Pyotr Andreyevich Zagorsky - Russian anatomist, rector and Professor Emeritus of the St. Petersburg Medical-Surgical Academy, Academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences
 (on the 255th anniversary of birth)

Abstract

Pyotr Andreyevich Zagorsky was born in 1764 in the Novgorodseversky governorship in the family of a priest. He studied at the Chernigov College, Medical-Surgical School. In 1785, P.A. Zagorsky was promoted to healers and began working as an anatomy prosector at the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Surgery of the St. Petersburg General Hospital. In 1790 he moved to the Shlisselburg district to the post of city and district doctor, and in 1793 he was transferred as a head-doctor to the Cuirassier Regiment. In 1794-1795 Peter Andreevich took part in the military campaign of Suvorov. In 1797 he was appointed adjunct anatomy. P.A. Zagorsky wrote the first Russian textbook on anatomy (1801), for the first time in Russia he introduced compulsory classes on corpses, suggested Russian anatomical terminology (1802), created a classification of deformities. In 1805, P.A. Zagorsky received the title of adjunct of anatomy and physiology, and since 1807 - an extraordinary academician, in 18091833 - academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. In 1808, he was appointed rector of the Medical-Surgical Academy. Since 1817, he is an honorary member of the Imperial Moscow Society of Naturalists. His school passed I.V. Buyalsky, P.A. Naranovich, I.D. Knigin, P.S. Kareisha, IB. Petrov, D.M. Vellansky, A.I. Fedorovsky and others. P.A. Zagorsky - the author of more than 150 scientific papers. Peter Andreevich Zagorsky died in 1846 at the age of 82 years.