Sergey Elpatyevsky
Encyclopedia
Sergey Yakovlovich Elpatyevsky , November 3, 1854 – January 9, 1933, was a Russian writer and doctor.
, later transferring to the Medical Faculty.
movement. In 1875 he assisted in the organization of settlements under the populists
. He also provided his Moscow apartment for populist meetings. In 1876/77 he helped to organize a student club along with S.V. Martynov and V.S. Lebedev. The club served to coordinate student activities and organize assistance for political exiles in Siberia.
In 1877 Elpatyevsky was investigated on charges of having links with revolutionary groups, but released for lack of evidence. In 1878 he finished his studies at the University, and began working as a doctor in Skopinsky County, Ryazan province. He also continued his revolutionary activities. In 1880 he was arrested on charges of promoting The People's Will
, and deported to Ufa province under police supervision.
on October 24, 1884, where he met with the writer Vladimir Korolenko
. Elpatyevsky settled in the village of Verhnepashennom, in the Yeniseysky District
of Yenisei province. His wife Lyudmila and their two children went with him voluntarily. His wife and children settled in the city of Yeniseysk
.
In 1885 Elpatyevsky was allowed to resettle in Yeniseysk with his family. He repeatedly appealed to the governor of the Yenisei province to allow him to practice medicine, but was refused. He then began to practice medicine free of charge. Later he was granted the right to move freely throughout the countryside to fight the epidemics of diphtheria
and scarlet fever
in Angara
and measles in Turukhansk
. He received the thanks of the Governor I. K. Pedashenko for helping to fight these epidemics.
In April, 1886 a Chelyabinsk
merchant named Balakshin asked Governor Pedashenko if Elpatyevsky could be allowed to accompany him to Lake Shira
. The governor allowed Elpatyevsky to visit the Minusinsky District for scientific purposes. Their scientific observations about the healing properties of the water of Lake Shira were outlined in Elpatyevsky's report at a meeting of the Yenisei Province Society of Physicians.
, and published works in the magazines Russian Wealth and Russian Gazette. In 1893 he took part in the national fight against hunger and cholera . In the late 1890s he settled in Yalta
, where he often met with Leo Tolstoy
and Anton Chekhov
, whom he treated for tuberculosis. In the early 1900s he went abroad, and met with the founders of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
. During the 1905 Russian Revolution he held meetings of members of the party in his apartment. He didn't share some of their ideas, and because of this became one of the creators of the Labour Popular Socialist Party, for which he was criticized by Vladimir Lenin
.
He was one of the deputies of the first State Duma
in 1906. He was arrested for publishing the booklet Land and Freedom in 1910. In 1910/11 he was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress
.
During World War 1 Elpatyevsky worked in hospitals in the All-Russian Land Union. In 1917 he left the Labour Popular Socialist Party. After the Russian Revolution of 1917
he lived in Moscow. From 1922 to 1928 he worked as a doctor in the Kremlin hospital
. He died in 1933 in Moscow.
Early life
Elpatyevsky was born in the village of Novoselki-Kudrino, Vladimir Province, into the family of a village priest. He studied at a religious school, and, after graduating in 1868, at a seminary. In 1872 he entered the Law Faculty of Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
, later transferring to the Medical Faculty.
Career
In the 1870s Elpatyevsky participated in the narodnikNarodnik
Narodniks was the name for Russian socially conscious members of the middle class in the 1860s and 1870s. Their ideas and actions were known as Narodnichestvo which can be translated as "Peopleism", though is more commonly rendered "populism"...
movement. In 1875 he assisted in the organization of settlements under the populists
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
. He also provided his Moscow apartment for populist meetings. In 1876/77 he helped to organize a student club along with S.V. Martynov and V.S. Lebedev. The club served to coordinate student activities and organize assistance for political exiles in Siberia.
In 1877 Elpatyevsky was investigated on charges of having links with revolutionary groups, but released for lack of evidence. In 1878 he finished his studies at the University, and began working as a doctor in Skopinsky County, Ryazan province. He also continued his revolutionary activities. In 1880 he was arrested on charges of promoting The People's Will
Narodnaya Volya
Narodnaya Volya was aRussian left-wing terrorist organization, best known for the successful assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. It created a centralized and well disguised organization in a time of diverse liberation movements in Russia...
