Russian military medicine in the first years of Soviet power

Abstract

Little is known about the Russian military medicine in the first years of Soviet power. Intention. To present littleknown events in the process of formation, improvement and activity of military medical structures in the Red Guard created by the Bolsheviks, and then its successor – the Red Army – for the period from October 1917 to April 1918. Methods andResults. The authors give generalized information on the military and political situation, the process which the Bolsheviks folloed to set up bodies of power, armed formations, the Collegium of the Main Military Sanitary Directorate, the Council of Medical Colleges, the medical support system for their combat activities with the participation of the sanitary detachments of the Proletarian Red Cross and regular military medical units. A special section describes problems with medical personnel and the positive role of the Military Medical Academy in their solution. Conclusion. At the beginning of the Civil War, the medical service largely relied on the experience of the First World War, which military experts from the former army who volunteered to serve in the Red Army brought with them. Unfortunately, in the military medical management there was a lack of unity of command and the parallelism of collegial principles.