Vladivostok City Hospital

In the structure of the population of cities during the development of the Far East , the military prevailed. In this regard, the first medical institutions in the region belonged to the military department, in particular, the Hospital of the Siberian Flotilla was opened in Vladivostok, transferred from Nikolaevsk-on-Amur in 1871 and also provided medical assistance to the civilian population. Despite the absence of a civilian hospital, in 1884 the post of civilian doctor was introduced in the city. The process of the appearance of the first civilian hospital in Vladivostok took quite a long time ^[1] . It was preceded by eight years of attempts by city government to obtain government permission to levy a "hospital fee" (an analogue of modern medical insurance ) ^[2] .

In 1885, the Amur Governor-General submitted to the Managing Ministry of Internal Affairs a petition from the City Duma on the “establishment in Vladivostok, on the grounds highly approved on 05.26.1881 for the city of Kronshtadt , of a hospital fee from both sexes employed in the city for domestic services and various kinds of work, as well as those engaged in crafts, transportation and trade in the delivery or distribution. It was proposed that the City Duma charge a fee of 3 rubles per year from each payer and pay it to the device and maintenance of the city hospital. And before its opening, to send money to the maritime department to pay for the treatment of persons to be collected and their families in the maritime hospital or to arrange a temporary hospital or outpatient clinic in the city ” ^[1] .

The governor himself reported that due to the constant presence in the city of a large number of workers deprived of medical care, the establishment of a city hospital is an urgent need and noted that although significant revenues are coming to the city budget, they are still not enough to set up and maintain a hospital facility. Five years later, on October 28, 1889, the Governor-General of Amur Region received a response from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, informing that the Ministry of Finance , which was corresponded in this case, did not recognize the possibility of agreeing to introduce a hospital fee in Vladivostok, since this fee , constituting a personal tax and falling on the shoulders of the least affluent, would, in the opinion of the Ministry of Finance, be incompatible with the direction established by the latest at that time financial legislation, tending to gradually exchange of capitation tax and its replacement with property tax ^[1] .

The Vladivostok City Council returned to the issue of hospital collection at a meeting on June 26, 1890. The Duma’s attention was then drawn to the following circumstances: after the main port was transferred from Nikolaevsk to Vladivostok in 1872, the population of the latter rapidly increased: “Due to the adverse climatic conditions of Vladivostok, the development of many epidemic diseases, for example, measles , scarlet fever , typhoid , diphtheria , smallpox , cholera can be threatening. In China, smallpox and cholera are often rampant, the introduction of which into Vladivostok is very easy due to the large length of the border line. The development of these diseases, as the experience of previous years shows, is especially intensified among the working population . Those who come to work, in case of illness, go to the care of the city, which, to combat the epidemic, provides them with both maintenance and medical care to the detriment of the interests of the indigenous population of the city. ” However, the civilian population was not provided with proper medical care at all. The funds of the city treasury, in the amount of about 5 thousand rubles a year, contained temporary outpatient rest for visiting patients and a lump for the treatment of women with syphilis . The city could not allocate more money for medicine, therefore, according to the City Duma, it was necessary to introduce a fee from the population ^[1] .

Constant appeals to the administration of Primorye had an impact, and in 1892, the "Highest Order for a hospital fee," approved by the emperor , was received. After the issuance of the highest command , the city immediately began to raise funds. The Society of Physicians of the South Ussuri Territory, created in 1892, played a significant role in raising funds and opening a hospital. The society actively discussed forms of fundraising. Doctors F.A. Kuchinsky and I.K. Epov proposed a series of public lectures on first aid , and the city doctor B.A. Perlin handed over 255 rubles from the charity performance to the public. Having collected the necessary funds, members of the Society began the construction of the hospital ^[1] .

By its Decree of June 3, 1892 No. 39/1700, the City Duma established a Commission to determine the place where the buildings should be erected, as well as the type and size of the building for the city hospital, designed with hospital collection funds: “Having examined the city’s hospital needs, the commission came to conclude that, assuming a city population of 8,000 souls, approximately 32 to 36 beds should be available. There is no doubt that the city of Vladivostok will have to increase development in relation to the increase in the population in quantitative terms, and then expansion of hospital premises and services will be required, which can be achieved by building new hospital buildings if the area fully meets the modern requirements of hospital improvement. " On October 29, the commission examined three proposed locations for the hospital: the area behind the pass at the Eagle's Nest (where the funicular site is located today), the area at the Feldshersky mowing at the Chinese idol (the modern location of the hospital ensemble, between Aleutskaya, Ensign Komarov and Pogranichnaya streets) and the square opposite the mill of the merchant Hagemeyer (now the square named after Sukhanov) ^[2] .

