Doctors are scarce
Home-front first-aid poster in red, white and black: 'Doctors are scarce' with the statistic 'One out of three has gone to war', then 'Be prepared for minor injury, for minor illness' and 'Learn first aid & home nursing'. A Civil Defense emblem and a Red Cross emblem sit at the foot. The single figure is given without a source and the poster presents shortage as the reason to act.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Office of War Information (Office of Civilian Defense and American Red Cross emblems)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Home front, Health
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Office of War Information (Office of Civilian Defense and American Red Cross emblems). National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-366 (NAID 513816).
Text on the object
Doctors are Scarce One out of three has gone to war Be Prepared for minor injury for minor illness LEARN First Aid & Home Nursing [emblem:] CD (Civil Defense) [emblem:] Red Cross OWI Poster No. 27. Additional copies may be obtained upon request from the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information, Washington, D. C. [imprint:] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943—O—503156
