Sanitary and preventive activities in the Voronezh province in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

The article is devoted to the study of sanitary and preventive activities in the Voronezh province over 1896–1906. In the historical literature, the period under the study of the work of the Sanitary Department of the Voronezh Provincial Zemstvo has not received adequate coverage. Therefore, the chronological scope of the article is limited to these ten years. Based on archival documents from the depositories of the Voronezh region, historical materials on the management and implementation of sanitary and preventive measures by the sanitary department of the Voronezh Provincial Zemstvo durinng late 19th and early 20th centuries have been analyzed. The authors calculated numerically and percentages of the main epidemic and infectious diseases of the population of the Voronezh province for the period from 1896 to 1906, and provided information on the overall incidence. The article reveals the fruitful activities of the heads of the sanitary department, N.I. Tezyakov and A.I. Shingarev, in the formation and development of the sanitary and preventive direction in the Voronezh province. The persistence of the officials of the Sanitary Department, seeking support and resources from the authorities, deserves attention. The importance of continuity in personnel rotation in healthcare management in the Voronezh province is noted. The origin of scientifically based measures in carrying out sanitary and preventive work has been established. At the beginning of the activity of the Sanitary Department of the Voronezh Provincial Zemstvo, its work consisted in managing sanitary and preventive measures aimed at eliminating and preventing epidemics. The materials on the results of the first sanitary inspections are presented. The epidemiological situation was determined by the geographical location of the Voronezh province, the state of the environment, in particular, the presence of huge swampy areas, affecting the incidence of the population. As a result of comprehensive measures to improve sanitation in the Voronezh province, including disinfection with disinfectants, isolation of patients, quarantines, vaccination and revaccination, it was possible to reduce the number of epidemics and minimize infectious diseases. Throughout 1897–1906, the Sanitary Department of the Voronezh Provincial Zemstvo became the founding institution of the sanitary and preventive medicine in the region.