Due to the disagreement of the members of the commission, the case dragged on. From the autumn of 1892 to the spring of 1893, the commissions exchanged views. The consolidated opinion of the commission members - doctors, was opposed by the “administrative resource” of Inspector Blonsky. As a result, the head of the city M.K. Fedorov, members of the council V.F. Mikhailovsky and V.O. Zharkov, without waiting for the decision of the Duma, made an urgent decision to build a hospital opposite the Hagemeyer mill. This section, located at the intersection of Suifunskaya (now Uborevich) and Nagornaya (now Sukhanov) streets, had another name - Suifunskaya Square, and was reserved for the construction of the cathedral. Since the construction of the cathedral was seen at that time as a matter of distant perspective, the government decided to give the land for the construction of the city hospital. Work began in July 1893. The construction was carried out according to the project of the city architect, Lieutenant Colonel N.V. Konovalov, the contractor was V.O. Zharikov. On August 20, the Duma approved the construction. By September 27, the work was completed. In fact, a wooden hospital hut with 18 beds was erected, but its very existence was considered as a temporary necessity, until the hospital was properly built ^[2] . The first chief doctor of the hospital was Boris Alexandrovich Perlin. In 1895, the second hospital building was built, where a pharmacy and an operating room were located, as well as a summer hut with 18 beds, a deceased and a warehouse ^[1] .

Meanwhile, the commission was working to find a permanent place for the hospital, but it was inconclusive and ended in December 1893. However, on November 16, 1895, the Spiritual Department notified the city council about the establishment of an independent Diocese in Vladivostok soon and requested “to provide the necessary information regarding a more convenient place and the required amount of land in Vladivostok for the construction of Diocesan institutions, such as a bishop’s house , a cathedral the cathedral, the spiritual consistory , and in the future seminary and school. ” The question arose about Suifun Square. On March 12, 1899, the Land Distribution Commission in the city of Vladivostok considered the application of the Spiritual Department for the allocation of land for the construction of the cathedral. It was decided to move the existing hospital buildings to another place. On April 7, 1899, the commission’s decision was approved by the Amur Governor-General Grodekov ^[2] .

In 1896, the City Duma accepted the proposal of the regional medical inspector I. Ya. Blonsky to place a hospital on the feldsher mowing. A Chinese idol was located on the same site, but due to the lack of funds for the transfer, the Duma decided to temporarily leave it in its old place. In 1897, a civil engineer A.K. Levteyev drafted new hospital buildings erected in 1898-1899. Construction was carried out according to the drawings, but without the participation of Levteev, contractor Svintorzhevsky. The building of the main medical building was one-story, with a high basement. Next to it was a service building with apartments for employees (Aleutskaya, 57-g) and a small outpatient building with an apartment for paramedics (Ensign Komarov, 1-c) ^[2] .

The city hospital at that time was experiencing many problems, in particular staff shortages. It took seven years for the hospital staff, consisting of Perlin's only doctor, to increase by another doctor in 1900. The newspaper Vladivostok wrote that in winter the temperature of the hospital premises often dropped to -8 ° C and "patients say that they often remain without hot food." Numerous petitions for the need for changes played a role and the city authorities decided to expand the hospital ^[1] . In 1908, according to the project of architects M. I. Chesnokov and F. F. Postnikov, the construction of two new hospital buildings began: the surgical and maternity pavilions. The largest hospital building - the surgical pavilion - was consecrated on April 25, 1910 "with a large crowd of people, in the presence of the mayor, vowels, officials of the Board, the medical inspector of Vinogradsky and the hospital’s doctors." The construction of the maternity pavilion was delayed for nine years. The building was completed and consecrated on February 5, 1917 ^[2] .

• Aleutskaya street
• Street Ensign Komarov
• Architecture of Vladivostok