I. FIRST STEPS IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF 

 AGING IN RUSSIA 



(The period of accumulation of individual facts and 

 initial generalizations) 



The U.S.S.R. is the motherland of the physiology, biochemistry, and morphol- 

 ogy of aging. The works of such eminent scientists as I. I. Mechnikov, M. S. 

 Mil'man, I. P. Pavlov, A. A. Bogomolets, A. V. Palladin, N. P. Krenke, A. \'. 

 Nagomiy, and others have substantially enriched the contemporary knowledge 

 of aging in the higher organisms. Through the work of A. V. Nagomiy and his 

 pupils, the problem of aging and the fight for longevity led to the development of 

 a new branch of biology (physiology), namely, age-associated physiology and 

 biochemistry. At its distant base stands the giant figure of the founder of Rus- 

 sian science, M. V. Lomonosov. In his lecture "On the multiplication and 

 preservation of the Russian people" (1761), he traced a remarkably clear pic- 

 ture of premature death from overexhaustion, undernourishment, epidemics, 

 and the lack of adequate medical care among a large part of the working popu- 

 lation of Russia in the days of serfdom. 



Lomonosov angrily wrote: "All the cities must have an adequate number of 

 doctors, medical practitioners (tr.: i.e., without foreign training), and drug 

 stores that can supply medicines, even if only those that are fitting for our cli- 

 mate. All of these are not available even in one hundredth part of what is 

 needed, and even the Russian Army is very inadequately supplied with physi- 

 cians, so that the physicians do not even have time to bandage the wounded, 

 much less examine each patient, question him in detail, give medicines, and 

 comfort the suffering. Because of this lack of foresight, many die who could 

 have lived." 



Somewhat later. Professor S. G. Zybelin, of the Moscow University, pub- 

 lished his "Remarks on the proper care of infants" (1775). One of the aspects 

 of this problem of proper care that he discussed was that of striving to assure 

 the sound biological development, health, and longevity of the population of 

 our Motherland under the social-economic conditions of that period. Five 

 years later, he again appeared in print with his "Remarks on how to prevent the 

 cause of the not unimportant slow multiplication of the population." Finally, 

 in 1797, Zybelin again returned to the problem of assuring an increase in the 

 population and its longevity in his address "On medical means of promoting 

 an increase in the populousness of the community." 



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