplete and accidental. The main prison camp was one of the few regular medical services. Despite the general partial amnesty of 1948, most of the prisoners released during the first post-war years had great problems assimilating into society. As additional punishment, most lost their jobs and certain citizen's rights for a number of years, others had homes and property confiscated, and many became welfare cases.

[The hospital at Ilebu prison. From sentences 1945-50]. / Sykehuset ved Ilebu landssvikfengsel. Fra rettsoppgjøret 1945-50.

Ilebu Prison held the majority of men sentenced for treason in Norway after the Second World War. About one third of all prisoners convicted of treason served their sentence at Ilebu, which was one of the few prisons or camps which had a well organised hospital with a patient registration protocol. The protocols were recently (1995) brought to light; complete case records are stored in the National Archive. We have gone through a number of the case records and compared them with the protocols. The typical patient at Ilebu in 1945 was below 39 years of age, whereas in 1949 those over 40 were in majority. Average age and length of stay increased over the years as the oldest convicts also got the longest sentences. High age and long sentences contributed to increased morbidity, mental and psychosomatic disease as well as functional illness. The most common reason for admission was infectious disease. Ilebu Prison escaped serious epidemics, most likely because of good facilities for isolation as well as vaccination. However, the large number of prisoners suffering from tuberculosis was a cause for concern.

[The conceptual values of community medicine]. / Den samfunnsmedisinske begrepsverden.

The original basis of community-related medicine, hygiene, has academic traditions reaching back to early in the last century. The newer "free", "social medicine", burst forth after World War II. In the recent years, many new branches have arisen from these main trunks, e.g. public health, community medicine, epidemiology, occupational medicine, environmental medicine, health promotion etc. The new branches are frequently given designations that lead to false ideas of consistent conceptual structures that do not exist, and only contribute to considerable professional confusion. The author considers conceptual clarification to be urgent. A limited number of simple, understandable and logically developed main designations and classifications are needed. Scandinavian classification principles should be harmonized with common international concepts.

[Social security in the future. Some tracks from our welfare' history]. / Trygghet på lang sikt. Noen trekk fra vår velferdspolitiske historie.

In 1994 the National Insurance Scheme in Norway celebrates its 100 years anniversary. The first element in the present comprehensive system was the Industrial Workers' Compensation Act of 1894. During the next 75 years the system was gradually extended, and now includes sickness benefit, old-age pension, disability pension, unemployment benefit and rehabilitation aid, as well as specific benefits for certain vocations and social conditions. The different chapters are summarized under the National Insurance Act ("Peoples Insurance Act" of 1971). There has been a general political consensus in establishing and further developing the insurance and welfare system, both before and after World War II. The principles of solidarity and equality still predominate in the Norwegian political culture, and the national insurance system may also be the most important political and economic instrument for realizing these principles in practice, also in the future.

[The German occupation and health services]. / Okkupasjonsstyret og helsestellet.

It was of considerable importance for the German occupants and their Norwegian collaborators, and for the Resistance Movement, to maintain a satisfactory status of health in the civilian population. Thus it was of common interest to keep the health services intact. Health aspects were also important elements of the nazi ideology. Recent studies of German archives reveal that the German civilian administration, Reichskommissariat, played a central role in the nazi revolution of the health services. But certain disagreements arose at an early stage between the German and Norwegian occupation administration concerning strategies of health policy. The collaborator party, Nasjonal Samling, tried to gain control over the professional organizations, but met great resistance. The Norwegian Medical Association lost 85% of its members and was reduced to an appendix of the Ministry. However, the health services were still kept under strict German control. A deterioration of the health services took place from 1944, mainly due to lack of resources because of increased German military needs.

[Health status during the occupation years--mortality]. / Helsetilstanden i okkupasjonsårene--dødeligheten.

The crude total death rate of the Norwegian population gradually decreased from the early 1930s until 1940. During the German occupation the total death rate increased moderately, but markedly, particularly among males and age groups below 45 years. Children too had a high death rate, due to an extremely high occurrence of infectious diseases. Infant mortality declined, however, particularly in the cities, probably due to increased resources in mother and child health care. In all age groups mortality was generally dominated by injuries and violent causes of death, in addition to infectious diseases. The concept that cardiovascular diseases became less frequent due to favourable changes in diet and life style is doubtful. The statistical decline in mortality from these diseases started before the quality or quantity of the diet was reduced to any extent, and the rise began before diet and nourishment improved. Further, the routines for reporting death, and the nomenclature, were changed already in 1941, making comparisons between the prewar and the war period difficult. The figures may thus be due to artefacts. In addition, the high frequency of violent and unknown causes of death may mask the possible effects of chronic and lethal diseases.

[Health status during the occupation years--morbidity]. / Helsetilstanden i okkupasjonsårene--sykeligheten.

We refer to several studies on different aspects of the health status of the Norwegian population during World War II. The failure of the food supply led to various symptoms caused by deficient diet which reduced the resistance to infection. Hygienic problems increased, access to medical services deteriorated, and resources in terms of hospital beds, economic appropriations and number of health personnel were reduced, in particular during the final years. A network of factors contributed to deterioration in the health of the population. After the occupation the health status improved very quickly, evidently due to rapid access to the medical resources organized by the Norwegian public authorities in exile.