title: Genesis of the anti-plague system: the Tsarist period.
abstract: Although the anti-plague system of the former Soviet Union developed fully during the Soviet era, its foundations were laid long before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. This article traces the evolution of the anti-plague measures from imposition of temporary quarantine in affected areas to the creation of the standard response system and the establishment of permanent anti-plague organizations. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that by the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, despite numerous setbacks, the Russian imperial authorities succeeded in creating a nascent system of disease surveillance dedicated to protecting the population from especially dangerous infectious diseases such as plague.
authors.affiliation: Monterey Institute of International Studies, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, USA. alexanderm@miis.edu
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melikishvili
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000266:history*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000266:history; D010930:Plague / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012425:Russia (Pre-1917) / Q000453:epidemiology; D015010:Yersinia pestis