The mystery of the mummy of surgeon Pirogov, or life after death. Embalmed Kotovsky

The outstanding doctor Nikolai Pirogov, one might say, has been canonized. Not only did he perform miracles of surgery during his lifetime, after his death his embalmed body “survived” the revolution, war and perestroika... And it was preserved better than the remains of the leader of the world proletariat. Moreover, in an ordinary rural church on the outskirts of Ukrainian Vinnitsa.

Scientists still cannot fully unravel the recipe by which he was mummified. Locals We are sure that there was a miracle here.

An extraordinary silence reigns near the small church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the outskirts of the Ukrainian town of Vinnitsa. Church parishioners come to light a candle for the repose of the soul of someone whose body was never buried. True, this was indicated by the Holy Synod back in 1881... And the fact that the body of Nikolai Pirogov has remained incorrupt for more than a hundred years is partly considered by the residents of the Cherry region to be their merit.

- It holds on through our prayers! - Grandma told me in a whisper at the temple gate.

It is generally not customary to speak in the tomb - this, even according to scientists, negatively affects the mummy. And services in the temple are conducted in lower tones.

“When Pirogov performed operations, relatives knelt in front of his office,” says Marina Yukalchuk, a researcher at the Pirogov National Estate Museum. - And one day during Crimean War At the front, soldiers dragged a comrade whose head had been torn off to the hospital: “The doctor will sew Pirogov back!” - they had no doubt.

If Pirogov’s patients believed that his hand was controlled by divine providence during his life, people do not doubt his ability to work miracles even after death. Many people treat mummy as holy relics and come to ask for health for themselves and their loved ones.

“More than once we have found kneeling parishioners in the tomb,” say temple employees. “And, according to legend, the body continues to heal.” Cancer patients also come to him - it is known that Pirogov was crippled by a tumor of the upper jaw. But mostly Pirogov “works” as a dispensary: ​​they simply ask him for health. From a church point of view, this is not very welcome; on the other hand, they pray on the territory of the temple, which means that God will hear their requests.

An inconspicuous door leads into the crypt - like going down to a basement, just a few steps. In front of the tomb there is a sign “Turn off mobile phones” to avoid loud noises.

A glass sarcophagus opens before our eyes; the coffin lid lies separately. Behind an iron fence like a grave, the tomb is surrounded by wreaths of artificial flowers. A crucifix is ​​nailed to the back wall of the crypt. Pirogov lies calmly. As if he had just fallen asleep. The yellowish tint of the skin is clearly visible in the pale rays of two special spotlights - bright light is contraindicated for mummies. It's a little cooler in the crypt than outside, but not damp.

“In winter, the temperature should not fall below zero, in summer it should not be more than 20 degrees,” explains Marina Yukalchuk. “Since the room is not specially equipped with air conditioning, and you can’t heat it here, in cold weather you sometimes have to insulate the tomb yourself - plug up the cracks in the doors.

On the next excursion, a whole crowd of schoolchildren approaches the entrance to the crypt - the children make noise and are not at all afraid of disturbing the mummy’s peace: “Of course, we tell each other horror stories that Pirogov will wake up someday. But, to be honest, he is not scary at all and you can immediately see that he was kind person”, the third graders smile.

Pirogov was embalmed by his wife

The Pirogov National Estate Museum is located near the church. Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov acquired this estate 20 years before his death, being a famous doctor, and at first considered this act ridiculous: “Every stupidity has a share of charm.” Little did he know that someday crowds of tourists would flock to Vinnitsa to come into contact with the life of the great scientist.

“Nikolai Pirogov understood that the study of surgery is impossible without studying cadaveric materials, so the topic of embalming was of great interest to him,” says Marina Yukalchuk. “He was the first in the world who began to store organs using the icy method - he covered the corpses with ice, and then, using tools, smashed them, removing everything unnecessary, isolating only those organs that he needed. And he wrote his teaching works based on them.

Several specimens obtained in this way by Pirogov are still kept on display in the museum; now they are preserved in formaldehyde and look completely unappetizing even for a medical university student, but they have historical value.

— There is erroneous information circulating on the Internet that Pirogov himself bequeathed himself to be embalmed. This is not so, says an employee of the estate museum. “He diagnosed himself, and shortly before his death he was honored by all the major specialists of that time, so he had the opportunity to say goodbye to them. But he did not leave any wills. Cancer of the upper jaw did not allow the scientist to eat; he could only be given water. They also treated him to champagne... In just a few days, the already small Pirogov became completely thin, and there is an opinion that his death was caused, among other things, by starvation.

