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Health
Until 1914, when the first medical and dental clinic was opened, Norka lacked professional doctors and relied on folk medicine and midwifery. Although some of these practices seem strange, a few have proven effective. Johannes Preisendorf notes in his "Chronicle of Norka" that Mrs. Elisabeth Hergenräter (Hergenroder) lived to be 100 years old without ever being ill.
Between 1784 and 1831, Rev. Johannes Baptista Cattaneo inoculated over 8,000 children against smallpox in the Norka parish.
Typhus and cholera were pandemics that frequently threatened Norka.
In 1848, a severe cholera epidemic raged in Norka and claimed many victims before it was controlled in 1849. In Russia, an estimated 3 million people died from the disease during this time.
Norka was again devastated by cholera in 1856, prompting some to move to daughter colonies on the east side of the Volga River.
Cholera struck again in 1868-1869 and in 1908-1910, claiming more lives.
The famine of 1921-1924 brought with it both typhus in the summer and cholera during the winter. The same cycle reoccurred during the famine of the early 1930s.
From 1934 onward, a Feldscher (a type of field medic) was employed in the colony.
Between 1784 and 1831, Rev. Johannes Baptista Cattaneo inoculated over 8,000 children against smallpox in the Norka parish.
Typhus and cholera were pandemics that frequently threatened Norka.
In 1848, a severe cholera epidemic raged in Norka and claimed many victims before it was controlled in 1849. In Russia, an estimated 3 million people died from the disease during this time.
Norka was again devastated by cholera in 1856, prompting some to move to daughter colonies on the east side of the Volga River.
Cholera struck again in 1868-1869 and in 1908-1910, claiming more lives.
The famine of 1921-1924 brought with it both typhus in the summer and cholera during the winter. The same cycle reoccurred during the famine of the early 1930s.
From 1934 onward, a Feldscher (a type of field medic) was employed in the colony.
In 2007, the former Norka outpatient clinic (built in 1914) was repurposed as Russian Orthodox Church. Source: VK.com (2010)
Interior of the former Norka hospital and dental office which was converted to a Russian Orthodox Church in 2007. Source: VK.com (2010)
Sources
Cattaneo, Johann B. Eine Reise Durch Deutschland Und Russland, Seinen Freunden Beschrieben Von J.B. Cattaneo Aus Bünden, Gegenwaertigen Pfarrer Einer Reformierten Deutschen Colonie Zu Norka an Der Saratofischen Statthalterschaft an Der Wolga in Der Russischen Tartarei in Asien. Chur, Switzerland: 1787. Print.
Henze, Charlotte E. Disease, Health Care and Government in Late Imperial Russia: Life and Death on the Volga, 1823 - 1914. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.
Preisendorf, Johannes. "Auszüge aus der Chronik der Kolonie Norka an der Wolga." Der Kirchenbote. Date Unknown.
Henze, Charlotte E. Disease, Health Care and Government in Late Imperial Russia: Life and Death on the Volga, 1823 - 1914. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.
Preisendorf, Johannes. "Auszüge aus der Chronik der Kolonie Norka an der Wolga." Der Kirchenbote. Date Unknown.
Last updated November 26, 2023