"Doctors", Kalinkovichisky News. 09/27/2012

The first health care worker in Yurevichi, that was mentioned in 1854 in the backlogs of Byelorussian National Historical Archives “Minsk medical board”, “Minsk province office” and “Minsk province peasants’ affairs office”, was Yurevichi citizen feldsher Alaiziy Iosifavich Ivashkevich. His ancestors were noblemen. He had the certificate signed by the chief inspector of the Minsk medical office that gives the right to exercise medical practice. At the same time smallpox vaccinator (a person who vaccinate against smallpox) Motel Girshavich Goltan worked in Yurevichi. His relatives were the Jews. It is clear, that there were no any health facilities or hospitals in the town in this period. The feldsher hold the reception of patient in his own or their homes. Among the information about feldshers in volosts of Rechitsa povet during 1866 the following can be found:

“Yurevichi volost: There are 1411 men, 1361 women, 368 homesteads in the volost. Vikentsii Antonau Galaunia is a feldsher, catholic, his allowance: 160 roubles, 11 quarts 4 tchetveriks 4 garniecs of winter grain crops, the same amount of spring crops to the amount of 70 roubles 90 copecks, which means 230 roubles 90 copecks in total…

The first pharmacy in Yurevichi was opened at the end of 1889. It was owned by pharmacist Sybotski. In the list of feldshers and employed in Rechitsa povet midwifes (№483 dated 24.09.1907) Afanasii Fedoravich Kritski (Yurevichi feldsher) was mentioned. Other persons who provided medical services were feldshers Myzikant Abram Chaimavich, Zabela Vosip Zianonavich and midwife Alterman Gita Girshayna. There was a pharmacy owned by the pharmacist Tovii Izrailevich Kaletski in the town. As archival documents of Byelorussian National Archive indicates Yan Lyudvicavich Lrashcheuski worked in the Yurevichi from 1909 to 1912. The first record about the doctor in the town took place in 1914. It was Agizik Notay.

Before the October Revolution and during it feldsher Fedar Vosipavich Bartashevich provided health care services to the population of Yurevichi volost. In this period his brother Michail had a medical practice in Kalinkovichi.

Fedar Vosipavich was very considerable men among the local population. That’s why he was elected to the Yurevichi executive committee after its establishment by the Russian Provisional Government in 1917.

Feldsher Bartashevich was the only person who provided medical services to the ill, injured persons and parturient women in the whole volost during the difficult period of civil war.

At the beginning of November in 1920 there was an order to detach the only volost’s feldsher to Rechitsa and then to Gomel to undergo re-certification and then to be sent in the army. At the 11 of November chance political meeting took place. People adopted the following resolution:

We, the undersigned citizens of Yurevichi, at the chance political meeting caused by the order to detach feldsher Bartashevich to Gomel have decided:

“Considering that Bartashevich is the only health-care worker in the whole volost that consist of 26 villages and taking into consideration the wide spread of epidemic diseases in our area, we are solicit the appropriate government body for leaving Bartashevich in the Yurevichi”.

At the same time meeting participants wrote the appropriate statement to the Yurevichi Volostnoi Revolutionary Committee in which they gave even more proofs of their statement. They wrote:

The last two weeks were very difficult to Yurevichi citizens. Bylak-Bylachovich invasion has resulted in the multitude troubles, including people’s death: 7 were killed, 4 died from wounds, 9 dead were transported from the nearest villages, nearly 20 people were injured using cold weapon and firearms. Moreover, the epidemic of scarlatina has began. 20 children felt ill during the last two weeks. Along this we have one more possible trouble – to be left without any medical treatment because the only health-care worker – feldsher Bartashevich must leave us for an indefinite term as a result of his detachment to Rechitsa and Gomel with the further sending to the battlefront.

At the 1 of December Yurevichi Volostnoi Revolutionary Committee considered this application at the meeting and sent to the Rechitsa Povetovy Military Committee the petition signed by the foreman of the Volostnoi Revolutionary Committee Stsiapan Akylenka in which they asked to postpone the detachment of Bartashevich because of difficult medical and epidemiological situation in the volost.

