KNOWLEDGE-BASED VS EVIDENCE-BASED – COULD SPELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEALTH & ILL-HEALTH!

Dear Reader, It has been so truly said by Otto von Bismarck [former President of Prussia (German State) in 19th century] — ‘Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.’ It is the 10% existent wise men that lead - 90% trudge behind as followers – be it the political scenario, spiritual realm or world of science. Wise men become powerful and in the current Forbes list of such top 10 are 6 politicians, 1 religious head & 3 mega global entrepreneurs. In enterprises, when it comes to science and discovery, only 3 out of the top 10 have excelled in contributing to the world of medicine! Leaders are rare & leaders in medical domain are even rarer!

Worldview formation and Otto von Bismarck development as a politician

The main aim of the article is to consider impartially the formation of O. Bismarck’s worldview and the stages of his development as a political figure. A lot of biographers are often biased and sometimes reach panegyric or censure in their attitude to this person. The article examines objectively the factors that influenced the formation of O. Bismarck’s personality, limiting itself only to the main features of his personal character and family environment, without dwelling in detail on his political activities. Bismarck’s mother was excellently educated, combined the sentimental-religious mood of her century and the liberal beliefs inherited from her father, she aimed to awaken ambition and the desire to achieve her goals in her children from childhood. His father, unlike emotionless and refined mother, was a former military man who preferred rural life to urban life and he spoiled children in every possible way and was the soul of the family. She was shrewd and ambitious, personified intelligence and she loved to have conversations with intelligent people and to play chess, he was full of humor and fun and he preferred living on the estate and hunting. Perhaps due to this inconsistency, Bismarck was not brought up in class prejudices in his native home, but later his basic beliefs were formed under the influence of the environment.

A Nation Connected

This chapter opens with an illustration of the Prussian government’s use of telegraph networks to unite the German nation during the war with France in 1870 by ensuring the timely and ubiquitous distribution of news. Otto von Bismarck and Generalpostmeister Heinrich Stephan then sought to build upon this unifying conception of telegraphic communication by improving and homogenizing the new Kaiserreich’s network, but they soon faced obstacles from within and outside the state. On the one hand, the federal structure of the new empire granted Bavaria and Württemberg the right to manage their own networks. On the other hand, the increasingly global network upon which trade and finance depended, and the news cartel established between Havas, Reuters, and Wolffs Telegraphisches Büro limited the imperial administration’s ability to manage the cost and nature of information circulating on its lines. These issues, and particularly the economic crisis of 1873, led to conflicts in the Reichstag, where deputies openly questioned the technology’s capacity to ‘annihilate space’ and formed alliances based upon the sections of society which they believed should or should not possess an advantage in communication. At a local level, meanwhile, government efforts to build new, more imposing, post and telegraph buildings alongside subsidiary offices threatened the business community’s privileged position within the urban landscape. The distance and time involved in the transmission of telegrams came to define one’s local and social status—as shown vividly in the novels of Theodor Fontane in the early 1880s and in the popular press.

Russia and Europe: historical lessons

Тhe article deals with the results of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. The analysis of these largest wars in the history of Russian-European relations is carried out, their comparison is made, their nature, character and driving forces are revealed. On the basis of this, it is concluded that both sides have not made the proper conclusions: Europe — in terms of the expediency and consequences of an attack on Russia, thereby violating the will of the iron Chancellor Otto von Bismarck: "Make alliances with anyone, start any wars, but never touch the Russians." Russia — timely opening and preparation for the upcoming tests in relations with Europe. Against the background of more than 200 years of history, the current state of relations between Russia and Europe, which has reached a low level, is considered. Although the leading European states, Germany and France, have not stopped political contacts with Russia, but the content of these contacts has become significantly poorer, the format has narrowed, and the tone has sharpened. In the military sphere, Europe in the Russian direction follows in principle the same course as the United States. Within the framework of NATO, European countries, led by the United States, have taken a number of steps that have restored, so far at a symbolic level, the military confrontation with Russia in eastern Europe. Moscow, for its part, has stepped up its own military activities near its western borders. As a result, Europe has ceased to be the island of security that it remained for the previous quarter of a century. This does not mean, of course, that relations between Russia and European countries are ending. In fact, Russia's practical needs require easing tensions with Europe as its largest trade and economic partner. With this in mind, Moscow has achieved some success in replacing the almost non-existentties with Brussels with meaningful bilateral relations with some EU countries. Despite the fact that the European Union's foreign policy apparatus is unable to form a unified geopolitical, economic and cultural front against Moscow, there is every reason to believe that the Kremlin intends to be guided by this strategy of bilateral relations in the coming years.

Healthcare in Germany

Germany has long and firmly held a leading position in many areas: in the field of industry and entrepreneurship, culture and tourism, the introduction of advanced technologies and sports. Medical care is no exception. Annually, about 11.5% of GDP is allocated from the federal budget for health care; in 2019, 15.3 billion euro were spent on the expenditures of the German Ministry of Health, the lion's share of which (94.6%) went to providing public insurance. The first Law on Compulsory Health Insurance for the Whole Working Population entered into force in Germany back in 1883, before that it was valid only in Bavaria. This Act, proposed by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, was, in fact, the prototype for the introduction of a compulsory health care system around the world. Today, the compulsory health insurance system covers 90% of the German population. All residents of the country with a compulsory health insurance policy are entitled to almost the same range of medical services. At the same time, the amount of medical care received with compulsory health insurance does not depend on the amount of the insurance premium. The cost of health insurance for each citizen is determined based on the amount of his income.

Prusko-francouzská válka v kramářských tiscích

The study deals with the Franco-Prussian War in chapbooks. This conflict provided the last major stimulus for this medium, which gradually disappeared in the second half of the 19th century. Chapbooks on the subject of the Franco-Prussian war comprised mostly broadside ballads, but prayers and small prose prints were created as well. The importance of satirical songs significantly increased at that time. The article studies the interpretation of the war conflict in chapbooks, especially the glorification of French commanders and the authors’ hatred for Prussian soldiers, which stemmed from the defeat of the Austrian army in 1866. Attention is also paid to reflections on the main figures in the conflict (Napoleon III, Otto von Bismarck). The paper shows the genre diversity of chapbooks in the second half of the 19th century, at a time when they were gradually disappearing.