This book covers in detail three important topics concerning Soviet medicine in the World War II era. First, it examines Soviet healthcare during World War II in terms of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and the medical/surgical instruments available. Second, the book is a study of how a mid-level sector of the Soviet economy performed in 1938 (the last peace-time year), during the first two years of the war, and during the Great Patriotic War. Third, through interviews with Soviet citizens and information in pharmacology journals, this study unpacks the use of
narodnaia meditsina
—a popular form of homemade medicine that pharmacists and physicians used to compensate for wartime shortages.