Charity of Moscow entrepreneurs: Bakhrushin Brothers Hospital

Popovich Nikita Denisovich ORCID: 0000-0002-4288-7151 Assistant at the Department of History, Bauman Moscow State Technical University 105005, Russia, Moscow, 2nd Bauman Street., 5.p.1 niketa2011@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Malysheva Ol'ga Geral'dovna ORCID: 0000-0002-6321-9048 Doctor of History Professor at the Department of National History at the Moscow City Pedagogical University 129226, Russia, Moscow, 2nd agricultural ave., 4k1 malysheva_o56@mail.ru

Introduction. The history of Russia as a whole and its ancient capital, Moscow, is rich in creative people, benefactors, for whom helping one's neighbor has become an inner need and a moral duty. Turning to the period of the late XIX — early XX centuries, we invariably recall dozens of such surnames and even dynasties, whose life and fate turned out to be inextricably linked with charitable, social and ascetic activities for the benefit of Muscovites. In this regard, we will name such surnames as the Alekseevs, the Baevs, the Vishnyakovs, the Mamontovs, the Morozovs, the Soldatenkovs, the Shchukins, the Khludovs and many others. Our attention is focused on the activities of the Moscow merchants Bakhrushins, with the light hand of their contemporary P.A. Buryshkin, called "professional benefactors".

Nowadays, Russian entrepreneurship has a noticeable impact on the development of the country and especially its capital, in particular through charity. Moscow business had a similar role at the beginning of the 20th century, when many entrepreneurs gave their money to trustees, hospitals, shelters, night shelters or other institutions. The materials of this study are intended to expand our understanding of the charity of Moscow entrepreneurs at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. Using the example of the hospital named after the brothers P., A., V. Bakhrushins, we will try to trace how the money donated by entrepreneurs could be spent and for what purposes. The source base of the work is based on documents from the Central State Archive of Moscow related to the foundation "Moscow City Duma and Council (1870-1917)". Among the materials selected by us, case No. 280 "Review of the activities of the Moscow City Duma and a report on the movement of office work in the office for 1897" is of particular importance ^[3]. In this case, which has not been introduced into scientific circulation before, there is detailed information about the expenses of charitable institutions under the care of city government bodies.               

Before the publication of this work, many studies were published that examined the charity of Moscow merchants, industrialists or other entrepreneurs. Among the most informative and detailed works, we can single out the publication of Pavel Afanasyevich Buryshkin – "Merchant's Moscow" ^[10]. In our opinion, the special value of this work is given by the fact that it was written on the basis of the author's own memoirs. On the other hand, P.A. Buryshkin also referred to other materials in order to fill in the problems in his knowledge of the Moscow merchants. It is worth noting that, although P.A. Buryshkin's work was published in the middle of the XX century, many modern studies still refer to it. For example, the collective monograph "Capital Protection: the experience of the Russian business elite of the XIX - early XX century" edited by Russian historians Yuri Alexandrovich Petrov and Galina Nikolaevna Ulyanova ^[12]. In addition to it, there are many more publications about Moscow entrepreneurs, for example, a separate work by Yu. A. Petrov "The Moscow bourgeoisie at the beginning of the XX century" ^[13] or a collective monograph "Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs of Russia from the origins to the beginning of the XX century" ^[16]. A serious contribution to the understanding of the stated problem was the work of famous historians A.N. Bokhanov ^{[8] [9]}, L.F. Pisarkova ^{[14] [15]}, N.G. Dumova ^[11]. All these works are characterized by a wide coverage of topics and, in addition to the charity of entrepreneurs, they touch on a number of other subjects, for example, their role in the economic and socio-political life of the country and Moscow. The first in-depth dissertation research was the work of N.I. Filatkina on the Bakhrushin dynasty ^[17]. The author introduced many new sources into scientific circulation and made quite convincing and reasoned conclusions on the research topic.

Recognizing the undoubted merits of the above-mentioned authors in the study of the history of Russian and Moscow merchants and entrepreneurship, we note that these studies do not always have enough detailed study of the sources. From these publications, we cannot always draw conclusions about how the money was spent specifically after it was given to the city. In order to understand the full significance of the funds invested by entrepreneurs (for what needs their money was spent), in our opinion, a deeper immersion in the topic and additional study of new materials are required.          In this study, we tried to solve this problem and, using the example of the hospital named after the brothers P., A., V. Bakhrushins, analyze the costs of its construction and maintenance, as well as assess the contribution that this institution made to the city's health care.               

