One of the oldest medical and research institutions in Russia is the Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg). Founded in the 19th century, it continues its activities and expands its capabilities.
History of creation
The story that led to the creation of the Research Institute of Experimental Medicine RAMS (St. Petersburg), began in 1885 with the bite of a furious dog. The soldier from the corps commanded by Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky was injured. At the expense of the commander of the victim was sent for treatment to the laboratory of Louis Pasteur, with whom the prince was personally acquainted. Accompanying the patient was assigned a military doctor N. Kruglevsky, who was instructed to learn how to prepare a vaccine. Then, for the first time in Russia, the first experiments were conducted on rabbits, which were treated for vaccination against rabies. The purpose of the experiments was to study the mechanism of infection and cure in order to subsequently spread the experience throughout the country.
The first rabies prevention station opened in August 1886 and was located in a veterinary hospital. The research spectrum was expanded, methods for combating infectious diseases were studied, pathogenic microorganisms were studied. The laboratory was kept at the personal expense of A.P. Oldenburgsky, but they were not enough to organize a full-fledged research complex and medical buildings.
Turning to Alexander III, the prince managed to obtain state funding, and in early November 1888, an institution similar to the Louis Pasteur Paris Institute was opened. It was founded at the female community of sisters of mercy. After receiving the highest permission, the prince of Oldenburg acquired a plot of land on Aptekarsky island. In December 1890, the new institution was opened and was named the Imperial Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg).
The first departments of the Imperial Institute
As the work of the institute developed, the main directions of research and medical activity of the new Russian institution were formed. The heads of the departments were talented doctors of their time, who made a huge contribution to the development of medicine and glorified the country's scientific thought throughout the world.
In the new institution, branches were organized:
- Under the direction of I.P. Pavlov, the physiology department worked.
- Chemistry was dealt with under the guidance of M.V. Nentsky.
- The Department of General Bacteriology was headed by S. N. Vinogradsky.
- The Department of Pathanatomy was given under the direction of N.V. Uskova.
- Syphilidology problems were dealt with in the department under the guidance of E. F. Sperk.
- The Department of Epizootology was headed by Gelman K. Ya.
- The vaccination department worked under the guidance of V. Krayushkin.
- The head of the scientific library was appointed V. G. Ushakov.
Throughout its history, the Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg) has remained faithful to its traditions of providing comprehensive medical care. Field and military hospitals were repeatedly deployed on the territory of the institution. The employees fought on the fronts of the First and Second World Wars, together with the Leningraders survived the blockade and celebrated the Victory.
Achievements
The Institute of Experimental Medicine of the RAMS (St. Petersburg) in the main activity is a research medical institution, and in this field the main awards were won. The results of more than a century of history have been recognized globally. The works were awarded the Nobel Prize, seventeen State and Lenin Prizes, eleven academic and personal prizes were received. Groups of scientists have repeatedly won the A.P. Oldenburgsky Prize, more than sixty scientists were elected members of the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences in the Soviet Union, and later in Russia.
Active research was bearing fruit in new discoveries, for which employees received seven diplomas, more than four hundred patents for inventions and copyright certificates for unique innovations were registered.
Modernity
The Institute of Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg at the present stage is one of the leading medical and research centers in Russia. A scientific institution is engaged in research at all levels of living systems from the holistic behavior of an organism to individual molecules. Twelve departments are organized and operate at the institute, where seven academicians, corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, fifty doctors and one hundred and two candidates of science work.
The Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg) at its base opened several new areas of research. In 2014, a laboratory of pathogenic viruses was founded, and a collection of vaccines against many strains of influenza was also created and expanded.
Institute Clinic
One of the first areas of practical medical importance in 1890 was the vaccination department and the syphilology department, which later became a clinical institution. The formation of a separate structure within the institute took place in 1906. A separate building was built for the clinic, where the necessary, at that time, department of skin and syphilitic diseases were opened. In the post-revolutionary years, IEM employees took an active part in shaping the foundations of the health care system of the young state. The Institute has taken a leading position in the medical science of the USSR.
During the war and the blockade of Leningrad, a military hospital was deployed on the territory. At the end of the war, IEM is part of the Academy of Sciences. Own clinical activity was revived in 1981. Today, the Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg), based on the clinical department, provides medical services to residents of St. Petersburg and all regions of Russia, and also provides assistance to citizens of foreign countries.
