64 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR
by the Zemstvo Union, and, under its supervision, very quickly
managed to produce twenty-five different types of instruments in
most common use.
Considerable difficulty was at first met with in furnishing proper
equipment for the operating rooms of the hospitals and for the dis-
infecting rooms. There was also trouble in finding a sufficient quan-
tity of sterilizers and X-Ray apparatus. Gradually, however, orders
for these articles were handed over to the big firms of Moscow and
Petrograd. As for other articles required for the proper treatment
of patients, there was an abundance of them in the Russian market,
so that at no time was there any hindrance to the purchasing opera-
tions in these fields.
In the supply of dressing material, on the other hand, the Union
experienced some very painful difficulties. The enormous demand
and the deficiency of supply brought about an orgy of speculation,
so that it was often necessary practically to force the speculators to
surrender such material at any price. After a while, however, it was
found possible to supply the local needs, and after the crisis of the
first few months had passed, the big and reliable firms were given
large orders. At the same time the Union was able to bring in for-
eign dressing material, chiefly from the United States. As frequent
requests would come to headquarters for ready-made and sterilized
bandages, it became necessary to open, under the supervision of
doctors, several sterilizing plants, where the material was received
mostly free of charge from large numbers of Moscow families who
prepared it voluntarily, and also from various institutions such as
girls’ high schools, convents, and similar organizations.
These were only the first steps, however. As the work of the Zem-
stvo Union expanded it was found necessary to establish a perma-
nent purchasing commission in London under the Anglo-Russian
Committee for the utilization of foreign markets. This commission
managed during the first six months of its activity to buy drugs
alone to the value of 8,200,000 rubles. The total value of the medi-
cal supplies bought by the end of 1916 already approached one
million rubles a month,’ and for 1917 the Central Committee ap-
proved estimates providing for a total of 8,257,176 rubles worth
of surgical instruments, disinfecting apparatus, and dental equip-
+ Kratki Obgor Deyatelnosti (Outline) of the work of the Union of Zem-
stvos from March 12, 1916, to December 9, 1916, Moscow, 1917, pp. 24-25.
