The article analyzes the problem of mortality of the middle class in the city of Barnaul, Tomsk province of the Russian Empire in the pre-reform period. On the basis of archival materials of the church records, the author gives detailed statistics on mortality in the middle-class environment in Barnaul. The article deals with the dynamics of mortality of the burgers, identifies specific trends and patterns, and discusses the causes of the changes. The author states in the article that mortality was characterized by a slight tendency to increase. Overall, mortality rate in Barnaul was slightly higher in comparison with common Siberian indexes. The mortality rate throughout the period of interest fluctuated from the medium to the extremely high level. Almost half of deaths among the middle class in the pre-reform period occurred under the age of one year. The paper also gives statistics on such parameters as the causes of death among the burghers of Barnaul in the pre-reform period. The article considers the epidemics taking place in Barnaul, as well as about the environmental problems that were brought about by the development of the mining industry.