The Final Epidemic

Abstract

This is the author's keynote address to the Fourth Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War in June 1984. He describes activities aimed at stemming the nuclear arms race that were undertaken by medical and other professional groups during the four years since the first meeting of the U.S. Physicians for Social Responsibility. He also analyzes improvements in infant mortality that could have been obtained if resources devoted to the weapons buildup had been allocated instead to health care programs. Finally, he calls on physicians to take an active role in publicizing the medical realities of a nuclear war and the negative impact of the arms race on health care spending.