An article in the Manchester Guardian of 22nd September, 1952, reviewing the 1st volume of the Official Medical History of the Second World War, commences as follows:
“It is a curious irony of man’s social development that human life receives a kind of tenderness in war that it often fails to get in peace. As soon as a man becomes a soldier, or a civilian on whose work the fighting services depend, the State sets out to guard his life with all the resources it can command: instead of being merely of concern to himself and his family, the war-time citizen is recognised as an essential piece of the machinery of war, to be maintained in working order as efficiently and as long as possible, without regard for the cost of maintenance"
The writer then poses several questions: “But when medical science is used in war, does it thereby become a weapon of war? Should the results of wholly beneficial research be kept secret to prevent an enemy from profiting by them to protect the health of his own community? Should there be accepted priorities for saving life—should an elderly civilian, for instance, be allowed to die so that some drug can be available in greater quantity for treating factory workers? ”
Using penicillin as an example, it is stated that the decision was taken to restrict publication particularly on the chemical and production side so that the enemy should not be enabled to make penicillin and so hasten the recovery of his casualties. When supplies were limited medical officers were advised not to use penicillin for treatment of prisoners of war. “unless the medical officer was convinced that the prisoner would die or unless the M.O. had strong moral scruples.” As production of penicillin was regarded as an Allied War Secret this meant that allied prisoners of war who were wounded could not hope to receive treatment by penicillin.
To read that the right of a human being to receive the best treatment available to restore health should be subjected to such considerations as nationality and usefulness in the war machine does not surprise the socialist. On examining the world in which we live the socialist can find many examples in war and peace where humanitarian considerations are of secondary importance. The capitalist system is not a humanitarian society—it is a profit-making one and members of the working class will continue to have their lives saved or sacrificed just as the system demands.
The “complex consequences and sad dilemmas” which apparently confronted the medical profession during the war are just a small part of the many problems which exist to-day, and few readers will need to be reminded of these.
The solution to all these is in the hands of the workers—get rid of the capitalist system and its problems go with it.
Grace Wood
Article signed as G. R. Wood.
ReplyDeleteI remember meeting Grace Wood at the SPGB's Head Office in the late 1980s.