01.07.2016
Promotion of publications on military medical service and infectious diseases
In the Ceremonial Hall of the Central Military Club today, the two most recent publications of the Odbrana Media Centre have been presented. These are the titles: "From the partisan medical service to the military medical service 1941-1945", by Brigadier General retired docent Dr Veljko Todorovic and Major General retired Prim. Dr Branislav Popovic, and "Infectious diseases in the Serbian people and the army during the wars in the 20th century – the work of Serbian Medical Corps on their prevention and treatment", by Colonel Prof. Dr Dragan Mikic, Acting Chief of the MMA Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases.The promotion was attended by Radmila Jagodic, Assistant Minister for Budget and Finance, Colonel Ugljesa Jovicic, Acting Chief of the Military Health Department of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, academicians, generals, colleagues and friends.
On behalf of the publisher, Colonel S. Stevica Kararandzin, Director of Odbrana Media Centre, addressed the audience. He spoke about the publishing activities of this institution, in particular the opinion journalism, and said that in the recent years there have been publications related to the Serbian medical corps and pointed out that there will be more of them in the future because it is considered, when it comes to military topics, that the medical corps must not be bypassed.
The next speakers about the books at the promotion were Mirjana Sandic, editor, reviewers Colonel Ugljesa Jovicic and Prof. Dr. Dragan Stupar, authors docent Dr Veljko Todorovic and Prim. Dr Branislav Popovic and Colonel Prof. Dr Dragan Mikic.
The book "From the partisan ambulance to the medical service of the army 1941-1945" is intended primarily for members of the medical service in the Serbian Armed Forces and other medical professionals, and aims to familiarize the readers with information on the development of medical service in partisan conditions. The authors had a rich historical material from that period, and they compiled the manuscript in a new, original and modern way. Last year, this book was awarded with Dragojlo Dudic prize in the field of historiography.
Colonel Uglješa Jovicic said that military health care shows with the two new book how our doctors, in addition to the professional, scientific and educational work can write about history – the history of the Serbian Medical Services. He mentioned the continuity in the development of these services and the actual moment of the military health care – doctors going on peacekeeping missions.
Colonel Dr. Jovicic and prof. Dr. Dragan Stupar spoke then in details, as reviewers, about the book and its chapters.At the promotion it was pointed out that the Serbian military physicians, medical technicians and paramedics were always with the army and the people, often on the front lines. Their contribution to the war is very important, and it also was the occasion for the publication of 62 biographies of the most prominent medical workers decorated with the Order of National Hero.
The authors pointed out that the "fortunate occasion" was that almost all prominent members of the medical corps survived the war and continued their activity long after the war, having a significant role in the development of the military health care, almost until the end of the 20th century.
In the book " Infectious diseases in the Serbian people and the army during the wars in the 20th century", Colonel prof. Dr. Mikic describes epidemics of infectious diseases on the territory of Serbia, especially in the wars. The reviewer, Dr. Branislav Popovic, believes that prof. Dr. Mikic approached this problem in a specific, unique and original way, because many citations are part of his decades long research on history of the military medical corps in the Balkan wars and the First World War. Popovic said that the de fact that it cannot be determined for sure whether Serbian people in wars in the 20th century perished more from the rifle bullets or from the wicked infectious diseases.
Speaking at the end of the promotion, Colonel prof. Dr. Mikic said that it was necessary to constantly remind of epidemics of infectious diseases are that "we study them constantly, to be afraid of them and that the population is educated in this respect, because the infectious diseases, especially in times of natural disasters and war catastrophes, come when we do not expect them, when we relax and when we forget".
The author, as he said, as he wrote about infectious diseases in the 20th century, wanted to warn of the troubles that can befall us in this century.
PHOTOGALLERY
