Journal:Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis
Volume 43 (2022): Defeating Disease in the Changing Society of the Southeast Baltic from the 18th to the 20th Century = Ligų įveika besikeičiančioje Pietryčių Baltijos visuomenėje: XVIII–XX amžiai, pp. 73–97
Abstract
Because General Żeligowski’s troops occupied Vilnius in the autumn of 1920 and Poland annexed it two years later, the health-care system that operated in Poland at the time began to be introduced in the city and the region. The official guidelines for health policy in Poland derived from the concept of hygiene proposed by Tomasz Janiszewski, the founder of the health system in the country, which focused on social hygiene. Universities played an advisory role in the Polish health system and were involved in educating the public on hygiene issues. In interwar Vilnius, the most prominent figure in this field was Janina Bortkiewicz-Rodziewiczowa, a researcher and senior assistant in the Department of Hygiene of the Faculty of Medicine at Stephen Bathory University. This article analyses her publications aimed at promoting science. It examines the means by which Bortkiewicz-Rodziewiczowa conveyed specific medical knowledge to a lay audience. It also discusses what topics she emphasised most and what reasons led to her choices, and how this correlated with priorities in medical science and health policy at that time. Finally, it touches on an interesting practical aspect, namely what public education strategies applied at the time can still be applied today.
Journal:Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis
Volume 43 (2022): Defeating Disease in the Changing Society of the Southeast Baltic from the 18th to the 20th Century = Ligų įveika besikeičiančioje Pietryčių Baltijos visuomenėje: XVIII–XX amžiai, pp. 49–71
Abstract
Many changes took place in the upper echelons of Lithuanian society at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries: a divide began to emerge between the conservative aristocracy and the supporters of Enlightenment ideas. The latter sought reforms, the independence of the state and progress in society. The former did not support the changes, and sought to preserve the former structure of society, often seeking the support of politicians in the Russian Empire. It is important to study not only the actions of the elite of that period in the field of politics, but also their households and lifestyles. The paper explains what can be learnt about factors that may have influenced the health of Ludwik Skumin Tyszkiewicz (1751–1808), one of the most prominent Lithuanian political figures at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The main character in the article is regarded in historiography as a noble with conservative views, who focused on the accumulation of material goods. The paper investigates what is known about the health problems of the count. It also explains what products were used in his kitchen, and what the stresses were in his life that could have affected his health. The circumstances of his death and funeral are also mentioned.
Journal:Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis
Volume 43 (2022): Defeating Disease in the Changing Society of the Southeast Baltic from the 18th to the 20th Century = Ligų įveika besikeičiančioje Pietryčių Baltijos visuomenėje: XVIII–XX amžiai, pp. 21–47
Abstract
The Franciscan priest Jurgis Ambraziejus Pabrėža (1771–1849) spent most of his life in the western part of the Russian Empire, in Žemaitija (Samogitia), which was annexed by Russia in 1795 during the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In addition to being a renowned preacher and educator, Pabrėža is considered to be the founder of Lithuanian botanical terminology (still used today), and he is also known as a folk healer and a bibliophile. In many ways, Pabreža’s collection of books is an interesting personal library from the time, representing Franciscan book culture. Based on surviving books and archival sources, the article examines the motivation behind the accumulation of the medical and pharmaceutical collection in Pabrėža’s personal library, analyses the sources of the collection, the composition and subject matter, and the dispersal and migration, and discusses the results of the historical-bibliographical reconstruction of the unpublished part. His healing practice and the preparation of theoretical educational works on health care became the main motives for Pabrėža to collect books on medicine and pharmacy. This was a response to the needs of the poor inhabitants of Žemaitija. In Tsarist Russia, many people, especially ordinary rural people, did not have access to public health-care services or pharmacists. Pabreža devoted a large part of his life to the practice of medicine, making it more accessible to socially at risk members of society.
Pub. online:16 Dec 2022Type:IntroductionOpen Access
Journal:Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis
Volume 43 (2022): Defeating Disease in the Changing Society of the Southeast Baltic from the 18th to the 20th Century = Ligų įveika besikeičiančioje Pietryčių Baltijos visuomenėje: XVIII–XX amžiai, pp. 13–18
Pub. online:16 Dec 2022Type:IntroductionOpen Access
Journal:Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis
Volume 43 (2022): Defeating Disease in the Changing Society of the Southeast Baltic from the 18th to the 20th Century = Ligų įveika besikeičiančioje Pietryčių Baltijos visuomenėje: XVIII–XX amžiai, pp. 7–12
Pub. online:16 Dec 2022Type:IntroductionOpen Access
Journal:Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis
Volume 43 (2022): Defeating Disease in the Changing Society of the Southeast Baltic from the 18th to the 20th Century = Ligų įveika besikeičiančioje Pietryčių Baltijos visuomenėje: XVIII–XX amžiai, pp. 5–6