The fight against social diseases in the Nizhny Novgorod region at the turn of the 1920-1930s

The subject of research is the position of the Nizhny Novgorod doctors and public figures in relation to syphilis and tuberculosis as a socially-dangerous diseases of the turn of 1920-1930s. The significance of the research is connected with insufficient development of this topic in the historiography. The article considers social and scientific approaches of Nizhny Novgorod doctors to the development of a set of measures to combat social diseases by determining the causes of their mass distribution, and implementation of such measures in practice. The views of the most active representatives of the Nizhny Novgorod public are highlighted. After the First World War and the Civil War, the Nizhny Novgorod region, formed on the basis of the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, the Chuvash ASSR, the Mari and Votan Autonomous regions, was one of the most unfavourable in terms of health, the situation remained difficult during the New economic policy period. The article notes that this problem was of concern not only to doctors, but also to society as a whole. In this regard, various social forces are involved in the fight against social diseases. Their activity was rather successful, but gradually came to naught by the beginning of the 1930s. The author reveals the main approaches to the consideration of the problem of mass social diseases associated with the processes of socio-economic development of society and the difficulties of the transition period. Analyses of the place and role in the process of public events is made: tuberculosis three-days events (‘trekhdnevnik’), anti STD and prostitution weeks, public lectures, demonstrations, as well as the state planning measures to eradicate social ills. A comparative analysis of the main causes of social diseases is carried out. The source base consists of archival materials of the largest all-Russian and Nizhny Novgorod archives, local periodicals of the first five years period. The research is based on the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity and determinism. The methods of analysis, synthesis, comparative-historical, chronological were used. The novelty of the study is to obtain new knowledge about the social essence, specific historical determinism, and the causes of widespread social diseases, as well as about the suggestions of public figures on ways to combat them, the activities carried out. For the first time the views of the most active representatives of the Nizhny Novgorod public on the problem are presented, data on the state of health of national regions are introduced into scientific circulation. The author came to the conclusion that it is necessary to consider the fight against social diseases in the years of the New economic policy period as a result of checking the pre-revolutionary concept in the new conditions of maximum favouring by the government and the public.

Keywords

Authors

References