THE DIFFICULT PATH OF REVIVAL OF PERM MEDICINE (1918−1919)

Abstract

The study analyzes a complex and controversial period in the history of Perm medicine in 1918–1919, associated with the liquidation of zemstvo institutions, including the former structure of zemstvo and city medicine in March 1918. The search for a new ideology of providing medical care based on a class approach in this sphere caused skepticism among the majority of the medical community and led to various conflicts. Despite their detachment from political life, doctors expressed serious concerns and even rejected the Soviet authorities’ desire to destroy the isolation of medical corporatism and to unite them into a single trade union with other medical workers such as paramedics, midwives, and attendants. The study examines the main areas of activities in the field of providing medical care to the population, the gradual involvement of medical personnel in the creation of the Soviet health care system, and the emergence of new structures such as insurance and occupational medicine, maternal and child health, etc. Attention is paid to the analysis of medical care in connection with the outbreak of the Civil War. Significant migration of doctors from their former places of work, associated with the mobilization and evacuation of opposing forces, and the catastrophic epidemic situation in the Urals during the Civil War significantly worsened the living conditions of all segments of the population, including doctors. The study analyzes the organizational work of the restored administrative structures at the provincial, city, and county levels. The article describes the activities of the management of medical, sanitary, and auxiliary personnel, their interactions with each other, and the increased political activities of doctors.