Hello, Many people seem to have a misconception that ghettos were like concentration camps, just without gas chambers. In fact they were towns within towns with all the facilities people tried to maintain the normal lives as long as possible- -F.Szpilman played a piano in cafe, while his sister was a lawyer.

The healthcare at the beginning of the war wasn't worse than in Polish parts of the town- for example in Łódź Litzmanstadt Ghetto had 3 fully functional hospital staffed by Jews themselves. Unfortunately the sick were the first to be exterminated and lots of the doctors refused to leave their patients. The story of the doctor reminds those recorded by Hanna Krall in "Shielding The Flame" where Marek Edelman praise a paediatrician who, unable to save her patients, killed them with drugs from her private supplies, giving up her chance for painless suicide. If you are interested I recommend you that bock since it's a first hand testimony strongly focused on everyday life and mental state of Ghetto's inhabitants. You can also visit a virtual guide to Łódź Ghetto- http://www.lodz-ghetto.com/hospital_no1_and_pediatric_hospital.html,18