And his widow Alexandra Antonovna decided to embalm his body for history, but most likely mainly as a family heirloom. She turned to her husband’s student, David Vyvodtsev, and also sent a petition to the Holy Synod, which approved this proposal only four days after the surgeon’s death.

“The exact recipe of Vyvodtsev, which preserved Pirogov’s body in an incorruptible state for many years, is still unknown,” says Grigory Kostyuk, professor of the Vinnytsia National medical university named after Pirogov. “It is known that he definitely used alcohol, thymol, glycerin and distilled water. His method is interesting because during the procedure only a few incisions were made, and some of the internal organs - the brain, the heart - remained with Pirogov. The fact that there was no excess fat left in the surgeon’s body also played a role - he had shrunk significantly on the eve of his death.

The surgeon's funeral, which was attended by several thousand people, took place a month after Pirogov's death, in January 1882 - initially the crypt was located in a wooden church, more like a barn.

- Then the church was on the territory of the estate - it was the Pirogov family crypt, under lock and key, there was no access for outsiders. Then Pirogov’s wife rested in the church courtyard,” says Marina Yukalchuk. — The Pirogovs had two sons, one of whom was buried in the crypt with his father, as evidenced by the slab to the right of the coffin. At the time of the 1917 revolution, two granddaughters, Alexandra and Lydia, lived on the estate. The first, fearing the Bolsheviks, fled to Athens after the October events. The second is to France. And that year, a retired colonel of the Greek army named Gershelman, the great-great-great-grandson of Pirogov, came to us. And he literally kissed the ground near the necropolis. The rest of the descendants have not yet visited.

Naturally, the granddaughters could not transport the body of their outstanding ancestor abroad, so the crypt with Pirogov’s body was left to the mercy of fate for a long time.

Mummy comes back to life

Soon after the revolution of 1917, a commune named after John Reed settled on the estate for a long time. Nobody touched the sacred remains.

“The great surgeon is still dressed in the uniform of a Privy Councilor in which he was buried. And the hands of the deceased are closed on an ancient pectoral cross. Previously, Pirogov’s sword was also in the crypt. But in the 30s of the last century, while no one was guarding the tomb, the first sealed coffin lid was broken by unknown robbers. At that time, only the caretaker of the temple looked after the necropolis,” continues the museum researcher. — The first pectoral cross was also stolen.

But the worst thing is that the microclimate in the crypt was thus disrupted - Pirogov’s body was forgotten for almost 50 years, and when they remembered it in 1945, a special commission that examined it on the orders of the party concluded that the body could not be restored.

“Although Hitler’s headquarters was in Vinnitsa and much was stolen from the museum, the invaders did not disturb Pirogov’s peace,” continues the museum-estate employee. “They even assigned guards to it to prevent looting from happening.”

And yet, the Moscow Lenin Laboratory, which monitored the condition of the embalmed leader, took on the first reembalmation of Pirogov’s body. A laboratory was specially equipped for this in the basement of the museum, where the mummy was rehabilitated for about five months.

“The body is all overgrown with mold and fungus due to cadaveric fat wax secretions,” says Professor Grigory Kostyuk. “This is the most terrible substance for us.” At the same time, Pirogov’s uniform was restored. A new glass coffin was installed, lined with metal on the inside, which is not influenced by cadaveric secretions.

A special commission at Vinnytsia University constantly monitors external condition body - periodically make special masks on the skin. And after the war, this duty was performed by Kharkov specialists. Based on Pirogov, Vinnitsa’s scientific staff have long established close cooperation with the Research and Educational Methodological Center for Biological and Medical Technologies, which also monitors the condition of the bodies of Lenin and Ho Chi Minh. At the same time, re-embalmation is carried out once every 5-7 years by Moscow specialists, who do not share the “recipe” of their miraculous balms with Ukrainian ones, because it is classified as “secret”. Ukrainian colleagues monitor Pirogov’s cosmetic condition.

“After the first reembalmation, Pirogov’s body did not last long - it began to become covered with fat wax again,” says Grigory Kostyuk. “We realized that in Ukraine there is no technology to “bring it back to life.” To save the exhibit, in 1979 and 1988 it was taken to Moscow by plane, which landed at a military airfield near the capital. The surgeon was “soaked” in the same laboratory where Lenin’s condition was being monitored. Then something amazing happened: Pirogov, who was embalmed 40 years before Lenin and remained without proper care for half a century, ended up looking “fresher” than the body of a political figure. We believe this is also due to Vyvodtsev’s recipe.

In total, eight reembalmations were performed on Pirogov’s body, the last one taking place in 2005.

