The physicians of the Ural state mining factories in the first half of the XIX century

Abstract

Staff regulations of the Ural state-owned mining districts demanded at least one job for a doctor at every factory since 1804. Since the end of the 1820s the position of a doctors’ inspector (since 1847 it was replaced by a senior doctor) was added to provide general guidance to the medical service of the district.The medical service at state-owned mining factories in the Ural region was not as attractive as at large private plants: the physicians received less salary there, had to write a lot of bureaucratic papers and could be forcibly transferred to other hospitals. The service was especially severe in the northern districts, such as Bogoslovsky and Goroblagodatsky districts. As a result, there was a certain but never critical shortage of physicians at the state-owned mining factories in the Ural region during the first half of the XIX century. The problem of shortage escalated essentially only after the abolition of serfdom. More predictable and calm service, higher level of specialists’ security and a significant number of jobs were the reasons for the readiness of physicians to work at state factories.In the first half of the XIX century the authorities of the Ural state-owned mining factories tried to solve the problem of physicians’ shortage in various ways. Several of them were traditional: contacting the Ministry of Home Affairs, transfers from other departments, transfers between districts. There were also new ways, such as official scholarship from the mining department at higher medical institutions.The professional corporation of physicians at the Ural state-owned mining factories was quite mixed. The article presents the analysis of the database, which includes information about 82 physicians, on the grounds of birth places, places of education and careers.