The formation of the sanitary service in the Voronezh region in the XVIII–XIX centuries

Abstract

The aim of the work was to study the history of the formation of the sanitary service in the Voronezh region in the XVIII–XIX centuries. The material of the research was archival materials of the State Archives of the Voronezh Region, the Voronezh Regional Universal Scientific Library named after I.S. Nikitin. The article presents the main historical stages in the development of the sanitary and epidemiological service of the period of the 18th — 19th centuries. Brief information about the first doctors on the territory of the Voronezh province, the raging epidemics of scurvy, typhus, and plague is presented. The most terrible disease that the population of the Voronezh province faced in the first quarter of the 18th century was the plague. Anti-epidemic measures to combat the plague included the establishment of strong outposts and quarantines on the roads, the burning of houses with belongings, horses and cattle, the delay of couriers and the reception of letters through fire with their three times rewriting, the death penalty if the above measures were violated. In the 18th century, the first hospital for the civilian population was opened in the Voronezh region. Medical institutions were poor, poorly equipped, there was an acute shortage of personnel and medical supplies. In 1797, medical boards were organized in the provincial cities, consisting of an inspector, an obstetrician and an operator. The general supervision of hospitals, keeping records of infectious diseases, monitoring the quality of food, conducting forensic medical examinations, and examining patients was entrusted to the council. In the 19th century, cholera became widespread among the population. To prevent the incidence of smallpox, vaccination of the population was carried out since 1802. At the beginning of the 19th century, the replenishment of medical personnel in the Voronezh province was due to midwives. The situation with medical personnel changed only towards the end of the 19th century. The end of the century is characterized by a significant increase in socially significant infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis, syphilis.