1930s Health

Living conditions during the 1930s were some of the most difficult in US history, and the health of the nation was a major concern. With food and money both being scarce, hard choices would have to be made with some regularity. Staying healthy to support others in your care would be a necessity, along with assuring the rest of your family remained healthy to avoid additional hardships. During this time, the available options for healthcare and medical services weren’t immediately evident. With unemployment on the rise and poverty increasing, being able to pay for medical visits when a doctor was required would be increasingly difficult. It would not unreasonable to propose that a visit to the doctor might be treated as a luxury and utilized …show more content…
Edgar Sydenstricker, Director of research of the Milbank Memorial Fund and chief statistician of the United States Public Health Service at the time, wrote that the overall health of the nation was actually showing improvement on many levels. His research indicated that, despite the difficult economic times, the overall life expectancy had actually improved and mortality rates associated with the youngest children and tuberculosis patients had begun to decline. José A. Tapia Granados and Ana V. Diez Roux of the University of Michigan noted similar findings in their research. They state, “Population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the 4 years of the Great Depression, 1930–1933, with mortality decreasing for almost all ages, and life expectancy increasing by several years in males, females, whites, and nonwhites.” Sydenstricker advised that the lower mortality statistics were useful as a measurement of good health, but would not provide insight into the larger picture unless disease or other elements were in evidence. In his article “Health and the New Deal”, he covers many of the health challenges still being faced, especially in families of lower economic standing. He was deeply concerned about the malnutrition being experienced and felt health programs should be extended to address the issue. He also promotes the expansion of what was currently thought of as public health, to challenge the contributions set up for social reform by Roosevelt’s New Deal, and to allot additional resources towards addressing the healthcare needs of the larger populace; that as a nation, we have not done nearly enough to secure the best possible health and social service organizations for our