About Medicine in the Province

Until 1883 all medical help in the Yenisey Province was provided as private service.  образом. The ills could get free advice, but often they had no opportunity to use it as the advice was given together with a pscription. The prices for medicines in the drugstores were high, so a poor ill person had to use home remedies, old women’s and witch doctors’ advice.

On October, 30, 1883 V.M. Krutovskiy made an application to the city sanitary commission, concerning the necessity of opening an ambulant clinic with free distribution of medicines for the poor ill people. At first, this idea seemed to be utopic, excessive, and even harmful for some people. The negotiations and talks were very long lasting. However, in 1885 free hospital was nevertheless opened thanks to the city budget and private donations. Today you can see this building in 26, Kirov street.

In 1889 in the building of the clinic the first school of nursing, midwifery and paramedic practice for women – the first medical educational establishment of this type in Siberia - was opened.

By the beginning of the 20^th century in the Yenisey Province with the population of 600 thousand people there were just about 70 doctors, 110 physician’s assistants, 4 doctor’s trainees and 15 midwives. With such a situation the demand for the services of shamans, witches and witch doctors remained very high. Estimate the recipes by a witch doctor granny Pronikha from the village of Komarovo of Kansk uezd:

▷ For insomnia : look inside the dish with tar in order to see your reflection.
▷ For acne: after bath take a clean shirt, you are going to put on, and wipe your face with the shirt’s back, then acne will move from your face to your back.
▷ For colds: drink vodka in half with hot tea, and after bath spad bear's fat on your body.

We haven’t tested, but it sounds impssive :)

Based on the materials of Kraevushka and Krasplace.ru