Thanks to the cooperation and interaction of two areas - theoretical research and practical medicine, the assistance provided by the clinic is one of the most effective and advanced.
Clinic Departments
The IEM Clinic (St. Petersburg) is equipped with modern technological equipment. Diagnostic and treatment measures are carried out for patients who are on inpatient or outpatient treatment. The clinic has the main units:
- Surgical
- Diagnostic and treatment department, where the procedures are carried out by the x-ray surgical method.
- Cardiological.
- Neurological
- Rehabilitation.
- Consultative and diagnostic.
- Psychotherapeutic.
- Resuscitation.
- Anesthetic
- Ophthalmic
- Laboratory (clinical, diagnostic tests)
In recent years, the main focus of research and medical activities of the IEM is the development of new methods for the prevention of various diseases, improvement of diagnostic methods and treatment of existing diseases. The work is based on the principles of combining theoretical medicine with the practical application of the developed methods, principles, diagnosis and treatment of the final patient.
Library
The Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg) was founded in pre-revolutionary buildings. Some of them have survived to the present day. The most striking building in the complex is the library building. Built in the period from 1911 to 1913 by the architect G.I. Lyutsedarsky, it became the embodiment of the style of Russian Art Nouveau. The main volume consists of a storage of books and a reading room in an oval shape.
The park facade of the building was designed by the architect V. Pokrovsky, but not for the library, but for the Russian Pavilion, created for the Paris International Hygiene Exhibition. At the end of the exhibition, facade elements from majolica adorned the library building. For a long time the building was dilapidated and required restoration; it was recently carried out. At the entrance ensemble, the Imperial large coat of arms was restored, which the angels support. Other details of the facade were restored, and unique wooden doors with wrought-iron plates were given a second life.
Unique collection of literature
The IEM library fund was created in 1891. It was based on 500 volumes from the personal scientific library of Prince A.P. Olderburgsky. Further acquisitions of books took place according to the profile of the institution and ongoing research, which served to form a unique collection of scientific literature.
The library stores are books on medicine dating back to the 16-18 centuries, a large collection of dissertations and scientific works of domestic and foreign institutes. In addition to these rarities, there are legal acts in the library collections relating to the work of the institute from the very first days, and correspondence of domestic figures of medical science with colleagues.
In the exhibition hall of the library you can see the “Aphorisms” of Hippocrates of the 1641 edition and his medical works of the 1657 edition in Latin, the dissertation of IP Pavlov, written by him in 1883, the lifetime edition of I. Kant's “Critique of Pure Reason” (1790) and much more.
In the halls and corridors of the old library building, there is still furniture that was used by employees and readers during the lifetime of Academician Pavlov and earlier.
Monuments in the IEM
The territory of the institute, in itself, has long become a historical landmark, thanks to events and people who have developed medical science. There are few institutions where so many thanks from descendants and contemporaries to individual scientists are concentrated, where the architecture of the buildings has been preserved and maintained in good condition and at the same time continues to serve as a refuge for modern science.
Monuments and historical buildings of the IEM:
- Busts of C. Darwin, Louis Pasteur, D. Mendeleev, I. Sechenov.
- Monument to the dog. It was established on the initiative of I.P. Pavlov, who noted the special significance of experiments in which the experimental subjects were dogs, which made it possible to study in detail the physiology of nervous activity.
- A fountain-drinker for dogs or a monument to scientific experiments of academician Pavlov with bas-reliefs.
- Museum-Laboratory of Academician I. Pavlov.
- Monument to the founder of Russian radiobiology E.S. London.
- Monument to V.I. Lenin.
- Disinfection building, water tower, residential buildings (construction period 1889 - 1890).
- Buildings of the pathological and anatomical department, physiological department, laboratory of chemical and general pathology (built in 1892-1895).
- The main building of the IEM (1890-1936).
- The building of the IEM laboratory or the Tower of Silence (1912-1914).
Addresses
IEM is located in several buildings of the city. The main building is located on Pavlova Street, Building 12, Institute of Experimental Medicine (St. Petersburg).
Small Avenue of the Petrograd Side, Building 13 is the address of the IEM clinic.