Genre and thematic specificity of the educational yearbook Trudy Tomskogo Obshchestva Estestvoispytateley i Vrachey (1889–1895, 1913–1915)

Editions published by scientific societies are of significant interest, as they typically served a reporting function. However, certain periodicals also functioned as tools for promoting the activities and ideas of the society. In Siberia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one such organization was the Society of Naturalists and Physicians, founded at the Imperial Tomsk University. Members of the society published an annual journal Trudy Tomskogo Obshchestva Estestvoispytateley i Vrachey featuring scientific articles, notes, reports, and presentations. This annual publication simultaneously served as a reporting body and an instrument of public education. The aim of this article is to determine the genre and thematic specifics of the yearbook Trudy Tomskogo Obshchestva Estestvoispytateley i Vrachey. The study examines its issues from 1889 to 1895. The research methods employed include a comprehensive analysis of the issues, genre analysis, and a historicaltypological method. The study identifies the genre and thematic characteristics of the journal and concludes that it contributed to the popularization of scientific knowledge. Firstly, the journal’s genre diversity encompasses the publication of abstracts of presentations, reports (of expeditions and research), scientific travel essays (geological and geographical descriptions), and scientific communications. The specific nature of scientific travel essays warrants particular attention. A key feature of such materials is the symbiosis of scientific and journalistic styles. Furthermore, the authors implemented the educational function most explicitly through essays, abstracts of presentations, and notes related to current events (materials on epidemics, statistical data, information on prevention, etc.). The visual presentation of information represents another important specific feature of the Trudy publications. Illustrations could be integrated within a given material or function as independent items. This is evident in the examples of medical anatomical illustrations, archaeological drawings, images of discoveries, maps, and so on. Secondly, the study identified the themes and proportion of publications in the yearbook: medicine (47.5%), geography and geology (22.5%), history and archeology (11.3%), botany (5%), and other (13.7%) – presentations, speeches of members of the society. The study also revealed that the authors raised issues of current relevance to the local population: the yearbook regularly featured articles on Tomsk Governorate, urban life (infrastructure issues, historical materials, epidemic problems, etc.), and the territories of Western Siberia and Siberia in general (articles addressed topics related to medicine, such as epidemics, statistics, reports). This broad range of topics allowed the publication to reach the largest possible number of interested readers, and the illustrative material served to simplify complex scientific information. In conclusion, Trudy Tomskogo Obshchestva Estestvoispytateley i Vrachey was a publication that transcended the boundaries of a “dry” reporting collection. The yearbook published interesting articles, speeches by members of the society, scientific essays and presentations that were characterized by a popular scientific narration of research, discoveries and expeditions.