Activities of the provincial and local authorities to combat the cholera epidemic in Saratov province in 1892

Abstract

Background. The research is devoted to the actual problems of organizing the work and activities of authorities in the fight against epidemic diseases. The relevance of studying the historical context of the activities of provincial and local authorities to prevent the spread of cholera and the organization of treatment of this terrible disease on the territory of the Saratov province during the epidemic of this in 1892 is dictated by the need to rethink and perceive the positive experience of administrative bodies in countering epidemics and pan-demics. The purpose of the research is to study a set of measures of the provincial and local authorities aimed at carrying out anti-epidemic measures, searching for various methods of combating cholera, as well as evaluating their effectiveness. Materials and methods. The author, based on archival materials and memoirs of contemporaries, analyzes the activities of the highest officials of the empire, the governor and local authorities to minimize the risks of the spread of cholera in the region and taking emergency measures to combat the epidemic. Results. The research characterizes the degree of interaction between central and local au-thorities to coordinate efforts in urgently addressing the issues of combating the spread of cholera and treating patients in the Saratov province. Conclusions. The low level of medicine and scientific knowledge in the fight against cholera, the prevalence of superstition among the population, negligence on the part of some officials reduced the effectiveness of the au-thorities in the fight against cholera. Governor B.B. Meshchersky and most representatives of various levels of government in the Saratov province were responsible and made every effort to combat the cholera epidemic in 1892. It can be stated that there was good coopera-tion with the central authorities and coordination of the actions of the Saratov governor with colleagues from other regions of the country.

Keywords

• cholera
• epidemic
• saratov province
• prince b.b. meshchersky
• p.a. fadeev
• lo-cal authorities