V.P. Zhukovsky’s role in the development of domestic pediatrics and neonatology

Abstract

Vasily Pavlovich Zhukovsky (1861–1938) belongs to Russian pediatricians who pioneered the field of pediatrics in 19th – beginning of 20th centuries and established it as an independent branch of medicine, however, his representation in modern history of medicine literature is lamentably scarce. He contributed a lot in institutionalization of pediatrics, worked out new actual problems of pediatrics. His doctoral dissertation subject was problem of rickets, a vaguely known disease in those days. V.P. Zhukovsky was one of the first to study special features in physiology and pathology in newborns, he wrote one of the first Russian manuals in neonatology “Diseases of newborn children” published in 1897. He is also the author of a special monograph “Congenital heart defects in children at birth” (St. Petersburg, 1913). He paid a lot of attention to the problems of infant mortality, especially newborn mortality; clearly raised the question of necessity of antenatal care of the fetus and of the obstetricians and pediatricians’ team working. He contributed a lot in organization of teaching of pediatrics, to amelioration of work of the children ambulatories and the department for the newborns at St. Petersburg obstetrical institution (nowadays Maternity clinic number 6 named after Professor V.F. Snegiryov), where he worked from 1897 to 1910 as one of the first Russian neonatologists. He can be by right considered one of the pioneers of Russian neonatology as he stand at the origins of new branches of Russian pediatrics such as neonatology, pediatric neurology and cardiology.