Saratov State Medical University

Our medical university is old. It was founded in 1909. It was the 10^th university in Russia. At that time the university had only one medical faculty. The founder and the first rector was professor V. Razumovsky, an outstanding surgeon.

The first 93 students admitted to the university were men. Women were not allowed to study at the university till 1914. Several departments in the basic sciences were opened at that time: Physiology, Chemistry, General and Operative Surgery, Histology, Forensic Medicine and others.

In 1930 the university was reorganized. An independent medical institute was formed. There were 3 faculties at the institute: Medical, Sanitary-Prophylactic and Care of Mother and Child. Many talented scientists worked at the institute at that time. They were Mirotvortsev, Bogomolets, Spasokukotsky and many others.
Since 1993 the institute is the university again. Now there are 6 faculties. They are faculty of medicine, faculty of pediatrics, faculty of dentistry, faculty of nursing, faculty of preventive medicine and pharmaceutical faculty.

I am a student of the pediatric faculty. At our faculty the course of studies lasts for 6 years and consists of pre-clinical, transitional and clinical periods. The general theoretic and practical training ends in the 5^th year. During the 6^th year students study at the sub-internship. There they take the primary specialization as pediatricians, surgeons and infectionists. At the end of the 6^th year students have state exams, receive their diploma and apply for internship.

 

Medical Education in England.

Two kinds of medical establishments train doctors in great Britain: medical faculties of the Universities and higher medical schools.

To enter medical higher school applicants take 5-6 entrance exams: in English, in Foreign language, in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics.

The course of study lasts for 8 years. English medical schools have no state general curriculum. Curriculum includes compulsory and non-compulsory subjects. Compulsory subjects are Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry and others. Non-compulsory subjects are Biophysics, Physics, Social Health Protection and so on.

A 5-year curriculum consists of four periods: premedical, pre-clinical, introductory clinical and clinical. The premedical period (the first year) deals with Chemistry, Physics, Biology. Students have lectures and practical hours. The pre-clinical period includes such subjects as Anatomy, Histology, Organic Chemistry and others. During premedical and pre-clinical periods students study Pathology, Psychiatry, Practical Pharmacy and so on. The clinical period of training lasts from the third till the fifth year.

After graduation from a higher school young specialists must take a one year internship before they begin to work as doctors.

Education in Great Britain is not free of charge, 50% of students get grants. It depends on their success in studies and their family status

 

 

Famous people in Medicine.

N.I. Pirogov.

The development of surgery began in the 19^th century. The founder of modern surgery was the greatest Russian scientist N.I. Pirogov.

Pirogov was born in Moscow on November 13, 1810. At the age of 14 he entered Medical faculty of Moscow University. At the age of 18 graduated from the University. At the age of 26 he defended the dissertation under the title “Ligation of Arterial Vessels”, and became a professor of surgery. He wrote 24 major works, the most famous of which are “Topographic Anatomy”, General Field Surgery”, “On the Section of Achilles Tendon” and others.

Pirogov opened new possibilities in surgery. He was the first to perform osteo-plastic operation (now known as “Pirogov’s operation”). It brought him world fame.
At the age of 51 Pirogov retired and settled in the village Vishnya, where he opened a small hospital. He died on November 23, 1881 at the age of 71.

 

 

History of Medicine.

Medicine is among the most ancient of human occupations. There are 3 main stages in medicine development: Medicine of Ancient civilizations, Medicine of Middle Ages and Modern Medicine.

Early man practiced magic to help people who are ill or had a wound.
New civilizations began to study the human body, its anatomic composition. Magic still played an important part in treating but new practical methods were also developing.

The next stage of medicine’s development was the Middle Ages. A very important achievement of that time was the hospital. Another advance of the Middle Ages was the foundation of universities during 13^th –14^th centuries. During the 18^th century new discoveries were made in chemistry, anatomy, biology, other sciences. The advances of that time were invention of the stethoscope, vaccination, discovery of anaesthetics and development of immunology and scientific surgery.
The next century is the rise of bacteriology. Important discoveries were made by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. The development of scientific bacteriology made possible advances in surgery: using antiseptics and control of wound infection.

Medicine in the 20^th century made enormous contributions in the basic medical sciences. These are discovery of blood groups and vitamins, invention of insulin and penicillin, practice of plastic surgery and transplantation