MEDICAL INFORMATION ON THE CRIMEA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R012000150009-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 31, 2006
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: May 14, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION SECFLT
CENfiNINT4L&T(SEMETAZEII.CY REPORT NO.
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
COUNTRY USSR (Crimean ASSR)
SUBJECT Medical Information on the Crimea
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PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
REFF
DO NOT CRCULATE
cJ
DATE Dism 14 May 1952
NO. OF PAGES 4
NO. OF ENCLS.
MISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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"Ar"i?: ?f.
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEPINSg
OF THE UNITED STATES. 1117HIH THE MEANING OF TITLE IS. SECTIONS 703
AND 794. OF THE N. S. COD!. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVEL-
ATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AR UNAUTHORIZED PERSON
IS PROHIBITED BY LAIR TIN REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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l. The Soviets evacuated the indigenous Tatar ppulation of the Crimean
ASSR after World War II when the Soviet Army regained military control,
These people were replaced by Soviet citizens fraa other regions and
by former prisoners or the Germans. German We in !tabor were used as
laborers in the quarries nearby. About 5 kilometers from the edge of
town was a collective farm, the Molotov kolhhor (four-fifths of the
Crimean peninsula is steppe, one-fifth mountainous), on which were
produced corn, egg-plant? tomatoes, melons, pumpkins, cabbagesand
onions. The PW13 did not work on this kolkhos
2. Simferopol vas the central administration point for all of the
Crimean PW camps. Here the German We were employed in house-
building, road repair, and.kolkhos labor. Approximately 2 kilo-
meters to the east of the city", edge were the so-called &agony
Sovidway. (These farms supplied food exclusively for the Lity of
Simferopol, and lOborera were recruited for the farms with that end
in viev4 The PW camp vas situated at the edge of theme fields. The
region vas known for its fruit products and apples grown here were
shipped to Moscow,
30 Feodoeiyamas located on a bay protected on the southeast by mountaies
on whose elopes the city had been built. The We were employed in
building a pier in the harbor and in making bricks in a. brick factory
vest of the city. They were housed in a reconstructed castle (Turkish,
Tatarsor Greek) located on the peninsula to the southeast of the city.
4. Salakwas noted for its grspe and fruit industry and for a fish plant
known as the "Delphyne. To the north of the city the Soviets were
engaged in a reforestation program. The Plis were employed as kolkhos
workers, laborers in the reforestation programsand in the construction of
a new samatarium for Soviet workers.
CLASSIFICATION s
'TATE
ARMY # XINMN NSRB
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Diseases
character
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swam
a serious
encountered were not of
and included the following:
a.
Malaria was not observed, except for very few cases in
a central
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Lazaret inSimferopol, the city of
Kerch
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b.
(450 23 N 360 26' E) was rumored to be in &malaria
No thus was encountered, preaumably because of effective
delousing programs.
region,
c.
No tuberculosis was observed
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d.
Very few cases of infectious huttlas were reported.
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C.
f.
Venereal disease was regarded as fairly prevalent among the p4ii-
lationiwith hi11 rather than enorrhea predominating.
Reln_lesz., not otherwise identified, occurred frequently. It was
thought to have been brought into the Crimea, by the Germans and
not to have been primarily of native origin.
g. No trachoma was seen.
h. No Intold was observed and only one case of 211Eatato/s1 occurred,
on which no laboratory diagnosis was available.
I.ExpIEsp.ty cases were very numerous among the PWa in the early years
after the war. The Soviet civilians were not as seriously affected
by a scarcity of food. No evitsminosia was noted.
j. Scabies was frequently seen.
k. No _di22.ttEll was noted.
1. Influenza occurred occasionally in the winter. The Soviets issued
a prophylactic remedy, a red liquid solution, which was dispensed
by the spoonful for oral use.
!influenza did occur in persons who had received_
the solution. He considered the remedy to have been ineffective.
Ascariasis and taenia infestation were high.
No tularemia, brucellosis, anthrax, plague, Eslmaing feverp or
cholera were ever seen or reported.
eases of phiebotomus fever occurred in
Feodosire. attributedl [to the presence 'there of Phlebotomus
No
-
No incidence of retinae diaessem enuld be recalled.
The area was described as being generally healthful except for
Kerch and Feodoeiyao Soviet doctors by training
were considerably more concerned with prophylaxis than with therapy.
6. No incidence of serious antral disease was encountered and no
foot and mouth disease occurred. It was noted Wet veterinarians had
considerable responsibility in the area, since healthy livestock were
considered a more pressing problea than healthy people. However, many
tractors were utilized in the area.