The course and results of the study.

Buryshkin P.A., speaking about Moscow at the beginning of the twentieth century, argued that "... in no other Russian city can you find as many charitable institutions created with private funds as in Moscow. Hundreds of thousands are donated annually by the Moscow merchants to the cause of charity" ^{[10, p. 22]}. And further, listing the personal merits of the best representatives of the Moscow merchants in charitable activities, the author mentions the Bakhrushin dynasty, whose donations to the city of Moscow on the eve of 1916 amounted to 3.4 million rubles ^{[10, p. 23]}. He explained it this way: "It was a custom in their family: at the end of each year, if it was financially favorable, to separate one or another amount for charity" ^{[10, p. 32]}. The Bakhrushins' active participation in charity is also confirmed by the materials of the City Duma. For example, in the "Statement of donated capital" it is indicated that Alexander Alekseevich Bakhrushin left after his death a capital of 30 thousand rubles for the maintenance of the Pyatnitsky orphanage ^{[1, l. 12]}, which at that time was a large sum. These data look quite convincing, if we take into account that we are talking about one of the five richest families in Russia. The impressive sums that the Bakhrushins consciously allocated to charity confirm that this activity for most Moscow merchants and entrepreneurs was not a one-time action, not some kind of gesture, but consistent work to help their fellow countrymen.

At the same time, representatives of the Bakhrushin family acted very cautiously in the matter of charity. They did not seek to flaunt their good deeds or accompany them with advertising hype, but they invariably assigned their name to many charitable institutions in an effort to preserve it in the memory of posterity.

A few words about why charity in the field of healthcare became the subject of special attention of the Bakhrushin dynasty. The fact is that in the development of medicine, Moscow at the beginning of the twentieth century occupied a leading position in the country. And if the first city hospital opened in Moscow in 1866, then by 1900 the number of them had increased to 12, where over 60,000 people had already applied for help (instead of 7.5 in 1866). The number of city hospitals continued to grow rapidly and over the next 12 years increased by another one and a half times (to 18). Despite the rapid growth of hospital beds per resident of the capital, which fully corresponded to similar Western European standards, the problem with the provision of medical care remained quite acute. And this is despite the fact that medical expenses at the turn of the century per inhabitant in Moscow amounted to 4 rubles 60 kopecks. in St. Petersburg - 3 rubles 88 kopecks ^{[15, p. 217]}. Overcrowding in Moscow hospitals and frequent refusals to provide medical care to ordinary citizens were explained by a large influx of nonresident patients. Already in 1900, the number of nonresident patients was over 10% of all those treated in Moscow city hospitals. This was largely due to the fact that it was in Moscow that there was a large number of specialized patients (eye, pediatric, psychiatric, tuberculosis, etc.). For comparison: around the same years, nonresident patients were admitted to Berlin hospitals only if their lives were in danger. For this reason, the number of nonresident patients there was less than 1.5%. It is not surprising that patients, for whom, sometimes, the last chance was to receive qualified care in Moscow hospitals, sought to get to Moscow for treatment by any means. A contemporary of these events, historian D.I. Nikiforov, wrote in his memoirs: "Many people deliberately go to Moscow, take a hospital allowance of 1 ruble 25 kopecks. and on the same day they come demanding hospital treatment. ... The whole of Russia will rush to Moscow and no budget will satisfy such an influx" ^{[15, p. 219]}.

The Bakhrushin merchant family, due to its active participation in the life of the city, was represented for many years as vowels in the Moscow City Duma, where these issues were actively discussed and the city found every opportunity to improve the health care business. Who knows, maybe this was the motivation for personal participation in the medical care of the residents of the city? Moreover, many entrepreneurs of the ancient capital were engaged in charity work in the field of healthcare.

