MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON PUBLIC HEALTH IN HALLE/SAALE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006700040004-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 3, 2008
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: May 19, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/09/03: CIA-RDP80-00810A006700040004-3
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
S-E_C R-EdT
East Germany
Miscellaneous Notes on Public Health
in Halle/Saale
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DATE ACQUIRED
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Crahmer had been rejected for the task by the majority ofrthe physicians in
Halle/Saale because he was a convinced follower of the SED.
3. Leading medical facilities in Halle/Saale:
a. North Polyclinic possessed complete specialty denartments and was well
staffed. The chief physician, Dr. Bartels (fnu)22 was politically
unaffiliated. A Commissioned Medical Service was attached to North
Polyclinic. The Chief physician of the Service was Dr. Kuechelstein (fnu)
who was also politically unaffiliated.
b. The Government Railroad Clinic was poorly taffed, particularly in
specialists. The director, Dr. Wolf (fnu)s primarily an SED functionary.
c. South Polyclinic was directed by Dr. Schulz (fnu)2who was politically
unaffiliated and a convinced opponent of the East Zone regime. The
clinic was well staffed in all specialty departments and was the best
polyclinic in Halle/Scale. City Hospital No. 1 was attached to this
polyclinic.
This material contains information affecting the
National Defense of the United States within the
meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C.
Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revel.
ation of which in any manner to an unauthorized
person is prohibited by law.
REFERENCES
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
19 May 1955
1. The Public Health Office in Halle/Saale, located at Schmeerstrasse 1, was
directed by Dr. Zipprich (fnu)* He was politically unaffiliated and had
been instrumental in reducing the tensions existing between the free-.,
practicing and the government-employed physicians. Dr. Crahmer (fnu),2an
SED member, worked with Zipprich,
2. Zipprich had been responsible for the ovation of the Commissioned Medical
Service (Kommissionsaerztlicher Dienst).of the 'DDR and had been called
upon repeatedly by Dr. Kuebelstein (fnu), the director of the Commissioned
Medical Service, to organize the Service in Berlin Zi i
d. More than 100 industrial first aid stations (Betriebasanitaetsstellen)
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were located in Halle/Scale. These were medical posts which were
staffed on a part-time basis, usually by free-practicing physicians.
Consultation hours were held two to four times a week, depending on the
strength of the' labor force.
4. Halle/Saale was one of the few large cities in the DDR where the number of
physicians was entirely sufficient. No free-practicing physicians had been
allowed to settle in Halle since 1947 and, therefore, the number of such
practitioners was steadily declining. The tendency among the older physicians
was to go into the polyclinics with the hope of eventually obtaining State
care in their old age. The cadre department passed on all applications for
positions in the polyclinics and many of the older physicians had been
rejected for suck positions. The reasons given for these rejections were
failures to-mebt phys*cdl-btalklards but they were, in reality, political.
However, cooperation between the free-practicing physicians and the physicians
in the polyclinics was relatively good. Urgent housecalls were carried out
predominantly by the free-practitioners while the ambulatory patients usually
went to the polyclinics or industrial first aid stations. A well-organized
Sunday and night service operated in the name of the polyclinics but the
free-practicing physicians were cut into the service.
5. A home for the aged who were in need of nursing care was located in Halle/Scale.
This home had 710 beds. In addition, five other homes (Aussenheime) were
available for healthy and ambulatory old people. The supply of medicines in
the Homes was good.
6. In general, Halle/Saale was constantly short of medicines, particularly
salvarsan and high-quality sulfonamides. Penicillin was good;and the supply
was sufficient. The supply of products such as caffeine and codeine was in
a state of constant fluctuation and a perpetual shortage in high-quality
drugs and pharmaceuticals existed.
7. The supply of medicines at the Reil Caserne, which was an Infantry Officers'
School for the training of intelligence (Nachrichten) officers, was very
poor, even worse than in the Public Health Department Ind the District
Organization of the People's Police (Bezirksbehoerden der Volkspoli.zei/ BdVP/).
Emergency prescriptions had to be paid for by the officers themselves; other-
wise, prior approval of the Ministry of Interior (Ministerium des Innern
,4dI/) was necessary. The Social Insurance organization (Sozialversicherungs-
kasse /SVK/) was required to perform medical services only in cases where
life was endangered, where danger of blindness was present, in cases of
exhaustion and in cases of underweight, especially in officers. Medical
discharges were possible only on the advice of the Third Commission
(KVP-Kurhaus, Leipzig).
8. The supply of pharmaceuticals in the Penitentary "Am Kirchtor", otherwise
known as the "Red Bull", was good. High quality pharmaceuticals could be
procured quickly in cases of serious illness. The prison was occupied by
approximately 750 women, a large number of whom were criminals. The prison
had a dental station and a laboratory operated by imprisoned dentists and
doctors respectively. X-ray equipment was lacking. Suspicious cases which
required X-ray had to be transferred to the Prison hospital in Leipzig,
Wiederitzsch.
tuberculosis cases had been isolated in the TB station-and sputumana e3us
were continually carried out. Infectious cases were not allowed to remain in
the prison but were removed to the Leipzig prison hospital. Transfer of
infectious patients was carried out efficiently and without opposition from
prison authorities. The material condition of the prisoners was relatively
good. Although the quality of the food was only fair, the quantity was
sufficient.
9. Venereal diseases were definitely declining in Halle/Scale even thou-h no
salvarsan was available. The substitute for this drug was t4eo-Asellion"
(sic). Gonorrhea was predominant among the KVP members. The sources of
infection were allegedly "imported" from West Germany.
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10. Exhaustion and depression states of the more serious types were found
especially in young teachers, in SED functionaries and in VP members who
suffered from overwork or who did not have the mental prerequisites required
of them.
Lomment. The Kommissionsaerrlicher Dienst is a
acccura urae cy of Public Health diagnosis; to d system, The tasks of the Service are to control the
vention and to establish part of the East
determine the necessity for therapeutic inter-
therapeutic methods for rapid recovery; to remove
without obstacles which sufficient retard or medical delay recovery; and to abolish work absenteeism
reason.
~? Omment. The Salle/Saale telephone directory for 1950 lists
the following names and addresses..
Walt?r7Zipprieh.Dr. med. Bathenauplat$ 19, 02
Friedrich-Cramer, Amtsrat ( official physician), Friedenstrasse 21, C2
Rudolf Wolf, stellvertretender Amtsrat ( deputy official physician).
RudolffBreitstheidstra-sse 92, 02
Guenther Bartels, Dr. med., Ad. v. Harnackstrasse 23, 02
Schuh Dr. med., Lafontainestrasse 21, 02
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