For the good of humanity : Ludwik Rajchman, medical statesman

Biography of Ludwig Rajchman who was an exponent of humanitarian intervention and a defender of colonized people. He inspired the creation of WHO and UNICEF, of which he was the first chairman.

In this biography of Ludwik Rajchman, Marta A. Balinska paints a portrait of a true hero of our times. He was born in Poland in 1881 and was an exponent of humanitarian intervention and defender of colonized people, as adept in secret diplomacy as in organizing vast anti-epidemic campaigns. He inspired the creation of WHO and the foundation of UNICEF, of which he became the first chairman. Progressive but opposed to all dogmas, he was forced by McCarthyism to flee the U.S. and soon became an object of suspicion in the Soviet bloc, finding himself estranged from his beloved Poland.As the story of this remarkable life unfolds, the reader is given a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the major events that shaped the twentieth century. Using family archives and documentary sources from a dozen countries, the author brilliantly reconstructs the career of a man who was not only the first médecin sans frontiere but also an intellectual with an exceptional sense of the universal.

In this biography of Ludwik Rajchman, Marta A. Balinska paints a portrait of a true hero of our times. He was born in Poland in 1881 and was an exponent of humanitarian intervention and defender of colonized people, as adept in secret diplomacy as in organizing vast anti-epidemic campaigns. He inspired the creation of WHO and the foundation of UNICEF, of which he became the first chairman. Progressive but opposed to all dogmas, he was forced by McCarthyism to flee the U.S. and soon became an object of suspicion in the Soviet bloc, finding himself estranged from his beloved Poland. As the story of this remarkable life unfolds, the reader is given a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the major events that shaped the twentieth century. Using family archives and documentary sources from a dozen countries, the author brilliantly reconstructs the career of a man who was not only the first médecin sans frontiere but also an intellectual with an exceptional sense of the universal. "This biography describes the career of a man who was the first 'medecin sans frontieres'. Monnet described him as an intellectual with an exceptional sense of the universal." "Rajchman was born in Poland in 1881 into a prominent Jewish family of the Warsaw intelligentsia. An epidemiologist by training, he did pioneering work in public health, first in Poland and later worldwide through the institutions he was instrumental in founding.". "Rajchman inspired the creation of WHO and the foundation of UNICEF, of which he became the first chairman. As a major international figure for nearly half a century, his biography reflects a man with the strength of vision to institutionalize humanitarian impulses in the face of institutionalized totalitarianism. Despite his record of humanitarian work, Rajchman was forced by McCarthyism to flee the United States. Not wishing to return to Poland in the 1950s, he spent the remaining years of his life in France."--BOOK JACKET. Contents Preface Acknowledgements Prologue Introduction I. The Awakening of a Sense of Responsibility (1881-1900) II. The Dream of a Social-Cultural Revolution (1900-1906) III. Towards Independence IV. Fighting Epidemics (1918-1922) V. The Health Organization: The Spirit of Invention VI. A "Bold Game": Missions to China (1929-1934) VII. Towards Catastrophe: The Thirties VIII. From Geneva to Nanking: The Common Cause of the Democratic World (1939) IX. Delegate of Sikorski (1939-1940) X. An "Undertaking Strewn with Adventures": The Soong- Rajchman Lobby (1940-1944) XI. A Melancholy World XII. The Watershed (1944-1946) XIII. An Emergency Fund for Children (1947-1965) XIV. A Pole on International Assignment Notes Index Ludwik Rajchman, an exponent of humanitarian intervention and a defender of colonized people, inspired the creation of WHO and UNICEF. This biography, written by his great-granddaughter, uses family archives and documentary sources to tell the story of his life. Marta A. Balinska ; Translated By Rebecca Howell And Revised By The Author. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 249-285) And Index.