Legislative support of the establishment and operation of medical museums in Russian universities in the XIX century

The article presents the first experience of addressing the legislative acts that determined the creation of medical museums in Russian universities. University regulations were reviewed, which in turn were prepared and introduced, replacing each other, in 1804, 1835, 1863 and 1884. All the regulations and annexes to them were promptly published in the Complete Collection of the laws of the Russian Empire, that is, they were made public. This, as is known, is a prerequisite for the execution of the law. It should be noted that the publication of the statutes provided an opportunity to study them. This article shows the continuity and variability of the considered documents, reveals their role in the formation and regulation of scientific and educational activities in the universities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kharkov and Kazan throughout the 19th century. It was noted that the regulations prescribed the creation of various faculties and departments in the Russian universities, as well as educational support units, the study of which was the focus point of the author's attention. Beginning with the Regulation of 1804, university legislation determined the composition of teaching and auxiliary institutions of medical faculties, which included various medical cabinets, anatomical and zootopic theaters, collections of drugs and instruments. For a long time, the term “museum” was not used in the regulations, due to the fact that this term was not widely used in Russia until the middle of the 19th century. But the works prescribed by legislative acts on the description and preservation of drugs, tools, stuffed animals allow us to speak about the emergence of museum functions in universities. The Regulation of 1863 for the first time contains provisions on the need to create physiological and pathological anatomy museums at universities, determines the amount of expenses for museum work, forms staffs. The Regulation of 1884 further expands the network of educational and auxiliary institutions of medical faculties, increases the number of museum vaults. Some of them are called museums, others are still called cabinets and collections of drugs, instruments, dressings, tools for experiments, etc. It is important to note that in the Regulation of 1863 and 1884 the nominal amounts for salaries of curators and servants are spelled out in detail, as well as of the museums and the maintenance of each of these vaults. At the end of the article, it is entirely appropriate to conclude that the publication of university regulations played a crucial role in the formation of medical museums in Russian universities.

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