К истории открытия госпиталя при Нерчинском горном начальстве и о его первых служителях (1740–1750 годы)

On the History of the Opening of the Hospital at the Nerchinsk Mining Authority and Its First Employees (1740–1750)

This article uses newly introduced archival documents from the State Archive of Sverdlovsk Oblast to shed light on the early organization of medical services for the workforce at the Nerchinsk Plant and its mines. It shows that the initiative came from the head of the Nerchinsk Mining Authority in 1739, who petitioned for a feldsher (podlekar) and medicines, rather than from the Office of the Main Administration of Siberian and Kazan Plants, which managed hospitals at other enterprises. The study details the appointment procedures, biographies, training, and prior experience of regional feldshers, focusing on Petr Trumler (1740–1745), son of a retired hammer master at Yekaterinburg Plant. Trumler's education at a German school and experience at the Yekaterinburg Hospital equipped him with pharmacy and medical skills, including herbal remedies, minor surgery, and tooth extraction. Medical instruments manufactured at Yekaterinburg were also sent alongside medicines. For over a year, Trumler made home visits before the hospital opened. In 1745, he was succeeded by Egor Tomilov, who gained clinical experience at Goroblagodatsky Plants and Yekaterinburg Hospital. The article explores logistical challenges in transferring personnel, documents, and supplies from Yekaterinburg to Nerchinsk. It shows there were no formal regulations on wages for hospital treatment days, workplace injuries, or negligence-related illnesses until 1749. By the mid-18th century, the volume of medicinal supplies sent to Nerchinsk had increased significantly.