Research On Health Commissioner Of “Special City”in Nanjing National Government(1928-1937)

The health secretaries of “special city” were appointed as the first group of professional sanitary officials from 1928 to 1937 when Nanjing national government launched sanitary and administrative system in the newly built cities, most of whom were overseas returned elites armed with medical or hygienical knowledge. Faced with the adversity of our nation’s poverty and weakness, this group of health secretaries took an active part in advocating the spirit of “health power” and exerted all their knowledge to offer advice and suggestions to the construction of the nation’s health service at that time. At first, they introduced and disseminated advanced health concept, paid attention to the health conditions of women, babies and children and held health assemblies, expecting to change people’s bad health habits. In addition, they actively promoted the construction of health service, founded health clinic, started and incorporated different kinds of hospitals, built various sorts of sanitary or medical institutions and so forth, hoping to improve the management of national health organizations and the conditions of medical hygiene. As a whole, they did make great contributions to the urban health construction.However, with all sorts of factors interweaving together, there were some drawbacks of their work in reality, which, to some extent, reflected the difficulties in the construction of medical and health care,and even the national construction an national rejuvenation.