“It was not easy in the 90s - the state did not have money to maintain Pirogov’s body, since this is our exhibit - and Ukraine is spending on it,” say museum employees. — More or less, the situation improved in 1997, when the estate acquired the status of a museum and organized excursions began to be held to the necropolis. Political relations have never interfered with scientific Russian-Ukrainian friendship. Although there were rumors in the press that Moscow could take Pirogov’s body for itself. But his estate is here. And in fact, everyone understands that disturbing the peace of a mummy is not a godly thing.

Just these days, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the surgeon’s birth, medical workers from all over the world came to Vinnitsa for the so-called Pirogov Readings. And for the next memorial service for the repose of the soul of Nikolai Pirogov, a crowd of thousands gathered in the courtyard of the Church of St. Nicholas the Saint.

“Pirogov knows everything and hears our prayers,” his admirers are sure.

Vinnitsa—Moscow.

Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov is a famous surgeon and anatomist, teacher, naturalist, author of the first atlas of topographic anatomy, founder of military field surgery, founder of the Russian Red Cross Society, as well as the first surgeon to develop and successfully use anesthesia during his operations.

He was born in Moscow in 1810, and ended his life in 1881, in the village of Vishnya, now one of the districts of Vinnitsa.

Here is his estate-museum, and a kilometer away from it, a crypt in which the embalmed body of this extraordinary man is kept.

WITH early childhood, Pirogov was drawn to medicine. As a fourteen-year-old boy, he entered Faculty of Medicine Moscow University. After receiving his diploma, he studied abroad for several more years. Pirogov prepared for professorship at the Professorial Institute at the University of Dorpat (Tartu, Estonia). Here, in the surgical clinic, Pirogov worked for five years, brilliantly defended his doctoral dissertation and, at the age of only twenty-six, was elected professor at the University of Dorpat.

A few years later, Pirogov was invited to St. Petersburg, where he headed the department of surgery at the Medical-Surgical Academy. At the same time, Pirogov headed the Hospital Surgery Clinic he organized.

All excursion programs around Vinnitsa must include a visit to the Pirogov estate-museum.

Firstly, the estate itself is located in the middle of a huge park, with picturesque alleys and exotic plants, and secondly, every corner of it is imbued with history and part of the life of the great doctor.

On the territory of the estate there are:

The house where N.I. lived Pirogov, and where the exhibition about his life and work is located.
- museum-pharmacy with the interiors of the reception and operating room N.I. Pirogov in his estate Cherry.
- a necropolis church in which the embalmed body of the scientist rests.
- a memorial park where trees planted by N.I. Pirogov.

Right at the entrance, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Red Cross Society, the founder of which was N.I. Pirogov, a memorial stele was installed.

At first it was a society for helping the sick and wounded during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Many Russian women at that time wanted to ease the suffering of wounded soldiers and go to war to care for them. The community of sisters of mercy of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, or, as it is commonly called, the Exaltation of the Cross community, was established in October 1854 in St. Petersburg.

During the Crimean War, Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov, being the chief surgeon of Sevastopol besieged by the Anglo-French troops, successfully led the activities of the community.

After the war, communities of sisters of mercy were also organized in Moscow, Kharkov, Tbilisi and other cities, and Pirogov continued to take an active part in the affairs of the organization.

Having authority among the world medical community, at the invitation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1870, he visited the Franco-Prussian War, where he became familiar with the situation in the hospitals of the warring armies. Subsequently, he was pleased that his ideas and proposals were used abroad.

He also took an active part in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877.

Pirogov purchased an estate in the village of Vishnya from the heirs of Doctor of Medicine A.A. Grikolevsky at an auction in Kyiv in 1859.

In 1866, he built a one-and-a-half-story brick house and a pharmacy here, and put the park in order.

Here Pirogov had the opportunity to do agriculture, growing medicinal plants and his favorite flowers - roses, which brought him spiritual pleasure. In letters to A.L. Pirogov wrote to Obermiller: “I have collected about 300 varieties of roses, among them there are roses of German, English, Moroccan, and French varieties. I would like to show these roses to my friends.”

Nikolai Ivanovich especially loved to take care of the beautiful garden he planted, where over 2,000 fruit trees grew, and a vineyard. He was also pleased when they praised the rye and wheat he grew, which they called “Pirogov’s.”

Two huge spruce trees, planted in 1862 by Pirogov himself, have been preserved.

Many trees, like botanical garden, marked with information signs.

Another decoration of the estate is the centuries-old linden alley, which was Nikolai Pirogov’s favorite place for walks.

Judging by the elegant groups of people with bouquets of flowers in their hands, the estate is a popular place for wedding photo shoots in Vinnitsa.

The house where Pirogov lived.