Health locality

In the 1920th the health locality was opened instead of Yurevichi first-aid post. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact date. The only thing we know is that doctor Ermachenka was the head of this the health locality in 1926. In 1926 at the 15 of October Veniamin Leibavich Lipkin applied to the Rechitsa paviatovy health-care department and requested the possibility of being appointed to the vacant position of the second doctor in Yurevichi. Doctor Lipkin was born in the village Elnia, Smolensk oblast, in 1904. He graduate the medicine department of severno-Kavkazskiy university in 19 June 1926. At 25 October 1926 twenty-two years old young man started to work in the Yurevichi hospital. In 1 February 1927 he became the head of the hospital. There was plenty of work to do. Besides the health-care services it was necessary to do explanatory work, look for sanitary state of the settlements, fight with the epidemics. The records, for example, contain interesting document about the examination of the medical state of victualling-houses, bakeries, hairdresser's, beerhouse and sales outlets in Yurevichi conducted by Lipkin and a member of town council. The reason was the neglecting of warnings about the impropriate condition of sanitation. According to this document, committee members asked regional executive committee to

…fine the next persons: hairdresser Lansman for working without overall – 3 roubles, hairdresser Berazouski – 3 roubles; Rachleyski – dirty beerhouse – 5 roubles; baker Buchman Irma – dirty kitchen, using dirty tools – 5 roubles. Yurevichi consumer society – insanitariness – 7 roubles. Schtenberg Schliome, Berman Zalman, Kantar Aron, Myrauchik Chaim – violation of sanitary norms – 1 rouble fine for every person …

At the end of July doctor Lipkin left the town due to his transfer to the position of the head of Elsk regional hospital. Archive documents saved the signed by the foreman of the Yurevichi regional executive committee copy of the reference which was given to Lipkin. Here is the small extract from it:

Doctor Lipkin proved himself as the doctor – always dedicated to his job activist of high account among the Yurevichi region citizens.

At the beginning of the August in 1927 Illia Davydovich Shtern arrived with his family at Yurevichi in order to fill the position of the head of health locality. By the way, doctor Bemar S. I. was appointed on the position of region sanitation doctor of Yurevichi, Choiniki, Bragin, Vasilevitski and Komarinski regions in 1927. Paid medical service for kulaks, free medical service for the poors In the second half of 1920th political situation in the country influenced not only economicy and peasant’s way of life but also other aspects of life including health care. Special resolution on the report of the inspector of okrug health department Harlap were adopted on the district doctors meeting in Mozyr in 1927. It’s official name is About the class differentiation in health care services and paid medical service for the unemployed. There is the quotation from this document:

The class war is strengthening because of the capitalism roots grubbing both in cities and villagies. The kulaks liquidation require conducting accurate class oriented work, including health care services. There is no clear differentiation in health care, especially in the villages, there is no division on social groups. The poors, the middle class and the kulaks receive equal health care services. Such situation smooth over class guideline in medicine.

Based on this reasoning, the district doctors council decided:

Heath care services to the unemployed (NEPmen, merchants, kulaks, individual tax payers, disenfranchised) should be services for a fee, they should be served last of all with the exception of contagious diseases (typhus, cholera, scarlatina, diphtheria, smallpox and syphilis) but also for a fee.

Fix the following prices for medical services:

Day hospital

	town	village
Day in hospital without surgery	4.50	3.00
Day in hospital with surgery	6.00	4.50
abortion	25.00	15.00
assist in childbirth	25.00	15.00
Home visit without surgery ¹⁾	0.75	0.60
Home visit with surgery	1.00	0.90
tooth stopping	3.00	3.00
removal of tooth	2.00	2.00
roentgenograph	10.00	10.00

Typhus patients with active opened process should be seen for free, but patients should pay for medicines. Unemployed typhus patients can’t be directed to a hospital, because there is no possibility to place every typhus patients in medical institutions.
All medicines for the unemployed should be paid.
Medical consultations for children and pregnant women living in the cities – 50 copecks, villages – 40 copecks.
All income from the medical services for the unemployed should be used for medical institutions improvement. Special estimate approved by sanitary council should be used.

Health care workers must obey this document, otherwise health care workers could banished into exile.

Cleanness cultivation

In spite of such difficult situation doctors worked, cured people and taught them how to resist illnesses, especially infections. It was difficult task for doctors to teach people how to keep clean and follow sanitary regulations. It was difficult to teach people who live in absolute poverty to wear clean clothes, wash and follow minimum sanitary regulations. Dated 12 December 1927 “Committee conference report about the conduction of the health protection week in Yurevichi school” can be found in the archives. There is the quotation from it:

Comrad Zinovich report about the results of the health protection week conducted between 23 October and 3 November. During this period regional feldsher conducted medical examination of pupils, coat racks and spittoons were placed in the school, ventlights for airing were made. The floor is moped once a week, windows are washed twice a week. Conversations with pupils about the necessity of following sanitary regulations at homes were conducted.