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The weather was generally dry and hot in the summer, but average uinter
temperature was minus 210 C. The region was famous for ite sanatariume
maintained for the benefit of the vorking classiest.
. Food 'supply wee affected by administrative problems and, although food
VIRA in good aupply for Party members ad for workers, the rest of the
people received a lesser amoune. In 1948 the situation visably improved
for everyone, including the ?Wu,
9. No poisonous animals other than scorpions and sand vipers in the quarries
were seen. Rata thrown and black) were very numerous.
25X1 10. No poisonous plants were encountered. I camp had a PW botanist
during the first year of postwar captivity who was permitted to search
the steppe area for medicinal plants to be used therapeutically in the
25X1 camp dlopensary This botanist, about 40 years old, was trana-
ferred to a vorld famous Soviet 'aotanical garden in the area to serve as
25X1 aocientific aosiatant and stayed there until his return to Germany in
1949. The botaniertgs present ?position was said to be Docent in
the Department of Botany, Goettingsnt University,
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11. The steppe area wau covered with a. bueh-like grass -which could be used
as an anima feed during its spring growth. After this season the grass,
called "curry", became too hard for feed purposes,
12. An order emanated from Nbscow in late 1946 or early 1947 which stipulated
that German PW phvsiciana were reouired to perform labor assianments,
13. The Centrel Hospital for the PWs was located at Camp 7799/21 at Simferopol
in the prison camp located about 2 kilometers east of the city's edge.
This ramp had a camp hospital in addition to the Central Hospital. The
latter vat available for PWe referred to it from the Crimean camps and
consisted of two large barraeka fenced off from the remainderr of the camp.
The hospital had a surgical section, infectious disease sectioniand internal
medicine section, plum living eearters for the physicians end:sanitary
personnel. The hospital was staffed by German doctors and one Soviet expert
in each section. No names of the staff members were recalled. The We
received good treatment at this hospital and medical supplies were satisfac-
tory. The Soviet physicians were apparently anxious to render adequate
care to the patients because of their immediate responsibility to Moscoee
Physician's in the smaller camp hospitals had less professional interest.
The Central Hospital could serve e00 patients.
14.,
no clear-cut pateern which would
the Soviet medical authorities heft made use of a
medical aid to the PWa.
had never beea considered as a problem to be met
vorking force detained after the war. I
Soviet doctors in the German tamna were inferior
Soviet hospitals.
lead I Ito believe that
master plan to furnish
medical care itself
in retaining the huge
the
to Soviet doctors in
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25X1 I I A pentaveccime was used in the PW camp, Penicillin was des.
cribed by Soviet doctors as a new Soviet discovery in 1948 or 1949.?
16, No Pharmaceutical factories were in operation in the eriaese Each city
had a large pharmacy which yes wed aa a medical depot. Simferopol had
four or five,Feodosila two, Sudak one, end Ketor none such pharmaciet.
17. Only one Soviet (lector, First Lieutenant Grabovskaya (fnu)9 vaa remembered,
25X1 PcYbeeaeme the xceetioeally good. doctcm,, She 10,40 assigned
tc:tLe Kutor l camp a4.1 1.44;ctz '.;0 the ll'eodosiye,Pol
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Water supply in the cities was available through pipelines to the houses.
In the country and in towns water was obtained from wells. The people
were absolutely unconcerned about the water which they drank and would
drink from street puddles. Tea was popular and was obtained from the Georgian
SSR. Alcohol was used to excean and the soldiers regularly drank up all
their pay around the first of the month. The people also drank to excess
on hclidays.
Sewage disposal lines exiated An the cities. This system was not new,
having been introduced, allegelly, by the Tatars. It was stated that
the Soviets who were resettled in the area to replace the Tatars were
utterly unconcerned about fecal wastes and used them for soil cultivation
had visited on one occasion a Soviet Army General
Hospital in the center of Feodosiya?, A PW patient there underwent an
ileectomy which was performed extrestely well by the Soviet surgeon,
This hospital was estimated to be able to handle about 300 patients.
No naval hospital was believed to exist in tne area nor were any warships
ever seen there.
The oanatarium constructed by the PW s in Sudalc vas located about 20 -
kilometers southwest of the city and 20-30 meters from the beach. The
building was of sandstone, a so-called "mussel" sand-stone. It was
two-stories high and was designed for Communist workers. No children
were seen there. A woman doctor was in attendance in a one-room dis-
pensary. About 150 people could be accommodated at the sanatorium,
vhich began to operate in 1948
the death rate among the older people in the popu-
lation was high, but that the younger people were very etalthy.
noticed a. scarcity of young men, presumably because these
men 'were with the armed forces.
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