The history of kazan medical scientific societies and their role in solving crucial questions of medicine and healthcare

Abstract

The second half of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century is rightly named «The Golden Age of Russian science». At this time, scientific schools in Russia, including Kazan Emperor’s University and its medical faculty, established at May 14, 1814, were uprising. On the eve of 200-year jubilee of Kazan State Medical University the study of cooperation between Kazan medical scientific schools with medical scientific societies is of major importance. Their shared impact in public healthcare development is the subject of the article. The first medical scientific society established in 1868 was the society of Kazan doctors. Its history can be divided to 3 periods. The first period - 1868 to 1875 - is the establishment of the society as an independent scientific institution. The second - 1877 to 1917 - is the activity affiliated with Kazan University. The third - 1917 to 1931 - activities during the Soviet era, associated with establishment of a novel healthcare system. After the first Russian revolution (1905-1907) the process of creating specialized medical scientific societies, intimately connected to the appropriate medical scientific schools, has started. In 1931, the society of Kazan doctors was reorganized into the Regional association of medical scientific societies. Together with the society of Kazan doctors, there were: a society of natural scientists in Kazan University (1869), Kazan society of military medicine and sanitation (1886), Kazan branch of the Russian society of the healthcare (1880), Kazan society for fighting with children’s mortality and infective diseases (1909), League for fighting tuberculosis (1912) and sexually transmitted diseases (1918), also making an impact in developing medicine and healthcare. Independent medical scientific societies are created in the thirties of the XX century. Kazan medical scientific societies had a great impact in healthcare development in the XIX-XX centuries and promoted the development of Kazan medical scientific schools. Medical faculty of Kazan Emperor’s University, Kazan State Medical Institute and Kazan State Medical University played a great role in foundation and development of medical scientific societies in the Republic of Tatarstan.