This book covers in detail three important topics concerning Soviet medicine in the World War II era. First, it examines Soviet healthcare during World War II in terms of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and the medical/surgical instruments available. Second, the book is a study of how a mid-level sector of the Soviet economy performed in 1938 (the last peace-time year), during the first two years of the war, and during the Great Patriotic War. Third, through interviews with Soviet citizens and information in pharmacology journals, this study unpacks the use of narodnaia meditsina—a popular form of homemade medicine that pharmacists and physicians used to compensate for wartime shortages.

"For those with an interest in Soviet medical care or a general interest in the history of pharmaceuticals... this book is crucial. Conroy's meticulous reasearch and skillful use of archival material, interviews, and Soviet and western journals make for a very rich text.... It is certainly a must read for those interested in the history of Soviet medical care." - Slavic Review, Summer 2010

"It offers fascinating glimpses from an unusual angle of how ordinary Soviets survived the war. . . . Her scholarship has moved beyond a straightforward economic history of the pharmaceutical industry to the experience of ordinary Soviet citizens during the war and, specifically, to the use of alternative remedies. The book is therefore a mix of economic history and empirical work on everyday experience." - The Russian Review, Winter 2009