MEDICAL SUPPORT OF RUSSIAN WORKERS IN THE LATE XIX - EARLY XX CENTURY

Abstract

The process of medical defense formation of the Russian workers in the end of XIХ – beginning of ХХ century is considered in the article. Methodologically the author proceeded from the fact that understanding extension of production costs phenomenon by capitalists, including medical support, comprises the most significant condition of capitalist labor market formation. Royal authority could not solve the problem of modern medical support system creation by reason of great bourgeoisie Russian opposition and departmental inconformity. But under the working class pressure entrepreneurs and the highest bureaucracy, finally, understood that production costs obligatory should include expenditures for the workers treatment and mainly this comprised the basic element of capitalist labor market formation. Thus, workers medical defense formation from labor capacity loss, peculiar for capitalist epoch, went long and complex way. The fact that was evident for specialists and progressive clerks already in 80-s of XIX century, could not come up to its implementation for long period by the reason of large Russian bourgeoisie opposition and departmental inconformity. But, eventually, under the working class pressure, the entrepreneurs and bureaucracy understood that production costs obligatory should include expenditures on medical defense and workers reward for their labor capacity loss and that this comprised the most important element of capitalist labor market formation. This was reflected in the law from 23 of June 1912 “About workers supplying in case of disease”, which, finally, realized the idea of state medical insurance of workers, taken as agenda some decades before it.