Sisters of Mercy and Peculiarities of Providing Medical Assistance to Fishermen in Murmansk in the Late 19th — Early 20th Centuries

The article examines the activities of the sisters of mercy of the Arkhangelsk Red Cross Community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The authors compare the forms of their work in peacetime and during wars. Based on the analysis of the annual “Reports of the Arkhangelsk Local Administration of the Russian Red Cross Society”, the following main areas of activity are identified: caring for the sick and wounded (both in hospitals and medical centers in the Arkhangelsk province and at the front), fundraising for the Arkhangelsk institutions of the Russian Red Cross Society, organization of a surgical hospital for children under the Community, training and certification of junior medical personnel. Particular attention is paid to the provision of medical care to Russian fishermen on the Murmansk coast during the spring and summer fishing season. The quality and changes in the medical services provided in the Arctic climate in the early years of the 20th century are analyzed. Examples of the activities of the medical and sanitary detachment of the Arkhangelsk institution of the Russian Red Cross Society in Kiberg (Norway) are presented. The novelty of the study consists in a comprehensive analysis of the initial stage of the medical and sanitary detachments’ activities and the specifics of training medical personnel to provide seasonal medical care to residents of the Arkhangelsk province going out to fish.