The Pirogov Estate Museum in Vinnitsa is world famous. During its existence, more than 7 million visitors from 175 countries visited here.

The museum hosts classes for students of Vinnytsia Medical University, as well as meetings of scientific circles. In 1997, the museum was awarded National status.

Opposite the main entrance there is a bust of the owner of the estate.

Nikolai Ivanovich was a truly brilliant surgeon. Operating in hospitals, Pirogov sometimes worked miracles, not abandoning even the most seemingly hopeless patients. He ligated arteries, including the carotid, iliac, and femoral, amputated limbs, removed an arm along with a shoulder blade, removed tumors, performed eye surgeries, and performed plastic surgery.

The speed with which the great surgeon operated was legendary. For example, he performed the operation to remove stones in two minutes.

Each of his operations attracted many spectators who, with watches in their hands, watched its duration. It was said that while the observers were pulling watches out of their pockets to note the time, the surgeon was already throwing away the extracted stones. If we take into account that at that time there was no anesthesia, it becomes clear why the young surgeon sought this life-saving speed.

He did a great job of studying the effects of ether and chloroform on the body. In 1847, Pirogov performed his first operation under anesthesia. The incredible happened - complete pain relief was achieved, muscles were relaxed, reflexes disappeared... The patient fell into deep sleep with loss of sensitivity.

Having convinced himself of the effectiveness of this method, Nikolai Ivanovich performed 300 such operations over the course of a year and analyzed each one and studied its results in detail.

The exhibition area of ​​the museum-estate is more than 1200 square meters and includes 1500 exhibits. The museum presents all the known works of Nikolai Pirogov, his manuscripts and personal belongings, as well as literature about him, medical instruments that were used in the practice of doctors of those times. The total number of objects stored in the funds is over 16,500.

The exhibition is located in ten halls and lobbies, consistently displaying the medical, scientific, pedagogical and social activities of the scientist.

There are quite a few paintings on the walls that depict important events from Pirogov’s life.

During his life N.I. Pirogov published many books and medical reference books. Some of them are still the main ones teaching aids future surgeons.

For example, his doctrine of fascia (the connective membrane that covers organs, vessels, nerves and forms cases for human muscles), written in 1840, has become a classic of surgery.

One of the reviews of this book is given by the modern historian of Russian surgery V. A. Opel: “The surgical anatomy of the arterial trunks and fascia is so remarkable that it is still cited by modern, the largest surgeons in Europe.”

Among the great merits of Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov, a significant place is occupied by his activities in the field of military medicine. Military medicine, in particular military field surgery, is obliged to N.I. Pirogov’s teaching on medical triage of the wounded, on wounds and their treatment, on the treatment of gunshot fractures of long tubular bones and joints using the “saving” method.

His method of sorting the wounded at the front made it possible to expediently and rationally use the hands of orderlies and the forces of surgeons, which were already in short supply during the war.

He divided the wounded into four groups:

Mortally wounded and hopeless, who need only final care and dying consolations
- wounded requiring absolutely urgent surgical care
- wounded people for whom surgery may be postponed until the next day or even later
- lightly wounded, whose condition allows return to the unit after a simple dressing.

Such a seemingly simple sorting should have prevented disorder and inevitable chaos, for, as Pirogov said: “Wanting to help everyone at once and running from one wounded person to another without any order, the doctor finally loses his head, is exhausted and does not help no one."

Pirogov was also the first to invent and apply starch, and then plaster cast for complex fractures, replacing amputation of the limb with a more humane resection (partial removal).

The idea of ​​​​applying plaster to fractures came to his mind in the workshop of his friend sculptor Nikolai Stepanov. While watching the artist at work, he noticed how quickly the plaster hardened. The invention of plaster casts saved the lives and health of tens of thousands of people. Since in those days they did not know how to fix broken bones immovably, very often the limbs did not heal properly, and the person remained crippled for life. And in the worst case, the limb had to be amputated due to suppuration. For Pirogov, the number of such amputations was reduced to a minimum.

N.I. Pirogov was truly a great man. They say that he could go far away to visit a sick person in a snowstorm or heavy rain, and this patient was often a poor peasant who was not even able to pay for his services. And for each New Year On his estate, he arranged a large Christmas tree with gifts, where peasant children came.

Consider his military achievements, when he literally “under bullets” had to operate and save wounded soldiers. Or when he, without fear of getting infected, treated patients with typhoid and cholera.

Young Pirogov.

The sculptural composition “Pirogov and the Sailor”, which clearly tells the story of the treatment process of soldier N.I. Pirogov.

The face shows imperturbable calm and absolute confidence in one’s actions.

