"Essays on Purulent Surgery" - the fundamental work of a Russian and Soviet professor of medicine, published for the first time in 1934. This essay has become a reference book for surgeons of several generations. Moreover, "Essays on Purulent Surgery" are still relevant today.
Zemsky doctor
In the 1920s, there was a rumor about a priest-professor in Russia. About a man who reads sermons in church during the day, and operates on the sick in the evening and at night. It was by no means a myth.
Valentin Voyno-Yasenetsky is the son of a pharmacist, a representative of an impoverished noble family. Born in 1877 in Kerch. Since childhood, he was fond of painting, but after graduating from the gymnasium, he nevertheless entered the medical university. Voyno-Yasenetsky from his youth was convinced that his vocation was to help people. Moreover, people are not we althy, not representatives of their social stratum, but poor peasants.
During the years of study, he was convinced that he should become a zemstvo doctor. And this means leaving for the outback, working in unbearable conditions, traveling at night to those who suffer for30 miles on carts or horses.
So he did. Voyno-Yasenetsky became a zemstvo doctor. He had to do as many different operations every day as perhaps no modern surgeon does. And the most surprising thing is that in such unsuitable conditions, he was engaged in research activities.
First it was anesthesiology studies. Voyno-Yasenetsky insisted on the use of local anesthesia, where possible. In 1916, while in Pereyaslavl, he conceived a new work, which later became known as Essays on Purulent Surgery.
Priest
In the early twenties, a professor of medicine committed an act that caused bewilderment not only among his colleagues, but also among the authorities. Then, when many priests tore off their cassock in horror, Voyno-Yasenetsky was ordained a deacon, and later a priest. He did not stop operating even after his initiation into the dignity. And then arrests, interrogations, exiles began. In June 1941, the author of developments in the field of purulent surgery sent a letter addressed to Stalin. In it he asked to be allowed to interrupt the exile to work in Soviet hospitals. His request was granted.
Soon, the archbishop, who spent more than 10 years in exile, was awarded the Stalin Prize. It is worth emphasizing that a person who was objectionable to the Soviet regime received a state award. A man who miraculously escaped execution. A priest, a representative of a noble family … A very convincing confirmation of the scientific value of the work "Essays on Purulent Surgery".
Book contents
Voyno-Yasenetsky started working on this essay when there were no anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs in his arsenal. In his opinion, the success of the treatment determined the effectiveness of the surgical intervention. Voyno-Yasenetsky developed a topographic and anatomical concept in the treatment of purulent diseases.
The book consists of 39 chapters. It describes methods of treatment of purulent diseases of all tissues and organs of the human body. A huge number of examples from the practice of the author of the book are given. And his practice was rich.
"Essays on purulent surgery": reviews
One of the prominent scientists of the Soviet era argued that the work of Voyno-Yasenetsky is a unique work that has no analogues in the literature on surgery. This book today can serve both as a textbook for a young doctor and as a reference tool for an experienced doctor. Remarkably, neurosurgeons, dentists, ophthalmologists, and representatives of other medical speci alties also refer to the monograph.
Recognition
Talking about the Stalin Prize began in the early forties. And in 1945, one of the prominent Moscow professors published a laudatory article about the work of Voyno-Yasenetsky. In it, he announced the award of the Stalin Prize to the Archbishop. The author of the book "Essays on purulent surgery" developed new methods for the treatment of purulent wounds and diseases. He devoted many years to this work. StartedVoyno-Yasenetsky his research during the First World War.
The amount of the award was 200 thousand rubles. Voyno-Yasenetsky sent this money to help children who suffered during the war years. The fame of the author of "Essays on Purulent Surgery" spread not only throughout the Soviet Union, but also far beyond its borders. However, after the rise came a sharp decline. These are the laws of physics that apply not only to the operation of electrical networks, but also to human destinies. But further vicissitudes in the fate of the author of a work on purulent surgery is a topic for another article.
