“The Life of the Russian Settlers Here Turned Out to Be, However, a Difficult Ordeal for Them”: the First Attempts to Provide Medical Care to Russian Settlers in the Astrabad Province

Abstract

The article is devoted to the initial stages of the organization of medical care for Russian settlers and the local population in the Astrabad province of Iran on the eve and during the First World War. Archival and published materials show the interaction of various levels and government structures of the Russian Empire on the organization of medical care for settlers, the complexity of this interaction, the activities of Red Cross detachments in Persia, and then the beginning of the activities of permanent medical and paramedic stations. It is shown that the organization of medical care to the population was due not only to practical considerations, but also to the influence of the ideas of the civilizing mission of Russia.