In the history of healthcare in Kremenchuk, there are little-studied topics, which include the creation and activities of the Medical Society.
The process of its foundation came at the end of the 11th century, when the territory of the city, its development rapidly increased, enterprises were opened one by one, the concentration and centralization of capital were carried out, the volumes of water and railway trade increased every year, etc.
As a result of these factors, the population increased rapidly. According to the 1897 census, there were 63,007 people. Extremely backwards in comparison with positive changes was medical care, especially among the poor. Difficult living conditions, exhausting work, and lack any sanitary and preventive measures led to a high level of morbidity and mortality.
In Kremenchuk, there was 1 hospital and about 40 doctors, most of whom had private practices.
In such conditions, medical care was actually provided only to those who could pay for it. The best representatives of the medical intelligentsia tried to improve health care and sought to improve professional, medical knowledge. The most favourable conditions for this have developed in the Kremenchuk provincial zemstvo hospital. Since 1883, an outstanding surgeon, O.T. Bogaevsky, around whom a union of fellow thinkers was formed.
“… the hospital was so well equipped that it enabled doctors… to carry out their scientific observations…”.
Soon it becomes a kind of center of surgery in Ukraine. In 1885, a group of advanced physicians makes a proposal to establish a Society of Physicians in Kremenchuk. In May of the same year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs approves its charter, on July 23 the first meeting takes place, at which the main tasks are discussed. Briefly, they can be summarized as follows:
mutual exchange of scientific and practical experience;
general subscription of books, newspapers and magazines in the specialty;
providing free medical care to the poor in Kremenchuk by equipping a hospital;
dissemination among the people of the concepts of personal and general hygiene;
study of Kremenchuk and the county in sanitary terms;
assistance to city and zemstvo administrations in the organization of sanitary supervision and medical assistance to the population.
At first, the Society included 24 members (17 doctors and 7 pharmacists). It did not have its own premises; the halls of the City Duma and the Public Assembly were used for meetings.
In the spring of 1887, with the help of the Kremenchuk Duma, doctors received a house for a hospital. It was a rented building in the centre of the city, on the corner of Gorodovaya and Bolshaya Meshchanskaya streets (modern – September 29 and Chapaeva).
Until 1889, patients were admitted here free of charge. But it turned out that most doctors find many reasons to come to consultations late, and sometimes not to come at all. It also turned out that 4 beds for inpatients were not used due to the lack of medical staff. The Society saw a way out of a difficult situation in the appointment of cash subsidies and constant obligatory duty of doctors. A special commission developed a project and an estimate, which were submitted to the City Duma. The estimate was approved, but with serious cuts. Despite this, the Society was able until 1905 to relatively successfully establish the work of the hospital and the family shelter at it. In addition, a diagnostic room was organized here. On average, up to 75 studies of patients were conducted annually, smallpox was systematically vaccinated, anti diphtheria serum was administered, and other vaccinations were carried out. Preparations for them were bought at the expense of the city authorities and distributed to poor patients for free. For solvent patients, a double fee was charged, and the money went to buy cheese.
The hospital also conducted a review of nursing and made recommendations for nannies and those who knew how to look after the sick. After appropriate tests, they were issued a certificate on printed forms of the Society. It is known that until the end of 1902, doctors provided assistance to poor patients in more than 1500 cases (about 50% free of charge and about 50% for a fee of 30 kopecks per year). In the maternity ward, assistance during childbirth was provided in more than 200 cases free of charge or for the lowest payment (1, 2, 3 kr. for a stay in the hospital for 7-8 days.
The number of patients increased every year, it became more and more difficult to provide them with qualified assistance in the old, cramped and uncomfortable hospital. The issue of building a new, modern hospital was discussed as early as 1894. In 1905, it was already very acute. Funds have been collected all these years, it was monetary and property donations, a collection of evenings, lectures, charity performances. The City Duma promised to allocate most of it from its budget and from the capital, which was bequeathed by the merchant G.E. Churkin. But the political conflict between the city head and progressive doctors (the participation of the latter in the revolutionary events of 1905 led to the fact that the Society was not only not allocated funds, but the old hospital was also taken away.
The most difficult times have come when the question arose – to be or not to be the Kremenchuk Medical Society. It fought for its existence by publishing “Protests” in medical periodicals and the local press.
His authority was already high, first of all, the doctors were supported by the residents of the city, individual representatives of the nobles, and some business owners. In 1906, a wealthy timber merchant F.I. Sandomiersky donates to the Society his own two-story house on the street. Doctoral (modern Soviet). This played a significant role in the restoration of the Society’s activities.
Gradually, the main, usual work, which was carried out based on the experience of previous years, is being established again. As before, much attention was paid to improving the sanitary and hygienic conditions of Kremenchuk. Lectures, the publication of popular brochures, the organization of free courses for the training of disinfectants – these are far from all forms of work in this direction. In May 1913, members of the Society take to the streets of the city to collect funds for the treatment of tuberculosis patients. This event, which was called “White Flower Day”, was attended by 400 people. In total, 12 thousand krb were collected, which went to the construction of a tub sanatorium in Potoki.
On the initiative of the Society’s physicians, a water conveyor and a dispensary are being built in Kremenchuk, and a feldsher-obstetric school is being opened.
Throughout the entire activity of the Society, the scientific practice has remained one of the main areas of work. Reports, abstracts, messages, demonstrations of patients, publications in professional medical journals, participation in the Pirogov congresses – all of this made it possible to treat Kremenchuk residents using the latest achievements of medical science. The Kremenchuk Medical Society, with a charter adopted in 1885, existed for almost 32 years. During this time, it duly fulfilled the tasks that it set for itself, and entered the history of domestic medicine as one of the best medical societies in Ukraine.
Its achievement is the favourable ground on which modern medicine has successfully developed, and is still developing.
Author: Skripinska T.V.
Materials of the scientific-practical conference “Kremenchuk – 435 years”