Grigory Grigorievich Orlov was a well-known favorite of the Empress Catherine the Second "the Great". She showered him with honors, titles, donated an estate and land.
In 1771, a present from Turkey was brought to Moscow - a deadly infection called the plague. The word çuma is translated from Turkish as "pimple". The joke is funny, but the situation was serious.
People died in huge numbers - 500, 700, and then 1000 per day. Panic seized the city. Dead people were not removed from the streets, the stench spread everywhere. Looting began, looters did not hesitate to take other people's property.
Nobody knew what to do. The soldiers punished the criminals, but the centers of the plague arose in different parts of the city, and with them the crime. There weren't enough people for everything. The government and ordinary people began to think that the capital was lost, no one believed that something could save them.
Then Count Orlov began to insist that Catherine give him the highest dictatorial powers to resolve the situation. The Empress, without delay, approved the request.
As a newly minted dictator, the Earl tackled the task tough, rationally and extremely effectively suppressed both crime and the outbreak of the plague.
- He opened many quarantine infectious diseases hospitals that were isolated from others. He even gave his estate to one of these quarantines.
- Doctors were ordered to give double pay. In the event of death on duty, the family was entitled to a good pension.
- Divided the city into 27 districts to keep records. He did not let new people into the city. All those who could not enter were paid 15 and 10 kopecks a day to men and women.
- Fearlessly traveled with doctors to examine plague patients in order to understand the essence of the overseas infection. He mercilessly burned the clothes and property of the victims.
- He released convicts for rough work, giving them his word that he would have mercy if they survived. They happily set to work. The count kept his word.
- He encouraged people to be sent to quarantine, and not to hide - he gave 10 rubles to married people and 5 rubles to unmarried, if they recovered in hospitals.
- He ordered to improve the sanitary situation: to open baths, repair roads, clean city squares of garbage and old buildings, disinfect homes and catch stray dogs
- I communicated kindly with the infected, simply, politely, which earned respect and trust.
In the fall, the plague began to disappear. 17 thousand dead in October, 5 in November, and in December only 500 dead.
Promotional video:
Orlov refused most of the honors and medals, taking up diplomatic work.
