The Activity of the English Doctor of Medicine Jacob Grieve in Russia in the First Half of the 18th Century

The author of this study attempts to reconstruct the activities of the English Doctor of Medicine Jacob Grieve in the mining Urals during the initial period of his career in Russia in 1734–1737. The article covers the story of his recruitment by V. N. Tatishchev, head of the factories of the Urals and Siberia, in Moscow on the recommendation of Nicolaas Bidloo (1670–1735), head of the first hospital in Moscow and the school that operated under it. The article highlights the peculiarity of Grieve’s duties as a medicus and simultaneously a chemist at the factories, as specified in the contract and regulated in Chapter 7 of the Factory Charter On the Doctor of Medicine or Mining Physics, a bill developed by Tatishchev in May 1735. Based on archival documents, the article reveals Grieve’s performance of duties in organising and operating a pharmacy, which was the first one in the Urals and Siberia: equipping it, prescribing medicines, sending them to factories, and organising the collection of local herbs for treating patients. Documents are provided about Grieve’s opposition to the trade in medicines and other materials, launched by the pharmacist Tamm in Yekaterinburg. In light of the misplacement of the hospital documents, particular emphasis is placed on the data pertaining to the significant influx of patients seeking treatment and diagnosis for various ailments in connection with the resignation in 1735–1737, on the number of victims of the “fire disease” in 1735, indirectly testifying to the role of the doctor as the chief physician of Yekaterinburg. As a chemist, Grieve was responsible for the organisation of the assay laboratory. He conducted ore tests, formulated conclusions based on the results, and instructed students in the principles and practices of assaying. Additionally, Grieve evaluated the students’ comprehension and proficiency in the subject matter. After three years of service in Yekaterinburg, Grieve worked for seven years at the Orenburg Commission in Samara, organising medical work there. In 1744, he headed medicine in the St Petersburg division. From October 1747 onwards, he served as a state physicist, overseeing the organisation of medicine in the capital. From 1750 to 1751, he acted as an assistant to the archiater and head of the Medical Chancellery, Herman Kaau-Boerhaave. From 1751 to 1757, he held the position of state physicist of Moscow.