Institute of Contemporary History

This collective monograph presents the first systematic analysis of the development of the emergency medical service in the Czech lands from its nationalisation in 1952 to its transformation into regional contributory organisations in 2003. The book aims to map the processes of institutionalisation, professionalisation, and modernisation of pre-hospital emergency care through an analysis of official discourse and actors’ reflections. The main focus of the interpretation lies on the years 1952–2003, while this development is also situated within a broader longue durée perspective extending from the late eighteenth century, with emphasis on the key milestones of the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century: 1952, 1974, 1992, and 2003. In its thematic chapters, the monograph addresses the socio-professional identity of ambulance crews, technological and material transformations, transitional lines between pre-hospital and hospital care, ethical dilemmas connected with encounters with death, as well as gender aspects and popular-cultural representations. Special attention is paid to the memory perspective of drivers, nurses, and physicians, whose narratives serve as a source for understanding transformation processes not only in emergency medicine, but also in the broader functioning of socialist and post-socialist healthcare.

HLAVÁČEK, Jiří. Minuty mezi životem a smrtí: proměny záchranné služby (1952-2003). Praha: Karolinum, 2026. 432 s. Orální historie a soudobé dějiny. ISBN 978-80-246-6389-0.