Detailed medical statistics, the first ones to be made available for many years, have recently been published in the Soviet Union. These figures will form the subject of a longer and more detailed article to be published in the near future; only the highlights will be presented here.
Soviet data indicate a steadily increasing supply of physicians. From 1940 to 1955, for example, the size of the medical contingent has doubled, increasing from 155,000 to 310,000. This indicates a net yearly increment of 10,000 physicians. At the present time the ratio of physicians to the population is 16 per 10,000. In 1955, more than 16,000 physicians were graduated. It is also of interest to note that the majority of physicians are women, 76% in 1955 to be exact. The above-quoted figures are said to be exclusive of armed forces physicians. No data have been released on the number of specialists,