Metadata: Medical Department of the Vilnius Governorate Board
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Lietuvos valstybės istorijos archyvas
- Postal address:
- Mindaugo 8, 03107 Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 219 5320
- Email:
- istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt
- Reference number:
- 383
- Title:
- Medical Department of the Vilnius Governorate Board
- Title (official language):
- Vilniaus gubernijos valdybos gydymo skyrius
- Creator/accumulator:
- Medical Department of the Vilno (Vilnius) Governorate Board
- Date(s):
- 1865/1917
- Language:
- Russian
- Extent:
- 2,462 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The documents of the Medical Department of the Vilnius Governorate Board include circulars of various state agencies and correspondence of the department, materials on hospitals and pharmacies, annual reports of the department, annual birth statistics and data on mortality. It also contains also statistics on infectious diseases and epidemics, papers on laboratory tests and autopsy reports, financial documents, and records about doctors, paramedics, pharmacists, and the department's staff.
The collection includes numerous Jewish-related materials. A very important part of the collection consists of materials about the Vilnius Jewish Hospital from 1901 (inventory 3, file 112), and on the founding in 1908 of the society for aid and assistance to Jewish sick people and the elderly in Sventsiany (Švenčionys). This collection also includes requests by Jews to open different pharmacies and clinics. For example, a file from 1899 deals with the opening of a pharmacy in Olkeniki (Valkininkai) by pharmacist Ilya Shnitkin (inventory 2, file 98). Another file from 1903 deals with the opening of a dental clinic in Vilnius by Dr. Lev Schlossberg (inventory 2, file 97).
In addition, documents about opening other institutions are also stored in the collection. In a file dated 1908 the opening a dental school by Dr. Lev Schlossberg in Vilnius was discussed (inventory 3, file 353). Since the Medical Department was responsible for the state of sanitation in the Vilnius Governorate, applications were submitted to approve the opening of factories and other ventures. Thus, the collection includes many files containing these requests. A file of 1908-1909 mentions opening a cold drinks business in Dolginovo by Zukerman (inventory 3, file 354). A file from 1908 contains correspondence in which Sh Levin requested permission to open a meat canning factory in Poriadie and Sh Farber requested permission to open a soap production plant in Izrech (inventory 3, file 358).
Another part of the files in the collection deals with the appointment of doctors for various positions in general hospitals and in the Jewish hospital in Vilnius in particular. For example, a file from 1900 includes a report by the chief physician in the Vilnius Jewish hospital regarding the appointment of Dr. Kaplan as a physician in the hospital (inventory 1, file 737), a file from 1902 includes papers regarding the appointment of Dr. Pinhas Levin to the position of "city physician" (medical position for sanitary supervision, forensic medical examination and taking anti-epidemic
measures) in Disna (inventory 2, file 49). A file of 1916 mentions the appointment of Dr. Asher Shapiro as a physician in the "Savich" Municipal Hospital in Vilnius (inventory 2, file 95).
Laboratory tests of various products sold by Jews and forensic medical examination reports are also part of the collection. A file from 1901 contains forensic medical examination reports referring to the investigation of Berka Gurvich's murder (inventory 3, file 56), and a file from 1906 deals with an attempt to poison Sarah Zack (inventory 5, file 650). The collection also contains various papers on Jewish pharmacists and physicians, including information about their studies. Various reports on physicians and pharmacists and the 1886 lists of Jewish physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and veterinarians (inventory 1, file 592) and complaints from Jews about wrongful and illegal actions by pharmacists and doctors (inventory 5, files 653, 942) are also included in the collection . While this is not evident in the inventories, it is reasonable to assume that Jewish names can also be found in applications for medical studies, documents about persons illegally engaged in the sale of medicines, and in materials about brothels in Vilnius.
- Archival history:
- No information
- Administrative/biographical history:
- In 1865 the Medical Department of the Vilnius Governorate Board was established by the decision of Alexander II. The department operated under the supervision of the Medical Department of the Russian Ministry of the Interior. The department consisted of an inspector, his assistant, a pharmacist, a head of affairs and a veterinarian. It was the department's responsibility to supervise various medical, sanitary and veterinary institutions in the governorate. The department also had to take care of preventing the spread of infectious and venereal diseases and managing epidemics. In 1915, due to battles during World War I and the German army approaching Vilnius, the Medical Department was evacuated to Disna (Dzisna). In January 1918 it was shut down by decree of the Soviet People's Commissioners' Council.
- System of arrangement:
- The collection consists of four inventories that are arranged in thematic-chronological order.
- Finding aids:
- Detailed inventories are available for free online access on the website of the Lithuanian Chief Archivist Service.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://eais-pub.archyvai.lt/eais/faces/pages/forms/search/F3001.jspx
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Ilya Vovshin, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2019
