The Problem of School Activities during the Cholera Epidemic in the Lithuanian and Belarusian Governorates in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Between 1831 and 1895, four epidemics of Asiatic cholera swept through the Lithuanian and Belarussian governorates under Russian rule. The disease prevailed there for 23 years. These lands were part of one of the largest educational districts of the Russian Empire—the Vilnius Educational District. Many students, especially of secondary schools and university, came from different parts of the country and lived near to their establishments in boarding schools, so there was a high chance that they would be carrying cholera when they travelled back to their homes. In order to reduce the danger of the disease spreading, the state and governorate authorities issued regulations to change the course of the school year. During the first epidemics, the start of school was delayed or the end of school was brought forward, depending on the date on which cholera appeared. In the second half of the nineteenth cen-tury, regulations were relaxed, leaving the decision to close schools or reschedule classes to local education inspectors. In schools at this time, stricter sanitary and hygienic regulations were also introduced with regard to limiting the number of pupils in relation to the area of the rooms, controlling the cleanliness of classrooms, the quality of food, securing first aid kits, and providing medical assistance. Compared to Prussia or Austria, the Russian Empire did not have an adequate health policy, which was reflected in the frequency of epidemics there.