Postal censorship of Bosnian public health institutions during the Second World War: The Independent State of Croatia versus Dr. Stanko Sielski.

This study aims to present evidence of censorship during World War II by the Independent State of Croatia of one of its public health officials, Dr. Stanko Sielski who was a physician trained in epidemiology and public health. During World War II, he directed the Institute for Combating Endemic Syphilis in the Bosnian town Banja Luka. The staff under his direction consisted solely of Jewish physicians. We analyzed two groups of envelopes either sent by or to Dr. Stanko Sielski during the War and found evidence of censorship only in communications with a Jewish physician dated towards the end of the War. Dr. Stanko Sielski would be posthumously recognized for his efforts to shield his Jewish colleagues. CONCLUSION: The newly available, but still limited data, which we present indicates efforts to censor Dr. Stanko Sielski's postal communications towards the War's end. The censors targeted specifically Dr. Stanko Sielski's correspondences with the Jewish physicians he was protecting. This material highlights the many challenges his public health service experienced during the time of armed conflict.

[Usage of the so called inter-zones postcards during 1939-1945 war in favour of pharmacy : the case of Guerbet laboratories]. / Une utilisation des cartes interzones de la guerre 39-45 en faveur de la pharmacie: le cas des laboratoires Guerbet.

The Second World War actually separated France into two regions and isolate France from the rest of the world. Communications, however, was still mandatory between pharmaceutical industry and its partners and clients. André Guerbet, CEO of his company, had the idea as soon as 1940 to use the so-called inter-zones postcards, the only authorized post documents to be send between occupied zone and free zone for several years, to communicate with his saleswoman from Marseilles, who will become the centre of activities with customers from the free zone and from other countries. It is also from Marseilles that active communications took place with foreign countries, especially the USA. These 219 exchanged inter-zones postcards will be useful until Paris's liberation and will allow Guerbet laboratories to continue to produce and to sell its products during the war. It is also what made possible the American partner of Guerbet in the USA. Fougera, to start producing Lipiodol in America to guarantee product delivery to many countries that could not be reached from France.

Lytle S. Adams, DDS (1883-1970): Nonstop Airmail Pick-up inventor.

Between 1923 and 1940, a restless, optimistic, self-styled, inventor, Lytle S. Adams, DDS (1883-1970) was tirelessly working to develop a nonstop, airmail delivery and pick-up system. He believed that his invention would enable air postal services to serve those smaller, more isolated communities that would otherwise be bypassed due to economic and operational reasons. For 17 years, Adams vigorously promoted his pick-up system in both public and private arenas, and he even obtained congressional support for his ideas. However, he was unable to arrange for long-term, hardheaded financial and engineering support. Consequently, the once promising Adams Nonstop Airmail Pick-up System had only temporary and limited success. His endeavor, like others which came before and after, initially appeared to be a sound idea in search of inspired realization.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure: women, bureaucracy and the post office, 1870-1920.

Between these two extremes [of caring for children and manual labour] there lies what may be called a neutral or debatable ground of labour requiring the exercise of qualities which are the exclusive property of neither sex. It is in this neutral field ... [that] the activities of women are confined to those departments of the labour market into which men do not care, or actively object, to enter. Thus, if there were no question of economic competition, it seems to me that the invasion by woman of these departments ... formerly monopolized by men would be bound to awaken a certain amount of opposition; since her consequent desertion of the dull, unpleasant, and monotonous tasks assigned to her, might mean that these tasks would have to be performed by those who had hitherto escaped the necessity by shifting it on to her shoulders. Hence a natural and comprehensible resentment.

Trends in death, disablement, and sickness absence in the British Post Office since 1981.

The Post Office occupational health service was established in 1855. Unique epidemiological records of sickness absence, medical retirements, and deaths for 90 years have been extracted from annual reports. The stability of the death rate is striking, but the male sickness absence series is consistent with three periods of roughly constant rates, viz 7.6, 10.0, and 13.1 calendar days a year with increases in level coinciding with the two world wars. By contrast with general experience, Post Office absence has not shown a rising trend in the past 30 years. An examination of the relation between medical retirement and sickness absence rates shows that a strongly negative correlation has reversed to be a strongly positive one since the second world war. The major changes in diagnostic causes of absence, retirements, and deaths are described.