I'm An American -- Béla Schick

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0041

Overview

Description: On January 19, 1941 Dr. Béla Schick discussed democracy and healthcare with Dr. Henry B. Hazard of the US. Department of Justice. Schick claims, “Only once you have seen the effects of war on children can one understand what it really causes.” He refers to stories of starving Austrian refugee children being brought to Hungary during WWI. He compares the environments of minors living in war-torn Europe and tranquil America. He explains the reason for growing medical advancement in America as opposed to Europe. Dr. Schick warns that although the United States is safe, has resources, high living standards and is isolated from Europe, the symptoms threatening democracy are still present.

Dr. Béla Schick was born on July 16, 1877 in Balatonboglár, Hungary. Rather than the join the family grain business, the aspiring pediatrician quoted the Talmud: “The world is kept alive by the breath of children” to persuade his father in allowing him to pursue his education in medicine. Béla Schick received his medical degree from Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz, Austria. He became an assistant in the Children’s Clinic in Vienna, and later an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Vienna University. In 1905, Schick coined the term “serum sickness”; which we now describe today as allergies. The young pediatrician conducted numerous important studies on scarlet fever, tuberculosis and infant nutrition. However in 1910, he gained international notoriety when he developed the Schick test. The Schick test determined if a child was susceptible to diphtheria, an airborne bacterial infection; making it easier for doctors to treat the most vulnerable. His medical discovery eventually led to the eradication of the childhood disease worldwide. In 1923, Dr. Schick emigrated to America after accepting the position as Pediatrician-In-Chief at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital. He became an American citizen the same year. Dr. Schick went on to work spontaneously at other hospitals and colleges in New York; as well as hold his post at Mount Sinai until his retirement in 1943.
Date: Broadcast: 1941 January 19
Format: WAV

Physical Details

Language: English
Genre/Form: Radio broadcasts.

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
Copyright: NBC Universal
Conditions on Use: Contact NBC Universal at www.nbcuniarchives.com for permission to duplicate and use this film or sound recording.

Keywords & Subjects

Topical Term: Democracy--United States. Immigrants--Interviews. Immigrants--United States. Medical care--United States. Men--Personal narratives. Pediatricians. Starvation. World War, 1914-1918--Children. World War, 1914-1918--Hungary.
Geographic Name: Europe. Hungary. United States.
Personal Name: Schick, Béla, 1877-1967. Hazard, Henry B. (Henry Bernard), 1880-
Corporate Name: National Broadcasting Company United States. Department of Justice

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: In process
Recorded Sound Provenance: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased digital copies of these sound recordings from the Library of Congress in March 2018.
Recorded Sound Notes: More information about Dr. Bela Schick:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/medicine/medicine-biographies/bela-schick
https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/bela-schick
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/337210
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/41/2/379

More information about I’M AN AMERICAN:
https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/historians-mailbox/im-american
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/16/557338355/im-an-american-radio-show-promoted-inclusion-before-world-war-ii
Recorded Sound Source: Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)
File Number: Source Archive Number: RWB 7035 A1

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:30:11
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn620817

Download & Licensing

Request Copy
See Rights and Restrictions
Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Requires Research Visit
Plan a Research Visit

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

I’M AN AMERICAN premiered in 1940 on the eve of WWII. The NBC radio broadcast was spearheaded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a “deeper consciousness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship and more tolerance for fellow american of all birthplaces”. The weekly program featured distinguished foreign-born citizens discussing their naturalization process, the meaning of “democracy” and reminding all Americans of the value/privilege of U.S. citizenship. Sound recordings of I’M AN AMERICAN are available from the NBC Radio Collection in the Library of Congress.

Date: 1940-1944

Learn About The Holocaust

My Saved Research

I'm An American -- Béla Schick

Overview

Physical Details

Rights & Restrictions

Keywords & Subjects

Administrative Notes

Download & Licensing

In-Person Research

Contact Us

Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

Learn About the Holocaust

Further Your Research

About the Museum's Collections

Plan a Research Visit

Ask a Research Question