V knige predstavlen material po narodnym znaniyam v etnografii i etnologii – etnomeditsine finno-ugorskikh i tyurkskikh narodov, prozhivayushchikh v Povolzh"e i Priural"e. Issledovanie osnovano na arkhivnykh, statisticheskikh i polevykh materialakh, sobrannykh avtorom v etnograficheskikh ekspeditsiyakh v issleduemykh regionakh. Kniga prednaznachena dlya uchyenykh, aspirantov i studentov, zanimayushchikhsya problemami etnografii i etnologii, sotsiologii i drugikh gumanitarnykh distsiplin, a takzhe dlya shirokogo kruga chitateley.