Inspecting Hospitals in the Russian Empire: Dr. John Harry's Account, 1805-1806

This paper examines the efforts of the Russian government to modernize medical administration and hospital services during the reign of Alexander I (1801-1825). Based on the report of the English doctor John Harry, it reviews the state of medical care in Russia and initiatives to improve clinical treatment. Based on these sources, it is argued that hospitals in Russia, as elsewhere in Europe, were undergoing a transition from being homes of refuge to institutions for the treatment of the sick. Their conditions were largely dependent on proper governance, as well as funding. Attempts by the Russian authorities to address issues of public health correlated with similar developments in Western Europe at the time.