In the background you can see stands with surgical instruments that Pirogov used during his operations. By the way, many of these instruments were invented by him personally.

Pirogov’s public career ended as quickly as it began. After the end of the Crimean War, Pirogov, at a meeting with Alexander II, expressed his thoughts about the reasons for the defeat, accusing the state of backwardness, officials of corruption, and the high command of absolute mediocrity. Of course, the sovereign did not like such words and Pirogov was immediately transferred from the capital to Odessa, to the post of trustee of the Odessa and Kyiv educational districts.

Here he got busy pedagogical activity and methods of education. Pirogov raised the issue of banning corporal punishment in schools. He believed that the rod humiliates the child and teaches him slavish obedience based on fear rather than on understanding his actions. It was possible to achieve the abolition of this barbaric practice after Pirogov’s resignation from public service.

Pirogov outlined all his thoughts on this matter in a letter, and, in the hope of understanding, sent it to the aforementioned Alexander II. After reading it, the sovereign indignantly tore up the academician’s letter and said: “This doctor wants to open more universities in Russia than taverns!” Soon Pirogov was dismissed from government service.

At the peak of his vitality and talent, the brilliant scientist was forced to limit himself to private practice. The doctor retired to his estate and continued to do his life’s work. Thousands flocked to Pirogov from all over Russia for treatment. He himself, being by this time an honorary member of five Academies of Sciences, often traveled to Europe to give lectures.

Only in 1877, when the Russian-Turkish war broke out, Alexander II had to remember the suspended surgeon and ask him to organize the medical service at the front. Nikolai Ivanovich was 67 years old at that time.

I noticed a picture of my native Odessa.

Hall of Fame of Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov.

This map shows the cities in which monuments to the great scientist were erected.

In Soviet times, monuments to Pirogov were erected in Moscow, Leningrad, Sevastopol, Vinnitsa, Dnepropetrovsk, Tartu. Many memorial signs to Pirogov are in Bulgaria. There is also a park-museum "N.I. Pirogov". The name of the outstanding surgeon was given to the Russian National Research Medical University.

N.I. Pirogov was elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1846, the Medical-Surgical Academy in 1847 (honorary member in 1857), and the German Academy of Naturalists "Leopoldina" in 1856.

In 1881, N. I. Pirogov became the fifth honorary citizen of Moscow “in connection with fifty years of work in the field of education, science and citizenship.”

This is N.I.’s office. Pirogov. Sick people came here to see him. Here the scientist wrote his last scientific works, as well as his memoirs, which are known as “The Diary of an Old Doctor.”

Desktop N.I. Pirogov.

The original furniture was not preserved, so the museum workers selected furniture from Pirogov’s time for the interior of the office.

"Props" of the doctor.

At the beginning of 1881, N.I. Pirogov, a non-healing malignant ulcer formed on the mucous membrane of the hard palate, later N.V. Sklifosovsky established that he had cancer of the upper jaw, which was the cause of the scientist’s death.

Both individual visitors and entire excursion groups walk around the estate.

Not far from the main house there is a pharmacy-museum, in which Pirogov’s reception and operating room is also reproduced.

Until now, in front of the pharmacy there are many medicinal plants growing, which formed the basis of the medicines used by N.I. Pirogov.

The figures of visitors waiting to see a famous doctor are made of medical plastic.

And here is N.I. himself. Pirogov, with his assistant, conducts another successful operation.

Pharmacy interior.

Here the pharmacist mixes ingredients to create a medicine.

“I provided treatment after my operations only to the forces of nature” - N.I. Pirogov.

The pharmacy exhibit also includes antique scales, copies of prescription forms, pharmaceutical instruments and pharmacology textbooks.

After death, the body of N.I. Pirogov, was embalmed. The initiator of embalming was the scientist’s wife, Alexandra Antonovna Pirogova. Long before the death of N.I. Pirogov expressed a desire to be buried in his estate, for which after his death the family filed a petition. Permission was given for this, but on the condition that the heirs agree to move the body from the estate to another place if the estate is transferred to new owners. Family members N.I. Pirogov did not agree to this, and the widow purchased a plot in the cemetery of the village of Sheremetka (now also within Vinnitsa).

To preserve the remains of N.I. Pirogov first built a crypt, then a church and a bell tower above it. Now the crypt-grave is a monument of national importance, in holidays and significant dates in the life of N.I. Pirogov in the necropolis church, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, services are held.

In addition to Nikolai Pirogov, his wife and eldest son are buried here.

I entered the crypt, but the guide warned that taking photographs inside was strictly prohibited. And although many violated this ban, judging by the number of photos of Pirogov’s body on the Internet, I did not do this. So no details.