 Among the materials of the "CGA", in the fund "Moscow City Duma and Council (1870-1917)", we found evidence of active charity of Moscow entrepreneurs in the early XX century. Many of them have bequeathed significant sums to the city.  For example, in 1902 Mikhail Petrovich Vishnyakov left about eighty thousand rubles in his will in favor of primary schools ^{[4, l. 1]}, and in 1914 the widow of Serpukhov manufacturer Alexander Ivanovna Konshina left almost four and a half million rubles to charitable institutions ^{[2, l. 9]}. In addition to these capitals, which were given posthumously, there are examples when Moscow entrepreneurs donated money to charity during their lifetime. Sometimes it could be relatively small amounts that were transferred to the Moscow trustees so that they could use them to take care of those in need. For example, in 1904, in favor of the guardianship of the Tver part of the city, donations were made by V.A. Abrikosov (from a family of Moscow confectioners) in the amount of fifty-five rubles ^{[7, L. 1]}, I.V. Morozov (the famous dynasty of merchants) in the amount of one hundred rubles ^{[7, L. 3]} and V.A. Kharitonenko (a family of famous sugar industrialists) in the amount of one thousand two hundred rubles ^{[7, l. 4ob]}. Since these funds were given away without a clear task, it seems difficult for us to trace what the money was spent on as a result. Another thing is the capital donated for specific purposes, for example, for the construction and maintenance of new charitable institutions.         

At the beginning of the XX century. entrepreneurs often gave money to create shelters or care homes, such as merchants Kuzma and Ivan Denisovich Bayev, who donated four hundred thousand rubles to set up a care home for the terminally ill in memory of their elder brother Ivan Denisovich the elder ^{[6, l. 2]}. In addition, Moscow entrepreneurs They also invested money in the creation of new hospitals. A well—known example is the Bakhrushin Brothers Hospital, opened at the end of the XIX century ^{[3, l. 366]}. This hospital was established by hereditary honorary citizens Peter, Alexander and Vasily Alekseevich Bakhrushin. For us, it is noteworthy that there are materials for the hospital with a list of its average annual expenses. In view of this, there is a unique opportunity to try to trace the needs for which the money donated by the Bakhrushins was spent: to what extent the hospital justified the funds invested in it.              

In total, the brothers donated three hundred and fifty thousand rubles to the Moscow City Duma to create the hospital, and two hundred and fifty thousand of them were assigned to the maintenance of patients ^{[3, l. 367ob]}. The remaining expenses for the maintenance of medical and clerical staff, medicines and water supply, as well as major repairs of the building were paid for by the city ^{[3, l. 371b]}. By today's standards, it was a lot of money. Every year, the city gave about fifty thousand from its budget for these expenses. On the other hand, without the participation of the Bakhrushin brothers, the hospital itself would not have existed, and the fact that they allocated funds for the maintenance of patients helped the city to preserve this institution.

The maintenance of the patients involved the cost of their food and clothing, as well as clothing for doctors and other employees. These costs are described in more detail in the diagram above. In total, about eighteen thousand rubles were spent on this annually (if we take as an example the expenses for 1897) ^{[3, l. 369]}. In addition, the maintenance of patients in the maternity ward was considered a separate expense item. These expenses included another thousand rubles ^{[3, l. 370ob]}. If you add up the listed expenses, it turns out that about nineteen thousand were spent annually on the maintenance of patients. Considering that the Bakhrushin brothers gave away a capital of two hundred and fifty thousand rubles for this purpose, it can be assumed that these funds should have been enough for at least twelve years.                  

It should be noted that these calculations were made by us without taking into account interest on capital. Usually, most of these capitals consisted not of money, but of securities capable of generating additional income. An example of this is the capital of the Bayev merchants already indicated by us, which was given to create a nursing home for the terminally ill. Two hundred and seventy-four thousand of this capital were expressed in mortgage notes of the Moscow Land Bank, and the remaining one hundred and twenty-six thousand in securities of the Kursk-Kiev and Kursk-Voronezh Railways ^{[6, l. 2ob]}. The same applied to the money donated by the Bakhrushin brothers. Their funds consisted of five percent bonds of the Moscow City Loan. A part of the capital of two hundred and fifty thousand rubles had to remain intact so that the interest from this capital would be spent on the maintenance of patients ^{[3, l. 371b]}. Thus, with a stable income from securities, the Bakhrushins' contribution could presumably provide hospital patients for decades. In our opinion, this once again shows the foresight of the founders, who made sure that their hospital did not close due to lack of funds. However, there was always a risk that the securities could, for some reason, drop significantly in price or even become worthless.             

The Bakhrushins' hospital required a lot of funds, but how justified were these expenses? The next step in studying this issue is to determine which categories of the population could be treated at this place, how many people were admitted there, what services were provided to them and how effective patient care was.

