Browsing by Author "Steger, Florian"

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    Closed Venereology Wards in the German Democratic Republic
    (RSU Medicīnas vēstures institūts. Paula Stradiņa Medicīnas vēstures muzejs., 2019) Steger, Florian; Schochow, Maximilian
    Over the 40-year existence of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), multiple thousands of women have been committed to closed venereol- ogy wards. The system of compulsory hospitalisation to closed venere- ology wards established in the GDR was based on the Soviet healthcare system. Its purpose was not simply to sanction behavior that diverged from the prescribed socialist norm but also to educate women in accordance with socialist standards. The involuntarily committed women in the GDR were treated by measures of politicised medicine. This medicine was shaped and executed by actors who imposed their own standards on the victimised women daily. Moreover, all closed venereology wards in the GDR were monitored by the Ministry of State Security through a network of inoffi- cial informants.
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    Combatting Venereal Diseases as an Instrument of Politicised Medicine: Analysis on the Example of the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and the Polish Peoples’ Republic
    (RSU Medicīnas vēstures institūts. Paula Stradiņa Medicīnas vēstures muzejs., 2020) Orzechowski, Marcin; Schochow, Maximilian; Steger, Florian
    The programme for combatting venereal diseases in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany (SOZ), the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Polish Peoples’ Republic (PPR) after the Second World War was adopted from the Soviet healthcare model. In order to maintain the spread of infections, both countries introduced specific legislation. The analysis of the regulations shows several similarities, such as establishment of easy access to anti-venereal health services, interruption of the chain of infection, and special treatment of individuals who constituted a danger of spreading the infection through compulsory hospitalisation. However, some differences are also visible. In the PPR, the decision about compulsory hospitalisation was left to individual evaluation of the attending physician. Closed venereology facilities or reformatories for treatment of venereal diseases, which existed in the GDR, were not established through legal regulations in the PPR. Since 1964, Polish law specifically targeted prostitutes and alcoholics as sources of spreading venereal diseases. These groups were not mentioned in the German legal acts. Analysis of praxis of compulsory commitment in the SOZ and GDR shows that mostly young women characterized as “drifters” were sent to closed venereology wards with breach of legal regulations. The number of prostitutes constituted only a very small fraction. In the PPR, the data from contemporary literature also indicates a considerable number of young women, the so-called “drifters”, committed to venereology ward.
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    Medical Treatment, Duty to Work, and Political Education. Functions of Soviet “Prophylactoria” and “Care Homes for STD Patients” in Germany
    (Rīgas Stradiņa universitātes Medicīnas vēstures institūts (Institute of History of Medicine, Rīga Stradiņš University), 2023) Schochow, Maximilian; Steger, Florian
    After the end of World War II, “care homes for sexually transmitted disease patients” were established in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany (SOZ). The legal basis was established by the order of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD) No 30. Care homes for sexually transmitted disease patients are institutions that combine education and treatment of illnesses for individuals with an STD. The sick individuals had to follow a regular daily routine and work every day. Political indoctrination served to educate “socialist personalities”. Similar institutions already existed in the USSR. In the 1920s, the so-called “prophylactoria” were established in the USSR. This article compares these two types of medical institutions. Sources from the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow, the German Federal Archives in Berlin, and the City Archive Zwickau were used.