The Plague in the Caucasus, 1835-1839: Features of Detection and Counteraction

The article discusses the outbreak of plague in the Caucasus, which took place in 1835-1839. The attention is paid to the circumstances of its occurrence, localization and adoption of anti-epidemic measures. The archival documents of the state archive of the Krasnodar region (Krasnodar, Russian Federation) served as materials for the preparation of the study. The special literature and scientific publications reflecting these issues were also used. The methodological basis of research were the principles of objectivity and historicism, assuming an unbiased approach to the analysis of the problems, critical attitude to the sources, making judgments as a result of the analysis of a set of facts or phenomena in the development context and the historical setting. For example, the analysis of a set of facts revealed the reasons for traders’ interest in hiding information about the presence of plague in their regions. The authors conclude that the plague in the Caucasus in 1835-1839 had a pronounced local character. Almost non-stop plague in Turkey and Persia was brought with smuggled goods to Abkhazia and Cherkessia. The anti-epidemic measures of the Russian administration in the Caucasus made it possible to quickly detect the source of infection and take measures to prevent the spread of plague to other territories, including the internal regions of the Russian Empire. However, the preservation of the plague foci in the neighboring russian territories is not allowed until January 1839 to remove the strict quarantines at borders and within the territory of the Caucasus.