Stefan Żeromski "Homeless People"

Author: Stefan Żeromski Title: The Homeless Genre: novel Medical topic: medical ethics, occupational medicine, health resort Year of first publication: 1900 Description: "The Homeless" is one of Stefan Żeromski’s most famous novels. The issues it addresses primarily concern the social and political conditions of the late 19th century; however, a very significant theme is also the sanitary and hygienic state of cities, as well as the moral condition and ideological attitudes of doctors of that period. The main character is Dr. Tomasz Judym, a doctor from a humble background who, through his own perseverance, overcame adversity, obtained a higher education, yet never lost touch with his roots. The novel contrasts the living conditions of ordinary workers with those of the aristocracy; we read about working conditions in steel mills and mines, and the attitudes of doctors who reject the need to ensure workplace safety and provide care for the poor, arguing that these are the tasks of charitable organizations, not of physicians. Judym stands against this; finding no acceptance in the medical community, he remains alone in his fight for a better life for the poor. He also finds himself in conflict while working at the health resort in Cisach, where the management disregards his concerns about the harmful effects of the surrounding damp terrain on the patients, and even fires him when he protests vehemently against the pollution of the river, which serves as the source of drinking water for the town’s residents. The doctor also works at the Sosnowiec mine, where he witnesses the tragic working conditions of the miners. Still alone on the battlefield, he renounces love in order to fully devote his life to helping the social class from which he comes.