Ethnodemographic assessment of public health of the Northern Izhma Komi in retrospective review (XVIII-beginning of XX century)

The retrospective assessment of the health of several generations of ethnic groups of the Izhma Komi is given. For this purpose, the analysis of the statistics of the census of the population of the Pechora region in the historical period of the formation of ethnic community and demographic situation on the basis of archival data of the 12 parishes of the Arkhangelsk diocese is made. In addition, we used the published materials of researchers of the Russian North. The dynamics of population reproduction over a hundred years, demographics of births, deaths, natural increase, marriages, the age of the deceased, the cause of death is given. Mixing of the gene pool of the three components (Komi, Russians, Nenets) of an ethnic group suggests a hereditary nature of the characteristics of physical development of the Izhma Komi and the quality of public health. Progressive development of the ethnic group, characterized by the dynamics of the population due to natural increase and high birthrate, testified on the successful adaptation of settlers to the new harsh conditions of life. It is established that public health of the Izhma Komi was positively characterized by the stability of dynamic processes and was the consequence of effective economic develop- ment of natural resources of the tundra due to the specifics of the successful development of large-herd reindeer breeding in Izhma. The peculiarity of human adaptation to the North was in close correlation of the life rhythms of human organism with the cyclical nature of natural phenomena. For the first time the primary role of religion as an ethno-cultural unifying factor in the formation of the ethnic group of the Komi-Izhma people is shown. The Church took upon it self the task of development of education and spiritual education of the settlers, which was a necessary condition of the progressive development of a healthy ethnic community.