Social Composition Of Patients At Staraya Russa Resort In The 1870-1880s

Abstract

The article deals with one of the problems of functioning of provincial medical institutions in pre-revolutionary Russia. The author traces the work of the mineral water resort in Staraya Russa in 1870-1880, emphasizing its role as a medical institution for poor and low-income patients. Special attention is paid to the pricing policy of the resort management. The article analyzes the already known and newly discovered materials, discusses possible reasons why the Starorussky Mineralnye Vody resort has become one of the leading water treatment centers in the North-West of Russia, and why it continues to be a prominent phenomenon in the field of medical services at the present time. Based on the discovered materials, an approximate contingent of patients treated at the old Russian mineral water resort in 1870-1880 was established. The article assesses the current practice of pricing policy and, in General, the economic activity of the mineral water resort in Staraya Russa in 1870-1880. Based on the study, the authors conclude that the Straya Russa mineral water resort became one of the most accessible centers of water and mud treatment in the North - West of Russia in 1870-1880, especially for low-income segments of the population. Of particular importance is the practice of providing services at the state (state expense) to such vulnerable segments of the population as the lower ranks of the tsarist army, children from orphanages and the poorest "Philistines" (residents) who received treatment for free.