9th BSEC Month of Culture
1-30 November 2025
Manuscripts – Republic of Croatia
On the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development (10 November), we invite you to discover Andrija Štampar’s diaries (1931-1938).
The Diaries of Andrija Štampar provide an authentic, first-hand account of the development, promotion and organisation of public health in different parts of the world during the 1930s.
Andrija Štampar (1888-1958) was a Croatian physician and pioneer in the field of public health and social medicine. He is credited with the concept of the universally available and cost-free public healthcare almost a 100 years ago. Trusted by the League of Nations Health Organization and the Rockefeller Foundation, he eventually became one of the founders of the World Health Organization.
The diaries detail his efforts and provide a unique view into the birth of global healthcare through the eyes of one of its founders, who operationalised his theoretical constructs in a context of a different culture during a time of great political turmoil.
In 2025, Andrija Štampar’s diaries were included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, which aims to safeguard documentary heritage.
Sources: https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/andrija-stampars-diaries-1931-1938?hub=1081
Images taken from:
https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/andrija-stampars-diaries-1931-1938?hub=1081
Photograph No1: Croatian State Archives
#ICBSS #MoC2025 #CultureBSEC #Croatia #Manuscripts
