Abstract
<jats:p>Developments in sanitation and healthcare in Bulgaria serve as indicators of a society’s civilizational progress and its pursuit of sustainability and prosperity. This study offers the first examination of the development of sanitation and healthcare in the post-Unification period (after 1885) in Haskovo, a district of the former Eastern Rumelia. The creation of local sanitary authorities was a difficult process, beset by economic, logistical, and social constraints. Haskovo also proved unattractive to Bulgarian physicians and medical staff, who seldom remained in post for more than a year. The challenges facing these early practitioners were considerable, as were their efforts and motivation – many of them later undeservedly forgotten. Keywords: Haskovo, healthcare, sanitation, first physicians.</jats:p>