Pirogov’s body was embalmed by his attending physician D.I. Vyvodtsev using the method he had just developed.

Until 1902, the estate was occupied by the scientist’s widow, Alexandra Antonovna Pirogova. After her death - first her youngest son Vladimir, and then her granddaughter N.I. Pirogov (daughter of Nikolai’s eldest son) - L.N. Mazirov and A.N. Gershelman. After the October Revolution of 1917, they and their families went abroad, remained there forever, and the estate was abandoned for a long time.

At the end of the 1920s, robbers visited the crypt, damaged the lid of the sarcophagus, stole Pirogov’s sword (a gift from Franz Joseph) and a pectoral cross. During the Second World War, during the retreat Soviet troops, the sarcophagus with Pirogov’s body was hidden in the ground, but it was damaged, which led to damage to the body, which was subsequently subjected to restoration and re-embalming.

The grand opening of the museum took place on September 9, 1947 and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the use of N.I. Pirogov, for the first time in the history of world medical practice, ether anesthesia on the battlefield.

As usual, in such places, visitors are invited to leave their feedback in a special book.

Some of the information is from here.

Pirogov Nikolay Ivanovich (1810-1881)
surgeon, teacher, public figure,
corresponding member Russian Academy Sci.

Born 13(25).11.1810 in Moscow in large family employee. In 1828 he graduated from the medical faculty of Moscow University, then defended his doctoral dissertation at Dorpat (now Tartu) University, which solved the complex problem of how to ligate the abdominal aorta; in 1836-40 - professor of theoretical and practical surgery at this university. In 1841-1856. - Professor of the hospital surgical clinic, pathological and surgical anatomy and head of the Institute of Practical Anatomy of the St. Petersburg Medical-Surgical Academy. He performed a fantastic number of operations. The history of each illness was recorded in detail and consistently, which allowed him and other doctors to constantly look for new treatment methods and check the results. Pirogov is one of the founders of surgery as a scientific medical discipline. With his works “Surgical anatomy of arterial trunks and fascia” (1837), “Topographic anatomy, illustrated by cuts through frozen human corpses” (1852-1859) and others, Pirogov laid the foundation for topographic anatomy and operative surgery. Developed the principles of layer-by-layer preparation in the study of anatomical areas, arteries and fascia, etc.; contributed to the widespread use of the experimental method in surgery. For the first time in Russia he came up with the idea of ​​plastic surgery (“About plastic surgery in general and about rhinoplasty in particular", 1835); for the first time in the world, he put forward the idea of ​​bone grafting. Developed a number of important operations and surgical techniques (resection of the knee joint, transection of the Achilles tendon, etc.). He was the first to propose rectal anesthesia; one of the first to use ether anesthesia at the clinic. Pirogov was the first in the world to use (1847) anesthesia in military field surgery. He suggested the existence of pathogenic microorganisms that cause suppuration of wounds (“hospital miasma”). Performed valuable research on the pathological anatomy of cholera (1849).
In 1855 he took part in the defense of Sevastopol (1854-1855). He was a trustee of the Odessa (1856-1858) and Kyiv (1858-1861) educational districts. In 1862-1866 he supervised the studies of young Russian scientists sent abroad (to Heidelberg). Since 1866, as a consultant in military medicine and surgery, he took part in the Franco-Prussian (1870-1871) and Russian-Turkish (1877-1878) wars. Pirogov was remembered as a philanthropist, showing by his example that a military doctor should not limit himself to distributing powders and amputating limbs. He himself searched warehouses for blankets for the wounded, knocked out firewood for hospitals, checked pharmacy reports and sealed cauldrons of soup so that the quartermasters would not steal food for the soldiers from them on the way to the soldiers.
Pirogov is the founder of military field surgery. In the works “Beginnings of General Military Field Surgery” (1865-1866), “Military Medicine and Private Assistance at the War Theater in Bulgaria and in the Rear...” (1879) and others, he expressed the most important provisions about war as a “traumatic epidemics", about the dependence of wound treatment on the properties of the wounding weapon, about the unity of treatment and evacuation, about the triage of the wounded; was the first to propose setting up a “storage area” - a prototype of a modern sorting station. Pirogov pointed out the importance of proper surgical treatment and recommended the use of “saving surgery” (he refused early amputations for gunshot wounds of the extremities with bone damage). Pirogov developed and put into practice methods of limb immobilization (starch, plaster bandages), and was the first to apply a plaster cast in the field (1854); During the defense of Sevastopol (1855), he created the Holy Cross community of sisters of mercy, which provided invaluable assistance in caring for the wounded during the war. Pirogov emphasized the enormous importance of prevention in medicine, and also preached the principles of careful treatment of patients, especially during surgery, using all possible methods of pain relief to eliminate discomfort as much as possible. As a teacher, Pirogov fought against class prejudices in the field of upbringing and education, advocated the so-called autonomy of universities, and for increasing their role in the dissemination of knowledge among the people. He strove to implement universal primary education and was the organizer of Sunday public schools in Kyiv.
Pirogov died on November 23 (December 5), 1881. Shortly before his death, the scientist made another discovery - he proposed completely new way embalming the dead. And in this way the body of N.I. Pirogov, at the request of the widow, was embalmed by his student D. Vyvodtsev and kept in the village of Pirogovo (formerly Vishnya), Vinnitsa region (Ukraine). Above the crypt, where in a special hermosarcophagus in the black uniform of a privy councilor under glass lies the body of the great surgeon, a temple was built, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra.