The whole work on hygiene was estimated as satisfactory. Moreover, the medical examination of the population was carrued up. Almost nobody aired their houses, changed furnishing. Nobody washed because of the absence of Russian baths. But at the same time it was noted that pupils tried to dress more neatly. The commission decided to send the request to regional executive committee about supplying the school with electric water heater, towel and soap; and to collect money in school in order to buy clothes for the poorest pupils. Medical institution’s resourse bases were very scanty at that time, they didn't have even the primitive equipment. That's why Mozyr region health care inspection sent the following guidance to Yurevichi and other towns:

More and more youngsters from villages begin to go in for sports. But very often there is no qualified trainers, who can organize exercises in a proper way. And if we, who live in cities, think that medical control during physical exercises is must, it is very important to organize such control in villages, because lack of control during physical exersices can result in injury.

That’s why People's Commissariat of health care demand regional hospitals to purchase anthropometric inventory (balances, auxanometers, measuring tapes etc.) using the money given for purchasing instruments and equipment. It will be enough for a start to examine athletes once a week or once a two week.

At 6 December 1928 new administrator Kaminer Karl Iosifavich started to work in Yurevichi health locality. The previous administrator was Maroz M.I. There was only 12 beds in Yurevichi hospital. Outpatient clinic was a small free-standing building.

Sanitation

A report dated 5 May 1929 give clear idea how buildings and rooms of the public institutions look like. Yurevichi region sanitation committee, which consisted of head of the police Shtcheletniov, region doctor Kaminer, doctor Sharinova, veterinarian Garelik, member of region executive committee Matysevich and member of the Soviet of the village, made institutions examination. Here is what the report says:

Rooms of region executive committee. There is all necessary things for the working. Clean. There is towel, washstand, ventlights and also enough space for placing here following departments: accountant's office, land department, regional committee of communist party and regional committee of komsomol. Cleaning and mopping of the floor are satisfactory.
Rooms of region police. Does not adapted for working. Unplastered. Small windows. Old rotten floor. The door does not close properly. There is no necessary furniture. Renovation is required.
The Soviet of the village. Building is rented, contain two rooms. Sanitation is satisfactory.
Hospital and outpatient department. Rooms of the hospital are new and clean. Enough air and light. Ventilation is satisfactory. The floor is painted only in the operating room. Outpatient department room is cramped. Windows, doors and floor are not painted. Building is not bordered, as a result there is a lot of waste on the territory. There is two wells in which water completely freeze in winter. So, there is a lack of water in winter.
Drugstore. The room doesn’t have enough light and space. Sanitation is satisfactory.
Veterinary service. Building is rented, contain two rooms. Sanitation is satisfactory.
Slaughterhouse. Sanitation is bad. There is no windows, floor is not cement-grouted. Blood channel is jammed with litter. Tables are not zinc-coated. Walls are not coverd with oil-base paint. There is no room for meat examination. There is washstand, but it is impossible to use it. There is no soap and towel.

There is a lack of water in the slaughterhouse. The well is in insanitary condition.

Kindergarten. There are two floors in the building. Ground floor is dark and damp. Works are placed here. Upper floor, where children are accommodated, has a satisfactory sanitation.
Hairdresser’s. sanitation is satisfactory.
Samotuzhnaya artel. Rooms are cramped and dusty. Ventilation is unsatisfactory.
Courthouse. Building is rented, cramped. Sanitation is satisfactory.
Yurevichi consumer society.
1. Shop. Room is cramped and dark. Sanitation is unsatisfactory. Products are placed in proper order.
2. Consumer society warehouse. The room is also small and cramped. It is also damp that can result in products spoiling.
3. Kiosk №3. The room is rented, cramped. Sanitation is satisfactory.
4. Kiosk №2. The room is rented, cramped. Sanitation is satisfactory.
5. Sausage shop. The room is cramped and low. There is no aprons. Dirty.
6. Meat shop. The room is cramped and low. Walls are veneer. Apron is dirty.
7. Canteen-beerhouse. The room is rented. Sanitation is satisfactory.
8. Consumer society chancellery. The room is rented, creamped, dark. It impossible to work in this room.

At 8 November 1928 the head of the Yurevichi health locality Kaminer M.I. made a report about the sanitation of the Yurevichi schools. The following persons assisted him: Sarokina and Kashmar from Byelorussian school, Kaimovich from Jewish school, Kalinoyski from Polish school. The report says:

Byelorussian school doesn’t have toilet, hot water and washstands. There is a lack of coat racks. Jewish school doesn’t have toilet, there is no separate room for coat racks, that’s why children should leave their's coats in the classrooms. Classrooms are very small and ot is very difficult to accommodate all of the pupils here. Moreover, there is no hot water. Polish school also doesn’t have toilet. There is no hot water and washstands. There is a lack of coat racks, clothes lie on the benchs. Windows are small, so it is too dark in the classrooms.

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