Ponomareva Varvara Vitalievna

Introduction. Since 1820s, it became customary in the Russian Empire to hold various exhibitions - dedicated to manufacture and consequently industry; agricultural, local and national, as well as take part in international exhibitions. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the number, scale and thematic diversity of such exhibitions grew significantly. Exhibitions related activities, which claimed such wide range and popularity, marked the change in public thought process about the new economic structures being established, and the understanding of the issues and risks associated with them, following industrial revolution. One of the problems identified was the deterioration of sanitary and hygiene conditions in cities, caused by growth in industrial production and population.

Materials and methods. Catalogues of the Russian National Hygiene Exhibition of 1893 are the sources for this work. As well as documenting activities of the exhibition, they contain illustrative materials, scientific and academic reports on urban life, data from the periodicals of that era, in the study of which historico-typological and historico-descriptive methods are used.

Results. In the majority of differently themed exhibitions, natural science and medical sections were established, which confirmed the need for targeted development of medical and sanitary aspects. These sections, which were partly organised by scientific societies, were seen, for example, at the Polytechnic Exhibition in 1872, the Craft Exhibition in 1885, Siberian-Ural Scientific and Industrial Exhibition in 1887 in Ekaterinburg, and Scientific and Industrial Exhibition of the Volzhsko-Kamskii region in Kazan in 1890. Finally, in May 1893, Russian National Exhibition was opened in St Petersburg dedicated solely to the development of sanitary and hygienic issues. Exhibition’s organisers declared enlightenment to be its main goal- popularisation of knowledge, scientific discoveries, and inventions in the field of hygiene and sanitation. A large number of state institutions and departments, scientific and public organisations, and private entrepreneurs helped to prepare this exhibition, presenting about 50 thousand exhibits that describe all aspects of human life from both medical and sanitary points of view. Various models and mockups, drawings, sketches and photographs, devices, equipment and tools, demonstrated achievements both in scientific and practical terms.

Conclusion. This exhibition attracted high levels of attention, and its exhibits convincingly proved existence of serious problems and threats in the area of public hygiene and sanitation. It became apparent that in order to solve these on a contemporary level, it was necessary to rely on joint scientific and technological resources. Russia’s participation in the World Hygiene Exhibition in 1911 was another step in this direction, followed by the launch of Russia’s second National Hygiene Exhibition in 1913, the footprint of which grew even larger. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Since its foundation in 1755, Moscow University has become a cultural, scientific and educational center, the social significance of which surpassed both educational and scientific. The University published a city newspaper, printed magazines, books and textbooks; its library, Museum of Natural History and Botanical Garden were open to the public, university holidays served to popularize science and education. The educational function has become traditional for the university.

Materials and methods. The sources of the work are the statutory documents of universities and secondary educational institutions, accounting documents of inspections, in the study of which historico-typological and historico-descriptive methods are used.

Results. The Charter of 1804 legislatively assigned the university the leadership of secondary and lower-level educational institutions in the Moscow Educational District, which included Moscow, Vladimir, Vologda, Kaluga, Kostroma, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl provinces. University professors regularly surveyed educational institutions, studied their financial situation, the qualifications of teachers, the level of training of students, and gave recommendations on how to improve the work of educational institutions. The problems of local schools were discussed in the University's Academical Committee, and ways to open new educational institutions were discussed. The reports were forwarded to the Ministry of Public Education. Since 1835, the management of secondary and lower schools has been transferred from universities to the trustees of educational districts. Since 1835, the management of secondary and lower schools has been transferred from universities to the trustees of educational districts.

Conclusion. The work of the University in the first half of the 19th century on the management of schools at various levels of the Moscow Educational District played a crucial role in the formation of the national public education system.

© 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The subject of this study is the mortality rate and causes of female students in closed girls’ boarding schools in the capital cities of the Russian Empire in the first half of the 19th century. This topic has not previously been the subject of specialized historiography.

Materials and methods. The primary source for this study was data from parish registers, introduced into scientific circulation for the first time for this purpose.

Results and discussion. The registers recorded deaths of female students at the girls’ boarding schools. At the beginning of the 19th century, causes of death were not specified, and only later, beginning in the 1810s, did the priest record the illness that caused death. In very rare cases, the registers included references to diagnoses made by the institute physician. The chosen chronological period is explained by the fact that only beginning in the 1860s were female students permitted to leave their schools for vacations, and later for holidays and even weekends, meaning that the registration of deaths in the registers of the institute churches became increasingly incomplete. The processed data is analyzed using the principles of historicism and objectivity.

Conclusion. Infant mortality in the Russian Empire remained consistently high. Even as early as the 1760s, when the first of the institutes, Smolny, was established, everyday life was based on the strictest rules of sanitation and hygiene, constant medical supervision, and the organization of proper quarantines in the event of epidemics. Records from the registers of births allow for relatively accurate calculations of the number of deaths among female students at the institutes and an analysis of quantitative data on the diseases that led to death, given the inaccuracy of diagnostics in the first half of the 19th century. The most common cause of death among adolescents at closed girls’ boarding schools was tuberculosis. It is noteworthy that, overall, the number of deaths due to epidemics at this colleges was insignificant.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University.