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Vasiliy DanilevskyOutstanding physiologist, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, doctor of medicine, professor
Date of Birth: 14.01.1852
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Vasily Danilevsky
Vasily Danilevsky, an outstanding physiologist, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, doctor of medicine, and professor, was born on January 25, 1852, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. His father, a watchmaker who achieved self-education in various fields of knowledge and skills, provided his sons with a higher education. Vasily Danilevsky studied at the Kharkiv Gymnasium and then at the Kazan Gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1868 with a gold medal. In the same year, he entered the Kazan University and initially joined the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, but later transferred to the Faculty of Medicine. In 1870, he moved to Kharkiv, where he continued his studies at the Medical Faculty of the University. His student scientific work was awarded a gold medal in 1871. He graduated with honors in 1874. Vasily Yakovlevich obtained the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1877 after defending his dissertation on "Research in the Physiology of the Brain." In 1878, he was sent abroad for two years to further enhance his knowledge.
Academic and Teaching Career
In 1880, Vasily Danilevsky began teaching as an associate professor of zoo physiology at the Kharkiv Veterinary Institute. In 1882, he became a privat-docent and in 1883, he was elected an extraordinary professor at the Department of Zoology at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Kharkiv University. He completed the establishment of the physiological laboratory initiated by N.F. Beletsky in 1884 and lectured on physiology and histology. In 1886, he became a full professor at the Medical Faculty of Kharkiv University, heading the Department of Physiology and simultaneously leading the faculty's physiological laboratory, which was established in 1862 by Professor I.P. Shchelkov. He worked there until 1909. In 1908, the Council of Kharkiv University awarded him the title of "Distinguished Professor." In 1910, Vasily Danilevsky became the director of the Women's Medical Institute, founded by the Kharkiv Medical Society, dedicating much effort and energy to its creation as the chairman of the organizing committee. He resigned from the director's position in 1912 but continued teaching physiology at the institute. In 1917, his professorial activity resumed at the Department of Physiology at Kharkiv University, and then, from 1921, at the Kharkiv Medical Institute, continuing until 1926.
Contributions to Science and Society
In 1919, Vasily Danilevsky initiated the establishment of the Organotherapeutic Institute by the Kharkiv Medical Society (now the Institute of Pharmacotherapy of Endocrine Diseases). He served as its director for some time and continued to oversee the institute's research sector until the end of his life. In 1922, he initiated the creation of the Ukrainian Institute of Labor (now the Kharkiv Research Institute of Occupational Hygiene and Occupational Diseases). Vasily Yakovlevich made a significant contribution to the development of brain physiology, electrophysiology, electroencephalography, endocrinology, and labor physiology. He authored 217 scientific works, including several monographs and the monumental two-volume handbook "Human Physiology" (in three books, 1913-1915). His works were honored with numerous awards, including the Montyon Prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences (1889), the K. Bär Medal from the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1894), the Hoynacki Medal from the University of Warsaw (1900), the Yushenov Medal from the Military Medical Academy (1902), and the Mary Kingsley Medal from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (1907).
Vasily Danilevsky was also known for his preparation of educational textbooks. Each academic year, he focused on one section and lectured on it in greater detail than others. He meticulously wrote and revised this section, intending it to become an integral part of future textbooks. As a result of such thorough preparation, Vasily Yakovlevich was able to finally publish some textbooks only several years after leaving the university. However, his lectures, as recalled by his former students, were listened to with great interest. In 1934, Ivan Pavlov wrote to Vasily Danilevsky on the occasion of the scientist's 60th anniversary of scientific activity, praising his captivating speeches, lectures, and textbooks that disseminated essential knowledge on physiology for the benefit of healthy and rational existence in their homeland.
Besides his scientific achievements, Vasily Danilevsky was also an outstanding public figure. He actively participated in the establishment of the Kharkiv Public Library (now the V.G. Korolenko Library), free libraries in the outskirts of Kharkiv, and rural libraries in the Kharkiv Governorate. He was involved in the Kharkiv Literacy Society and initiated, edited, and organized the publication of the "People's Encyclopedia." Together with his brother, biochemist A.Ya. Danilevsky, a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, he made the first attempt to publish a physiological journal in Russia, and in 1888 and 1891, two volumes of the "Physiological Collection" were released under his editorship.
In April 1921, a resolution by the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was issued to provide comprehensive support to Professor Vasily Danilevsky, creating conditions for further continuation of his work. He actively participated in the activities of the Scientific Committee of the People's Commissariat of Education of the Ukrainian SSR and the Scientific Council of the People's Commissariat of Health of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1921, he worked in the Council for the consideration of the medical education reform project and published his project of an institute for the improvement of physicians. Vasily Yakovlevich Danilevsky passed away on February 25, 1939, in Kharkiv. His remains rest in the columbarium of the Pushkinsky Cemetery.
