Russia in the nineteenth century was considered to be very far behind the rest of the European nations in many areas. They were behind in the military tactics and technology, which was made evident in the Crimean War. However, the military was not the only thing that was exposed in the war. Russia’s medicine and medical professionals were almost primitive in their use and training compared to the rest of the world. Before the war, many parents could not envision their children becoming physicians. They felt that the whole profession was a hoax and that their barbers should perform surgery not by their children going to medical school.

It was after this war that the Russian medical world began to reform and become more modern. Headed by such men as Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov and Anton Pavlovich Chekov, the medical profession began to gain ground in the society. The Cholera Epidemic also helped the physicians to help their standing in society.They finally gained ground in society and people finally began to see that the medical profession was not for barbers.The surgeons, like Pirogov, began to become more and more famous in Russia.