Russian Village Children – Illness and Cure
Rickets, Diarrhea, and The Evil Eye Were Cause for Worry
Jul 18, 2008
Infants and children in late tsarist Russia and the Russia of the early 20th century were prone to illness and disease. These diseases could result from poor nutrition, lack of proper infant care, and affliction of the the “evil eye.” Village mothers rarely sought help from medical professionals, whose offices were often located several kilometers away. Instead, they turned to folk medicine and religious beliefs to heal their sick babies.
Common Illnesses
Rickets, caused by lack of sunlight and production of vitamin D in the body (which might have resulted from tight swaddling and a darkening of the crib with fabric), was a common illness that afflicted peasant children and children in rural Russian villages. The practice of keeping children inside until they were somewhat grown also contributed to the preponderance of rickets. Another type of rickets, which appeared to cause the infant to prematurely age, was called “a dog's old age” by village mothers; infants often died of this disease.
Babies were also subject to diarrhea, which is not surprising given the fact that infants were fed solid foods well before it was safe to do so. In addition, the rag soska, filled with pre-chewed bread, potatoes, cookies, or kasha, was a vehicle for bacteria.
The Evil Eye
The evil eye could sicken children just as easily as could viruses and bacteria. It was thought that too much praise of a child could bring on illness. A person not entirely accepted by the community could also inflict the evil eye on babies. Precautions to avoid the evil eye were taken, like keeping infants indoors and out of sight until danger of the evil eye had passed.
Cures for Illnesses
Because rural women found it too difficult to seek professional medical care for their children, they would use, instead, traditional medicines. Village healers might prescribe herbs, mutter incantations, or suggest folk remedies to mothers, like pouring water through the door handle or carrying their child around the chicken coup. In very severe cases, village mothers would take their sick child to the church and ask that the “tsarist gates” - or the doors that covered the church's icon – be opened.
Infant mortality was high in early 20th century Russia, and mothers had to resign their children to death if available remedies failed.
References
Ransel, David L. Village Mothers: Three Generations of Change in Russia and Tartaria. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000.
Semyonovova Tian-Shanskaia, Olga. Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia, ed. David L. Ransel, trans. David L. Ransel and Micahel Levine. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993.
