Levchenko I. Natural and medical societies on the territory of Ukraine in the second half of ХІХth and early XXth centuries: scientific, educational and ideological principles of activity.

In the dissertation research, through the view of personological and socio-cultural dimensions, the organizational principles, scientific and cultural and educational activities of natural and medical societies on the territory of Ukraine in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were revealed. The author establishes the degree of studying the theme, analyzed the way and character of the source base on the methodological and theoretical principles of the study. The periodization of studing of theme is proposed:the 1st period - the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; ІІ-nd - the Soviet period (1917 - 1991); ІІІ-erd - the period of Ukraine's independence - from 1991 till now.The author is paid attention on the inequality of the study of problems of the researchers, the peculiarities of the historiographical sources of the imperial, Soviet and contemporary periods, which depended on the political challenges of time, the social demand of the state and society, ideological attitudes and the priority of certain methodological approaches in historical science. It was proved that various content and character of unpublished and published documents and materials, which include archival affairs, periodicals, collections of scientific works, etc, represent the source of the research.The conditions and reasons for the emergence of societies as one of the forms of organization of scientific research was analyzed;it was found the evolution and organizational aspects of functioning are determined. It has been established that with the beginning of the nineteenth century the process of self-organization of natural and medical science was conditioned by a number of socio-economic factors. The dissertation clarified that the publishing activity of the natural and medical societies of Ukraine in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. was an important component of organizational and educational activities. The first periodicals of the companies were the minutes of the meetings, on the pages of which were published reports of members, recommendations, information on the functioning of the cells. The scientific and practical periodical and continuing publications of the societies presented the peculiarities of the development of scientific thought and demonstrated the acquired practical experience of Ukrainian natural scientists and physicians. It was stated that during the second half of the nineteenth century. The international scientific connections of the members of the Novorossiysk Society of Naturalists and Doctors performed an important integrative function in the context of preserving the scientific unity of Europe in spite of the intensification of economic competition and competition between European states for world leadership. It is estimated that during the period under study, 55 members of the Kiev associations, 39 - natural and medical societies of the Kharkiv Region and only 15 - scientific centers of the Odessa region visited foreign scientific missions.