Activities carried out by Katerynoslav district local governments in the field of sanitary protection of the population (1870 - 1914)

Abstract

The article is concerned with the activities carried out by the local governments in such cities of Katerynoslav District as Katerynoslav, Оleksandrіvsk, Bakhmut, Verkhnedneprovsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Nikopol, Novomoskovsk, Pavlohrad and Slovіanoserbsk in the field of sanitary protection of the population (1870 - 1914).

In order to prevent the emergence and the spread of diseases, the local governments of Katerynoslav District embarked upon various sanitary rules introduced shortly after the city government reform. But the effect those rules had upon the population was very miserable, given the factory workers' poor living conditions and low cultural level.

Therefore the next step in hygienic improvement in the District's cities was formation of licensed sanitary committees. Another response to the hygienic challenges was creation of a sanitary station in Katerynoslav, a specialized agency affiliated to the local government funded thereby. In other cities of the District, such as Mariupol, Оleksandrіvsk, Bakhmut and Pavlohrad, one could find nothing but introduction of such a position as local sanitary doctor. This made it possible to effect a certain control of the hygienic standards as well as to eliminate drawbacks in the activities carried out by the local governments in this field.

The author provides evidence to inefficiency of the measures taken for sanitary protection of Katerynoslav District's population, which embodies the overall notorious trend typical of the Russian Empire. This trend manifested itself very vividly during the epidemic of cholera in 1910 which was accompanied by a great number of infected and perished residents, especially in Mariupol, Katerynoslav and Оleksandrіvsk. Over all, all that resulted from lack of sewerage and flushing toilet as well as from running water shortages and lack of bacteriological laboratories.