Their Beginning
Such is the activity of M. I. Murav’ev-Apostol when he is completely devoted to medicine in Eastern Siberia, simultaneously helping the sick materially and himself inciting the persecution of local authorities. Such is the activity of Mih. Kühelbecker in Barguzine, who also appeared a doctor for local peasants and natives: Buryat and Tungus*. Such is the activity of Naryshkin in Kurgan, whom Lorer and Rozen remember with such delight and gratefulness. "The family of the Naryshkins," writes the first: "Were the true benefactors of the whole land. Both of them: both husband and wife, helped the poor, treated and gave the sick medicines for their money... Their yard on Sundays was usually full of people who were handed out writing, clothes and money... "
Medicine was also studied: in Irkutsk Province, Art. Murav’ev; in Western Siberia, Vogt and especially F. B. Wolf, a skilled and remarkable specialist doctor. Entaltsev, in Yalutorovsk and Shakhovsky, and in Turuhansk was also engaged in medicine, acquiring for the poor people at their medications. And in general, all medical activity of the Decembrists is closely connected with charity and carried the full sense of the term charitable character.
The same Rosen remembers even more about this. "There are few doctors in Siberia," he writes: "One per district in 40, 000 inhabitants in the space 500 kilometers; But there are many patients everywhere, and they have brought many incidents for action. My home pharmacy has always had a stock of chamomile, elderberry, camphor, vinegar, mustard and has often benefited from it... It happened that blind and deaf people came from distant places to ask for help after hearing about the glory of healing. All of us diligently engaged in this part of [I. F.] Vogt, who exclusively read only medical books, had complicated and powerful medicines, and treated townspeople and villagers." Much time spent on medical practice and D. Zavalishin in Chita.
Memories of Siberian-Tomsk citizens celebrate the vast charity in Tomsk Batenkov, gendarmer Colonel Maslov in his report to Nicholas noted the charitable activities of M. I. Murav'ev-Apostol, Vogt and Cherkasov; Shakhovsky in Turuhansk provided financial assistance to residents affected by the crop failure. This attempt - we will notice in brackets - seriously affected its fate. Gorbachevsky in Petrovsky Zavod devoted himself entirely to caring for the local population: he helped the poorest peasants, arranged settlers released from prison, engaged in free pedagogical work, etc.
Thus, the charitable and medical activities of the Decembrists was a vivid expression and embodiment of the basic principles of the unwritten code of conduct of exiles. Their pedagogical activity was also built on the same principle of deliberate intervention in the life of the population, which also manifested itself in a variety of forms. It began in casemates, and the organization of the first school had to resort to a number of cunning acts and deceptions. "The commandant agreed to teach [children] church singing… but as you cannot sing without knowing the how to read the words, you were allowed to teach (only) to read." M. and N. Bestuzhev undertook this task first, then joined other Decembrists. Evidently, later additional permissions and liberties followed, subsequently, according to M. Bestuzhev, "many children of officials (Petrovsky Zavod <- MA>) were the first to enter the upper classes of the Mining Institute and other institutions.”
These pedagogical studies were conducted in the area. M. I. Murav'ev-Apostol taught the children literacy in Viluisky. The brothers Belyaev arranged for a school in Minusinsk, which at various times had up to twenty people. V. F. Rayevsky in Olonka (Irkutsk province) hired a teacher for the peasants. Pedagogical activity was provided free of charge by the Bestuzhevs in Selenginsk, Zavalishin in Chita, etc. Finally, for many, pedagogical studies were a means of subsistence. The above-mentioned doctor N. Belogolovy was the apprentice of Yushnevsky, Borisov and Poggio.
