Beginning of institutionalization of healthcare in Transbaikal area in imperial period

Organisation of Nerchynsk mining district in the end of the first half of XVIII century (1741) for the first time generates pre-requisites for generation of state medical business in Transbaikal area. The need to solve near-border and internal military commitments created conditions for appearance of military medicine in the beginning of the second half of XVIII century, which resulted in opening of military infirmaries in Selenginsk (1765) and Verkhneudinsk (Ulan-Ude) in the late 80s of the XVIII century. In this same period an intent to prepare medical students in local hospital schools attached to the infirmaries was carried out. Smallpox vaccination in Transbaikal area was started in the second half of XVIII century, and, in early XIX it became a state campaign (1811). Actual accessibility of people's, Tibetan medicine until early XX century countervailed weakness of public medical aid for locals and Old-believers. Due to an important geopolitical role of Transbaikal area for development of Amur and Far East in the middle of the XIX century (1851) a special Transbaikal region was founded. As economic wealth of the towns was growing, the first public municipal hospitals developed; obeying to the Irkutsk order for public assistance, the first public hospital in the regional town of Chita was opened (1894). On January 14, 1893 Transbaikal medical society emerged. In the late XIX century, critical need for research and methodological unity, aggregate work of physicians became more demanded and necessary. Complying with the order about Transbaikal region, Regional committee of public health was organised. On May 8, 1894 was opened local administration of Russian Red Cross society in Chita, which in 1897 was named Transbaikal local administration of Russian Red Cross society. Moreover 9 local committees were created, the biggest of which was in Verkhneudinsk. In this way, the process of formation of public medicine in Transbaikal area began in the end of the first half of the XVIII century, and was constant, and over the long period developed within the frame of Russian statehood. As a result of political, social and economic measures, taken by the government of Russia, public medical services gradually took a more organised form. In the 90s of XIX century institutionalisation of healthcare in Transbaikal area took place, which directly evidences profoundly informal character of activity of created public medical organisations throughout the whole vast area of the region.

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