Health and hygiene of the population of Tobolsk province in 1880-1914

The subject of this study is the urban and rural population of the mentioned province during the period from 1880 to 1914. The research focuses on the health and hygiene of urban and rural residents of Tobolsk province. Based on extensive statistical data stored in the Russian State Historical Archive, as well as published medical reports from various departments, the study characterizes the prevalence of the most common infectious diseases, mortality rates of the inhabitants of Tobolsk province, and their sanitary-hygienic behavior. Changes in the organization of healthcare and hygiene education for the population are traced, key issues in providing medical assistance to urban and rural residents are identified, and the role of the intelligentsia and active segments of society in promoting and disseminating sanitary-hygienic knowledge is highlighted. The methodological basis for writing this work is the theory of modernization, according to which the study of health and hygiene culture of the population in the late imperial period is considered in the context of economic and sociocultural changes that led to the transformation of the traditional value system, perceptions of diseases and their treatment methods, and the development of new patterns of life-preserving behavior. The study details the structure of predominant infectious diseases ("epidemic diseases") among the population of Tobolsk province in the late imperial period, showing the outbreak nature of epidemics, and highlights peak stages of diseases and years of "calm". It concludes that there was a discrepancy between levels of mortality and birth rates in the described province, indicating the first signs of a crisis in the traditional type of generational reproduction. It is noted that despite the still low level of hygiene culture among the population of Tobolsk province, the 1880s–1910s witnessed the first shifts in the formation of new sanitary-hygienic habits and behavioral practices for health preservation, especially among urban residents. However, positive shifts in health indicators and hygiene culture in Tobolsk province were just beginning to take shape and had not yet become widespread.