In its early years, the Estonian National Museum began collecting printed materials alongside ethnographic artifacts. As early as 1910, a complete set of the first Estonian-language journal, Lühike Õpetus ("Brief Instruction," 1766–1767), comprising 41 issues in total, was obtained from Põlva.

The journal was compiled and published by Peter Ernst Wilde (1732–1785), a German physician, pharmacist and man of letters who had come from Riga to manage a printing press in Põltsamaa. The publication primarily offered health-related advice and instructions, explaining how to treat wounds, swelling, scabs, fever, sprains, snake bites and other ailments. Wilde also taught how to prepare medicines using local raw materials such as plant flowers, seeds, roots, tree bark, honey, milk and more. Other ingredients — like vinegar, salt, saltpeter, spirits and various pharmaceutical substances — had to be purchased by peasants either from the manor or the pharmacy.

The journal also addressed some infectious diseases, such as smallpox, which at the time remained incurable. Treating illnesses was the domain of trained physicians; for the peasantry, the focus was more on prevention and alleviating symptoms.

Wilde's publication laid the groundwork for both Estonian-language journalism and practical medical literature. However, its educational and enlightenment-oriented content remained somewhat alien to the rural population, who were not yet accustomed to reading and were often reluctant to trust the written word.

Spread of folk medicine and oral tradition

In 1771, Wilde published a new medical text titled Arsti ramat nende juhhatamisseks kes tahtwad többed ärraarwada ning parandada ("Doctor's Book to Guide Those Who Wish to Identify and Cure Illnesses"), a copy of which survives only in the archival library of the Estonian Literary Museum. This was an extensive handbook aimed at professionals, covering a wide range of illnesses, their symptoms, progression and treatment.

For example, it included instructions for treating "sõrmesööbija" (a form of osteomyelitis resulting from a finger injury) and how to assist someone who had frozen. A third of the book focused on the role of midwives, offering guidance on childbirth, newborn care and various childhood illnesses. These are believed to be the first Estonian-language explanations of their kind.

Since Wilde also oversaw the training of feldshers and midwives in Põltsamaa, it is likely the book served as a textbook and reference guide for these trainees. The final section of the book included treatment instructions for animal illnesses, particularly those affecting horses. Because Wilde did not speak Estonian, the German-language publications were translated by August Wilhelm Hupel (1737–1819), the pastor of Põltsamaa and one of the leading Enlightenment figures in historical Livonia. It is not known how widely the book was used for actual medical treatment, but in practice, many relied on the Bible or hymnbooks for healing — by pressing the book against the affected body part.

During archival library collection trips in the 1960s, staff often asked people about their reading habits. In many parts of Estonia, they heard stories of people using Kodutohter for healing — grandmothers treating animals or grandfathers doctoring children with its help. Kreutzwald's Kodutohter was published in four editions between 1879 and 1900 and was widely known among the population.

Wilde's doctor's book was not recovered during those collection expeditions. It likely ended up in the hands of the diligent collector Helmut Joonuks (1924–2001) — after all, people in the Väike-Maarja area used to say, "Joonuks took everything." A few years ago, Tõnno Jonuks brought several boxes of his father's books to the archival library for sorting. To everyone's surprise, one of the boxes contained Wilde's doctor's book and the library now holds two copies. The leather-spined cardboard-bound volume bears the inscription "J. Muikmann Janioja," but lacks a title page and has damaged pages, suggesting it was heavily read in the Rakke area.

Friedrich Gustav Arvelius (1753–1806) authored Üks Kaunis Jutto- ja Öppetusse-Ramat: Söbbra polest, meie maa-laste heaks, ja nendele röömsaks ajawiiteks koggutud ja kokko pandud, kes aegsaste öppiwad lugema — one of the first secular story collections in Estonian. It also included medical advice. The book was based on Kinderfreund (1776–1779), a reader by the influential German Enlightenment educator Friedrich Eberhard von Rochow (1734–1805), which was reprinted in numerous European languages.

In the first part of the book (1782), Arvelius preserved most of the original material while adding some local content. The collection features 80 short pieces — stories, direct instructions, verses and dialogues — providing vernacular information on the world (including astronomy for the first time), nature, health, morality and more. The work has long been recognized as a landmark in early Estonian storytelling.

It is believed that Arvelius himself may have written about ten of the pieces, offering a clear window into the life and conditions of the common people. The book survives only in the archival library; in 2007, a facsimile edition was published.

The second part of the storybook (1787) contains 23 reading pieces, including sections on human health and smallpox inoculation. Here, Arvelius introduced an original story titled Ramma Josepi Ello, Öppetussed ja Könned ("The Life, Teachings and Speeches of Ramma Josep"), about a wise countryman. In 1790, Arvelius published a separate volume titled Ramma Josepi Hädda ja Abbi-Ramat ("Ramma Josep's Book of Trouble and Help"), one of the first handbooks aimed at rural people offering health and economic advice. Around 10,000 copies were distributed for free through the support of August von Kotzebue, the Tallinn Amateur Theater and the Estonian Consistory.

The handbook was modeled on German journalist R. Z. Becker's Noth- und Hülfsbüchlein für Bauersleute (1788), which was widely translated and circulated. It offered health, nutrition and agricultural advice both directly and in story form, including about ten original stories adapted to local conditions.

In the medical section, Arvelius recommended maintaining cleanliness and consulting a trained physician or feldsher when ill. He explained how to distinguish between a fainted and a dead person and provided guidance for helping people who were frozen, drowning, exposed to smoke or bitten by a rabid dog. He also recommended vinegar and spirits as remedies.

Arvelius warned that overeating and overdrinking could lead to an early grave. Where there was a good housewife, people were healthy and long-lived; where there was filth and negligence, people were sickly and died young. Due to its overly moralizing tone and pro-aristocracy bias, the book was not especially popular among the general public. During a 1961 expedition, the archival library acquired a copy of Arvelius' handbook from the Märjamaa area. The main collection now holds two copies, in addition to one each in the Jaan Roos and Learned Estonian Society collections.

Health advice from a calendar — everyday wisdom

In addition to medical books, health advice was also shared through calendar literature. Older calendars often included symbols alongside each date to indicate favorable times for certain activities, such as bloodletting, taking medicine or weaning a child. By the latter half of the 18th century, calendars began to feature more secular content and practical topics, including health care.

Various health and first aid tips were common in calendar supplements. Material from Wilde's medical book and Arvelius' storybook was later published in the Eesti-Ma Rahva Kalender ("Calendar for the People of Estonia") in 1792 — the first calendar to include medical advice. This edition featured chapters from Wilde's book on treating "sõrmesööbija" and assisting someone who had frozen. More of Wilde's instructions appeared in the 1794 edition.

Teachings from Arvelius' Ramma Josep — on reviving people from suspended animation, frostbite and drowning — were published in the 1793 Eesti-Ma Rahva Kalender. Advice on the healing properties of vinegar and the harmful effects of spirits appeared in the 1799 edition. Excerpts from Arvelius' storybooks also featured in the 1789 and 1790 issues.

I'll close with a piece of wisdom from Arvelius: "If you wisely guard your health, you will enjoy it for a long time."

The article was published in the journal Raamatukogu.

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