Text from Bolshoi Soviet encyclopedia. edited by P. E. Zabludovsky, M. B. Mirsky. (abbreviated with additions).

The small church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is located in a village with the cozy name Vyshnya (now part of Vinnitsa). In the tomb of the temple there is a unique mausoleum in which a sealed sarcophagus is stored with the body of the founder of military field surgery, Nikolai Pirogov. Scientists have still not been able to recreate the embalming recipe. The mummy of the famous doctor is 40 years “older” than Lenin’s mummy.

Local shrine

The parishioners of the church, with a feeling of deep reverence, worship the mummy of the field surgeon, as if they were the relics of a saint. Many turn to him with prayer for healing. At the same time, people are not deceived; they are well aware that in front of them is the body of military doctor Nikolai Pirogov, who lived and died in their village. Scientists have long been racking their brains, trying to unravel the mystery of the Vinnitsa necropolis.

The small tomb set a kind of world record: no one has ever managed to preserve an embalmed body in almost perfect condition for more than a hundred years. Local residents believe that collective prayers and respect for the deceased are of decisive importance. It is not customary to talk in the mausoleum. Church services are held in low tones. Parishioners turn to the doctor's mummy with prayers, as if they were truly miraculous holy relics.

Recent years Nikolai Pirogov

The famous surgeon operated on almost 10 thousand patients during his lifetime. Innovative methods are still relevant. Modern surgeons still perform “Pirogov operations.” The scientist is rightfully considered the founder of not only military surgery, but also the Red Cross Society. The Russian surgeon was the first to use ether anesthesia and developed a method for sterilizing surgical instruments.

Honesty was an integral character trait of the outstanding scientist. Because of this, he lost the favor of Alexander II and was dismissed. However, he retained the rank of Privy Councilor with a lifelong pension. Nikolai Pirogov did not stop practicing medicine. His estate, in which he spent the rest of his life, was located in the village of Vishni. Here he founded a free hospital where he received patients. The doctor became a victim of an incurable disease. He was diagnosed with cancer of the upper jaw. The surgeon knew about the diagnosis and approaching death.

Pirogov's body

There is a version that the surgeon was keenly interested in embalming issues. Allegedly, he bequeathed to mummify him after death. In fact, the widow Alexandra Antonovna Pirogova single-handedly petitioned the Holy Synod to embalm her husband’s body. Church authorities “took into account Pirogov’s merits, allowing him to leave his body incorrupt for the edification of those who continue his charitable deeds.”

The body was embalmed within the first four hours after death. Pirogov’s student and follower D. Vyvodtsev arrived at the request of Alexandra Antonovna. Previously, he published a scientific work on embalming. He was assisted by two paramedics and two doctors. Scientists are still trying to restore the recipe for the embalming solution that D. Vyvodtsev used. It is known that it included distilled water, ethyl alcohol, glycerin and, possibly, thymol.

It is noteworthy that Pirogov’s body has undergone almost no changes. The embalming procedure required only a few incisions in different parts of the body. Most internal organs, including the brain and heart, were not removed. Experts believe that the lack of fat in the deceased’s body had a positive effect on the result. N. Pirogov lost a lot of weight before his death.

Misadventures of the Mummy

The great scientist died in 1881, three decades before the historical upheavals in Russia. In the first half of the twentieth century, the mummy went through several critical tests. So, in the 1920s, robbers climbed into the crypt. In search of easy prey, they broke the glass of the sarcophagus, thereby breaking the tightness of the inner chamber. The villains removed the golden cross from the deceased and took away the precious cup and sword.

