Medicine: Pestilence Stoppers

After World War I, the pale horse of pestilence galloped unchecked across Europe. How many people died from influenza, typhus, relapsing fever, malaria, typhoid and smallpox was never recorded, but flu alone killed an estimated 16,000,000. After World War II, the pale horse and his rider never really got started. Health authorities think it was partly a matter of luck. But Europe's, and Asia's, amazing escape from pestilence was also partly due to UNRRA. The story of its great work was told last week in a final bulletin by its health division.

UNRRA had only a tiny medical staff: about 600 doctors,...

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