Radziun A. Robert Areskin and His Herbarium
Anna Radziun
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
E-mail: anna.radziun@kunstkamera.ru
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ABSTRACT. Robert Erskine (known in Russia as Areskin) was a physician born in Scotland, who worked in Russia in the early eighteenth century. He started as the family doctor of Alexander Menshikov, close associate of Peter I, whose house the tsar often visited. Peter was pleased by Areskin’s knowledge and abilities and appointed him the head of the Aptekarsky Prikaz. The prikaz was responsible for supplying both the civilian population of Russia and the army with medicines. In 1709, Areskin, who was interested in the medical plants of Russia, ordered to collect the most important of them in the Moscow Region. This was the first herbarium assembled in Russia. After the death of Johann Dohnel, physician to the tsar, Peter I appointed Areskin to this position. Areskin often accompanied the tsar on trips across Russia and military campaigns and became his close friend. Peter I highly appreciated Areskin’s professionalism and, to emphasize his merits, established for him the position of Archiater, chief of the entire medical services of Russia. In 1714, Peter I established the Kunstkamera, a museum for natural science collections, some of which he bought during his trip abroad in 1697–1698. The tsar appointed Areskin the head of the Kunstkamera as the most competent person. Areskin bought valuable collections for the museum abroad and took care of their delivery and exhibiting. Thanks to his interest in the use of mineral springs, Areskin became a pioneer of balneotherapy in Russia.
KEYWORDS: Robert Areskin, Peter the Great, archiater, herbarium, Kunstkamera
DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2021-2(12)-17-24
УДК 61(470)(091)
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