In 1941, a commission of scientists discovered mold on the clothes and skin of the mummy. There was an urgent need to carry out a restorative reembalming procedure. But the Great One broke out Patriotic War. On the eve of the occupation, the sarcophagus was buried in the soil, again breaking the seal of the chamber. In 1945, scientists returned to study the problem. By that time, the condition of the mummy had deteriorated significantly. The commission came to the conclusion that it was impossible to restore the mummy.

However, enthusiasts of the Moscow Laboratory named after. Lenin, who was responsible for the safety of Lenin's mummy. Pirogov’s body was transported to the basement of the laboratory, where for five months scientists attempted to rehabilitate the mummy. Since then, the reembalming procedure has been repeated every five to seven years. Despite the misadventures that have passed, the condition of Pirogov’s mummy is better than Lenin’s.

Mummy of the surgeon N. Pirogov
In the Ukrainian village of Vishnya near Vinnitsa there is an unusual mausoleum: in the family crypt, in the church-tomb of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the embalmed body of the world-famous scientist, legendary military surgeon Nikolai Pirogov is preserved - 40 years longer than the mummy of V. Lenin. Scientists still cannot unravel the recipe by which Pirogov’s body was mummified, and people come to church to venerate him as if they were holy relics and ask for help. The Vinnitsa necropolis is unique: in no other mausoleum in the world are mummies preserved in this condition for more than a hundred years.

Church-necropolis, in which the sarcophagus of N. Pirogov is located

Local residents believe that the main secret of the excellent preservation of the mummy is in their collective prayers and the correct attitude towards the deceased: it is not customary to speak in the tomb, services in the temple are conducted in low tones, people come to the doctor’s mummy to pray, as if they were holy relics, and to ask for health .

A. Sidorov. N.I. Pirogov and K.D. Ushinsky in Heidelberg

People believe that even during his lifetime, Pirogov’s hand was controlled by divine providence. Researcher at the Pirogov National Museum-Estate M. Yukalchuk says: “When Pirogov performed operations, relatives knelt in front of his office. And once during the Crimean War at the front, soldiers dragged a comrade whose head had been torn off to the hospital: “The doctor will sew Pirogov back!” - they had no doubt.”

On the left is L. Koshtelyanchuk. N.I. Pirogov and sailor Pyotr Koshka. On the right is I. Tikhiy. N. I. Pirogov examines the patient D. I. Mendeleev

The outstanding surgeon Nikolai Pirogov performed about 10,000 operations, saved the lives of hundreds of wounded during the Crimean, Franco-Prussian and Russian-Turkish wars, created military field surgery, founded the Red Cross Society, and laid the foundation for a new science - surgical anatomy. He was the first to use ether anesthesia during surgery. He spent the last years of his life on an estate in the village of Vishnya, where he opened a free clinic and received patients.

The secret of mummification of Pirogov's body has not yet been solved

The topic of embalming during his lifetime was of great interest to Pirogov. There is a version that the doctor himself bequeathed to mummify his body, however, this is not true. Nikolai Pirogov died from cancer of the upper jaw; he knew about his diagnosis and about his imminent death. However, the doctor did not draw up any wills. His widow, Alexandra Antonovna, decided to embalm the body of the deceased for history. To do this, she sent a petition to the Holy Synod and, having received permission, turned for help to Pirogov’s student, D. Vyvodtsev, the author scientific work about embalming.

I. E. Repin. Portrait of the surgeon N. I. Pirogov, 1881.

Scientists have repeatedly tried to unravel the secret of the mummification of Pirogov’s body, but they only managed to get closer to the truth. Professor of the Vinnitsa National Medical University G. Kostyuk says: “Vyvodtsev’s exact recipe, which preserved Pirogov’s body in an incorruptible state for many years, is still unknown. It is known that he definitely used alcohol, thymol, glycerin and distilled water. His method is interesting because during the procedure only a few incisions were made, and some of the internal organs - the brain, the heart - remained with Pirogov. The fact that there was no excess fat left in the surgeon’s body also played a role - he had shrunk a lot on the eve of his death.”

The mummy of the surgeon N. Pirogov in the tomb

The mummy might not have survived to this day: due to historical events the first half of the twentieth century, they forgot about it for a while. In the 1930s The robbers broke the sealed lid of the coffin and stole Pirogov's pectoral cross and sword. The microclimate in the crypt was disturbed, and when in 1945 a special commission examined the mummy, it came to the conclusion that it could not be restored. And yet the Moscow Laboratory named after. Lenina took up the task of re-embalming. For about 5 months, they tried to rehabilitate the mummy in the basement of the museum. Since then, reembalmation has been carried out every 5-7 years. As a result, Pirogov's mummy is in better condition than Lenin's mummy.

People come to Pirogov’s mummy as if they were holy relics