Food Shortage and Public Health, First Half of 1945

AT the outbreak of the war the Netherlands was in many respects in a very favorable position in the social and health spheres. The organization for the care of public health, the executive branch of which was mainly entrusted to voluntary private initiative-the so-called Cross Associationswith financial government support and under the direction of the State Medical Supervision of Public Health, had led to satisfactory results. In the year 1939, for this country the last before the war, the general mortality in the Netherlands amounted to 8.7 per 1,000 inhabitants, the mortality of children under one year to 33.7 per 1,000 live births, and the tuberculosis mortality to 4.11 per 10,000 inhabitants-a rate more favorable than any other country probably could show. Then came the war and with it the difficulties in the matter of food supply, which increased steadily due to the stoppage of imports and the systematic removal of large quantities of cattle and foodstuffs by the Germans. The shortage of fats was especially strongly felt, and as the war continued, other rations also decreased steadily. The situation became more and more unbearable for the population and, from the point of view of public health, almost a catastrophe. The serious shortage of fuel caused a gradual decrease and finally a complete shutting down of the production of gas and electricity, and in several places even the water supply had to be cut off, while the authorities were unable to provide fuel for stoves and furnaces in homes. Throughout the winter of 1944-45 the population sat without light, without gas, without heat; laundries ceased operating; soap for personal use was un-