Special aspects of medical communication in the USSR in the middle of the 20th century

One of the common forms of scientific medical communication in traumatology and orthopedic science in the middle of the XX century in the USSR were research and practice scientific meetings and conferences where new knowledge was transmitted by practical healthcare scientists. While this time was not the period of growth of the scientific information scope, the need for panel discussions of scientific problems had already increased. It was still another 10 years before the Soviet authorities allowed trauma orthopedist congresses as a form of the panel discussion. A research and practice scientific meeting had become an efficient communication channel connecting scientists, managers, and doctors of the public healthcare system. The flows of scientific content created by the experts were presented at those meetings in the form of presentations, case studies with the presentation of patients, or surgeon's showcases. The social and political situation at the end of the 1940s and the increase of ideology control of Soviet science formed a special background for scientific medical communication. While there still was a mandatory requirement to refer Marks, Engels, Lenin, and particularly Stalin in all presentations, in the late 1940s – early 1950s the authors had to refer to Pavlov, Michurin, and Lysenko’s studies. It was a hard time and the majority of scientists followed the authorities’ requirements just technically trying to adjust to the situation and merely survive while sticking to certain professional objectives. A common layout of the meeting room back then included a presidium in the center, a skeleton in the left corner, and a Lenin portrait sculpture, and a large Stalin portrait in the right corner. The Interregional Reconstructive Surgery Meeting of the leading surgeons from local hospitals for the WWII disabled veterans exemplifies scientific medical communication in trauma and orthopedic science in the middle of the 20th century. It was held in Saratov on December 6-10, 1949 at the premises of Saratov State Scientific Research Institute of reconstructive surgery and orthopedic.