Folk Healer Platon Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University

Folk Healer - Platon Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Associated Professor Neriman Tsintsadze

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon Gigineishvili is among those few doctors who played great part in healthcare of Adjarian population at the beginning of 20 th century, and throughout his life, he had a sacred name of the healer.

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon Gigineishvili was born on Christmas of 1879, in the village Jurukveti, Ozurgeti district, in a large family of Count (Aznauri). Father - Giorgi Gigineishvili was an educated person who actively participated in public life. During the Turkey occupation of Batumi, he took part in negotiations with the Turks, which was held at Dadiani Palace in Samegrelo.

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon graduated from the prestigious gymnasium of Ganja and continued his studies at the Odessa Medical Institute where his talent and diligence attracted so much attention to him that he was appointed as a doctor-intern at the Department of Therapy. While still being a student, Platon married Nata Mamulaishvili and their first daughter was born. Besides studying, Platon had to financially support his family by himself.

Folk Healer - Platon �After graduating, he worked at the Kherson District Hospital for a short period of time, but soon the First Russian Revolution started, and he was nursing the fighters on the barricades.

Folk Healer - Platon �In 1906 Platon came back to Batumi, Georgia and he started his career at Batumi City Hospital (now Republican Hospital) where he stayed till the end of his life.

Folk Healer - Platon �In the city center Platon purchased the house which was designed by Italian architect. He also bought 7 Ha piece of land on Pheria Mountain and he planted citruses and other foreign varieties of fruits. He was carrying the harvest on the wagons to Russia for selling, until he was dispossessed of the garden by Communists. People until now call this garden “The Gigineishvili Garden”. Platon bought a country house in Ketchkhobi from the brother of Russian Emperor Nikoloz II.

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon was a member of the self-government of Batumi in 1902 -1910. He actively participated in the process of drying out the bogs; fought against Malaria and Typhoid.

Folk Healer - Platon �…And then came the Communists and took away the garden in Pheria, the Jurukveti lands, the house of Ketchkhobi. But, nobody touched the house in Batumi, because at that time Platon already had a great authority as he was a well-known doctor. Platon’s parents were never told that the property in Jurukveti was taken away by the government.

Folk Healer - Platon �Within the period of 1922 -1942 Platon Gigineishvili was the head of Therapy Department at the Republican Hospital, at the same time he was also performing as the principal of Tuberculosis, Childcare and Infection departments.

Folk Healer - Platon �By the initiative of Platon Gigineishvili Orphanages were opened in "Gorodok", Makhinjauri (in Fysenko Cottage), and Kobuleti (in Kamoev Cottage).

Folk Healer - Platon �Along with other doctors, Platon Gigineishvili is considered to be one of the founders of the outpatient services for Adjara population.

Folk Healer - Platon �He actively participated in sanitation - educational activities. He was conducting popular lectures. �Platon Gigineishvili played a big role in the development of Adjarian resort business. The first data on the balneological significance of the Black Sea Region of Adjara appeared after a year from regaining Independence from the Ottomans, but nobody paid attention to this case.

Folk Healer - Platon �In 1911, Batumi Resort Society was created by the initiative of the Doctors Society of Adjara, 43 doctors of Moscow Physiotherapy Society arrived in Batumi, who studied Adjara's resort and medical conditions. In 1933 Batumi hosted the First Republican Resort Conference, and Platon Gigineishvili was actively involved in the organization and work of it. Conference presentations included topics such as the development of resort and cultural services provided for tourists, the fauna of Adjara, climate, mineral waters, resort planning, and tourism. This was a complex study of Adjara resort and recreational resources, which has not been conducted since then.

Folk Healer - Platon �From 1929 until his death, Platon Gigineishvili was the chairman of the Society of Doctors of Batumi (Adjara). Platon was also one of the organizers of the 5 th Scientific Congress of Georgian Doctors held in Batumi, in January of 1929. His report was: "Malaria in Adjara", which analyzed the vast material about diagnosis and treatment of 4200 malaria patients.

Folk Healer - Platon �The Society of Adjarian Doctors, led by Platon Gigineishvili, played a great role in the development of medicine in the region. Scientific units of different fields created within the society for accomplishing various tasks are still interesting and exemplary.

These units are as follows: 1. Malaria and other protozoan diseases of human beings and animals; 2. Against tuberculosis; 3. Alcoholism; 4. Maternal and Child healthcare; 5. Resort; 6. Scientific and practical veterinary medicine; 7. Sanitary equipment; 8. Scholastic; 9. Pharmaceutical; 10. Natural sciences.

Folk Healer - Platon �Particular attention of the society was paid to the study of climate and balneological conditions of Adjara, mountainous region, development of resorts, geography of the area, study of flora, fauna, climatology and their medicinal effects.

Folk Healer - Platon �The doctor’s contribution was appreciated and Platon Gigineishvili was one of the first who was granted the status of Honorary Doctor of the Georgian SSR in 1941 and in 1946, he was awarded as Honorary Doctor of Adjara.

Folk Healer - Platon �Several episodes of Platon’s life: He helped everyone…… During a visit to a patient, if Platon saw that the family was in hardship he would write his prescription on a different colour paper which he had especially for the poor. The pharmacies, knowing this fact, would give the medicine free and then Platon paid the bill himself.

Folk Healer - Platon �Sometimes, when visiting a patient, Platon would leave some money under the prescriptions that the patient could buy medications. �Once, when Platon was passing by Culture and Recreation Park, he heard a young woman crying over another woman who was unconscious due to high temperature.

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon took the women home and they lived there for several months. The women turned out to be future famous film star Veriko Andjaparidze and her sister Meri, mothers to beloved actress Sopiko Chiaureli and director Giorgi Danelia respectively. Bringing home a person with typhoid was extremely dangerous and later Platon got infected with disease and barely survived. At that time he was the chairman of the anti-typhoid community.

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon cared about his children's education. Children were taught Foreign languages and piano by the teachers who lived in their house.

Folk Healer - Platon �Platon’s large house was full of guests and many receptions were held there. Among guests there were great jazzman Eddie Rosner, famous singers and actors: Zurab Anjaparidze, Nadezhda Kharadze, Vakhtang Chabukiani, Arkadi Raikin, after whom Platon’s grandson was named.

Folk Healer - Platon �In 1949 Platon became ill. The doctors put a note about health condition on the front door and people would read it for others who could not read. �When Platon’s health condition became critical, people covered the street with hay in order not to bother the dying doctor by street noise.

Folk Healer - Platon �At the place of the announcement, there is the memorial board now.

References: 1. R. Surmanidze - Development of Regional Medicine in Georgia. Book 1. 2001. 45. 111. 139. 154. 166. 172. 173. 186. 223. 242. 255. 305. 317 2. R. D. Surmanidze - Society of Doctors of Adjara and Russian-Georgian Medical Communications. Batumi – 1978. PP 53. 74. 105. 107. 139. 171. 3. S. Gujabidze – Batomi, 2015. P. 128 4. The newspaper “Soviet Adjara” #12. 17. January 1970, p 3 5. The newspaper “Soviet Adjara” #248, 27 December 1979, p 4 6. The newspaper “Batumelebi” #14, 2 -9 June 2011, p 11 7. The newspaper “Batumelebi” #34, 9 -15 September 2013, p 14 8. R. Surmanidze – The Origins of Healthcare, 1972, Batumi 9. A. Pertia -An essay from the history of healthcare in Adjara. Batumi, 1959, p 108 10. I. Pheradze - An exemplary doctor. Batumi, 1910, p 45

Thank you very much for attention