, and deported to Ufa province under police supervision.
Exile
In 1884 Elpatyevsky was arrested for distributing illegal literature, and sentenced to exile in Eastern Siberia. He arrived in KrasnoyarskKrasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
on October 24, 1884, where he met with the writer Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was a Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, journalist, human rights activist and humanitarian. His short stories were known for their harsh description of nature based on his experience of exile in Siberia...
. Elpatyevsky settled in the village of Verhnepashennom, in the Yeniseysky District
Yeniseysky District
Yeniseysky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the forty-three in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is located in the western portion of the krai and borders with Turukhansky and Evenkiysky Districts in the north, Severo-Yeniseysky and Motyginsky Districts in the east,...
of Yenisei province. His wife Lyudmila and their two children went with him voluntarily. His wife and children settled in the city of Yeniseysk
Yeniseysk
Yeniseysk is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. Population: 20,000 .Yeniseysk was founded in 1619 as a stockaded town—the first town on the Yenisei River. It played an important role in Russian colonization of East Siberia in the 17th–18th centuries...
.
In 1885 Elpatyevsky was allowed to resettle in Yeniseysk with his family. He repeatedly appealed to the governor of the Yenisei province to allow him to practice medicine, but was refused. He then began to practice medicine free of charge. Later he was granted the right to move freely throughout the countryside to fight the epidemics of diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
and scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
in Angara
Angara
The Angara River is a long river in Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai, south-east Siberia, Russia. It is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal, and is the headwater tributary of the Yenisei River....
and measles in Turukhansk
Turukhansk
Turukhansk is a village in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is located 1474 km north of Krasnoyarsk, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Lower Tunguska rivers. The Turukhan River joins the Yenisei about 20 km northwest. Population: 4,849 ; 8,900 ; 200...
. He received the thanks of the Governor I. K. Pedashenko for helping to fight these epidemics.
In April, 1886 a Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
merchant named Balakshin asked Governor Pedashenko if Elpatyevsky could be allowed to accompany him to Lake Shira
Lake Shira
Lake Shira is a meromictic lake, 12 km from Shira in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia.- Gallery :...
. The governor allowed Elpatyevsky to visit the Minusinsky District for scientific purposes. Their scientific observations about the healing properties of the water of Lake Shira were outlined in Elpatyevsky's report at a meeting of the Yenisei Province Society of Physicians.
Later life
After his period of exile, Elpatyevsky lived in Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, and published works in the magazines Russian Wealth and Russian Gazette. In 1893 he took part in the national fight against hunger and cholera . In the late 1890s he settled in Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, where he often met with Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
and Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, whom he treated for tuberculosis. In the early 1900s he went abroad, and met with the founders of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
thumb|right|200px|Socialist-Revolutionary election poster, 1917. The caption in red reads "партия соц-рев" , short for Party of the Socialist Revolutionaries...
. During the 1905 Russian Revolution he held meetings of members of the party in his apartment. He didn't share some of their ideas, and because of this became one of the creators of the Labour Popular Socialist Party, for which he was criticized by Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
.
He was one of the deputies of the first State Duma
Russian legislative election, 1906
Legislative elections were held in the Russian Empire in March 1906. At stake were the 478 seats in the State Duma of the Russian Empire, the legislative assembly. Election for the First State Duma, a session which only ran from April 27 to July 21 1906, returned a significant bloc of moderate...
in 1906. He was arrested for publishing the booklet Land and Freedom in 1910. In 1910/11 he was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress
Peter and Paul Fortress
The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706-1740.-History:...
.
During World War 1 Elpatyevsky worked in hospitals in the All-Russian Land Union. In 1917 he left the Labour Popular Socialist Party. After the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
he lived in Moscow. From 1922 to 1928 he worked as a doctor in the Kremlin hospital
Central Clinical Hospital
The Central Clinical Hospital of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation is a heavily-guarded facility seven miles northwest of the Kremlin in an exclusive, wooded suburban area known as Kuntsevo. It's considered to be the best hospital in Russia and one of the best hospitals in...
. He died in 1933 in Moscow.
English translations
- Pity Me!, from The Russian Review, Vol 2, The Russian Review Publishing Company, NY, 1916.
- The Homeless Ones, from The Shield, Knopf, NY, 1917.