The Aptekarsky Prikaz and Ivanovskaya Square were the first Russian forensic Institutions: a historical overview

This article is devoted to the history of the first forensic institutions in Russia, focusing on the emergence of the Aptekarsky Prikaz and Ivanovskaya Square. Using archival data and historical sources, the author demonstrates the internal structure of these organizations, as well as the specifics and procedures for conducting forensic examinations within them. It examines in detail the formation of the corps of local clerks and doctors responsible for conducting examinations, as well as the specifics of their work in the 16th and 17th centuries. The author draws on extensive historical material and provides examples from the practice of these institutions in resolving disputes regarding the authenticity of signatures, conducting document examinations, as well as medical examinations and determining the circumstances of death. The main examinations conducted at that time included medical, toxicological, handwriting, and document examinations. It demonstrates how the expansion of document flow and the increasing complexity of legal proceedings increased the need for specialized knowledge, leading to reforms and the emergence of new institutions tasked with conducting forensic examinations. In conclusion, it is noted that it was the Aptekarsky Prikaz and Ivanovskaya Square that laid the foundations for forensic work in the Muscovite state, and their experience became the foundation for the further development of expert research in Russia in the 18th century and later.

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