Academician Sergey Ivanovich Spasokukotskiy (1870–1943) (on the 150th anniversary of the birthday)

Professor Sergey Ivanovich Spasokukotskiy was born on June 10 (May 29 according to the old style) 1870 in Kostroma. In 1879 Sergey Spasokukotskiy began his study at the Yaroslav Provincial Gymnasium, after which he applied to the Faculty of Medicine of Moscow University in August 1888. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine and receiving a diploma of doctor with honors in 1893, Sergey Ivanovich was left a supernumerary resident at the hospital surgical clinic. S. I. Spasokukotskiy is rightly considered one of the founders of surgical gastroenterology in Russia. In 1907 in St. Petersburg, he made a report «The breadth of indications for gastric resection in cancer and ulcer of it from the experience of 250 gastric operations and 29 resections». Problems of purulent surgery in the broadest sense have always been the focus of attention of Sergei Ivanovich, so there was a large purulent department in the clinic. In 1926, he was elected the Head of the Department and Clinic of Faculty Surgery of the II Moscow University. The works of Sergei Ivanovich and his students on hepatobiliary surgery, urology, neurosurgery were of great importance. Being since 1926 the head of the surgical sector of the Institute of Blood Transfusion, S. I. Spasokokotski has made a huge contribution to the development of domestic transfusiology. Under his guidance, the Faculty Surgery Clinic and the Blood Transfusion Institute Clinic developed blood transfusion indications for many pathological conditions. Spasokukotskiy had a high pedagogical skill, for which he earned great respect from students and young doctors, who always admired the Teacher ‘s personal example as a doctor, surgeon and scientist. Academician Sergei Spasokokotskiy died on November 17, 1943 and was buried in Moscow at the New Maiden Cemetery. For the best works in the field of surgery by the decision of the Government, there is a prize of his name.