SCIENCE AND MEDICINE IN IMPERIAL RUSSIA

Book excerpt: The author's intention to write "Science and Medicine in Imperial Russia" was to acquaint the American medical and scientific professionals, and, hopefully, the general public, with the accomplishments of Russian scientists and physicians in the areas of their professions. The authors has limited his story to medicine, chemistry, and biology, the areas of his extended experience. American public's thinking, due to a number of reasons, is that Imperial Russia was a "swamp" (to use President Trump's expression), in which nothing of medical or scientific importance has ever been discovered or developed.This author, of course, thinks otherwise, and presents in this volume an ample amount of evidence to show that in the fields listed above, the accomplishments of the Russians were surprisingly numerous. As an example, one can cite the discoveries of Russian organic chemists (especially at the Kazan University), which, arguably, were exceeded only by the Germans.