The institution was opened on September 17, 1887. Men and women with chronic diseases were admitted to the hospital, but not younger than fourteen years old. At the same time, the number of patients from fourteen to seventeen years old should not exceed ten percent of the number of places in the hospital. Another exception was persons suffering from a mental disorder, syphilitic people with a contagious form of the disease, as well as persons whose diseases did not pose a danger to their lives ^{[3, l. 367]}. Among the other requirements was the Orthodox faith, and also that patients did not require constant medical supervision, and were at least twenty years old (that is, adults) ^{[3, l. 371b]}. It is especially important for us that the hospital is accessible to all categories of the population, regardless of the origin and size of the property. The reverse example is the Nikolaevsky Orphanage for Widows and Orphans, founded in 1870, which accepted only family members of Moscow honorary citizens and merchants, as well as Moscow burghers who had been in the merchant class for at least ten years and brought him special benefits ^{[5, l. 21ob]}. On the contrary, the Bakhrushin Brothers hospital received almost everyone, although it was open primarily to local residents, that is, all Moscow citizens.

More than two hundred patients could be treated at the Bakhrushins hospital at a time, while over one thousand three hundred people were admitted there annually.  Of these, about a thousand people were usually discharged, about three hundred died, and the rest were transferred to other hospitals ^{[3, l. 370]}. This information is presented more clearly in the diagram below.

We would like to note that the reason for the discharge of patients could be not only due to the improvement of their condition, but also for monetary reasons. Despite the fact that treatment in the hospital was free of charge, it was necessary to pay for the stay itself: about forty rubles per month for ten beds ^{[3, l. 367]}. On the other hand, since this institution was intended only for the chronically ill, the indicated mortality rate (one fifth of patients per year) seems to us relatively low, taking into account the possibilities and development of medicine at that time.                 

What kind of medical services were provided at the hospital? Firstly, people who came for help, whose condition, apparently, did not require being in the clinic, received advice and recommendations for treatment, as well as prescriptions to "free pharmacies". In addition, doctors gave patients free medicines and applied bandages. By the standards of that time, the hospital treated many ailments. Her patients had incisions of boils and stitches, teeth were removed, rubdown was performed, help was provided for diseases of the throat, nose and ear, and in some cases, the popular at that time "electrification" was performed or the amniotic egg was removed ^{[3, l. 377ob]}. Thus, we can see that the doctors of this institution were able to provide assistance against a wide variety of ailments.                

As for the doctors themselves. At the time of 1897, two people were in charge of receiving patients (senior physician A.E. Zaitsev and doctor D.A. Kuzmin). Besides them, about a dozen other doctors took part in the treatment, and twice a month special consultants from the hospital came. For example, a well–known eye doctor is V.I. Gilyus or a doctor of skin and venereal diseases A.I. Lyants ^{[3, l. 377ob]}. This means that the doctors of the hospital were advised by some of the best specialists of their time, who could know about the most advanced treatment methods and were aware of the latest discoveries in medicine.         

Bakhrushina's "professional benefactors" made a truly invaluable contribution to the charitable activities of the ancient capital. For the services of the elder A.A. Bakhrushin to his hometown, for his lifelong desire to do good for the poor, the sick, and the orphaned, the Moscow City Duma (of which he was a member for 29 years – from 1872 to 1901) decided to perpetuate his memory by hanging his portrait in the meeting room. Then it was a great and rare honor. The descendants continued and multiplied this activity until the Great Russian Revolution of 1917.                

Conclusion. From the standpoint of today, the charitable activities of Moscow entrepreneurs at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries have a deep historical significance. And here we completely agree with A.N. Bokhanov, who believes that "... they were and are the personification of the best, bright sides of the human personality, since they saw more and felt more keenly than many of their contemporaries the needs of social development, to which they gave their strength, knowledge, mind and heart...." ^{[8, p. 169]}.

         The authors of this work tried to find out how much the funds invested in the hospital by the Bakhrushins really corresponded to her work. It is proved that the institution received more than a thousand people annually, regardless of their class or property status. Patients with incurable ailments received free medicines and did not pay for treatment, although they paid for food and clothing, as well as stay in the clinic itself. At the same time, the hospital itself was designed to help with a wide variety of ailments, and among its consultants were one of the best doctors of that period. From this point of view, the Bakhrushin Brothers Hospital became an integral part of the Moscow city health care of the pre-revolutionary period.