Gzhitsky, Stepan Zenonovich

Born in the family of a rural teacher. After graduating from elementary school in 1911, he entered the Ternopil Ukrainian gymnasium. In connection with the First World War, he graduated from the gymnasium as an external student in 1920. In the same year, he became a student in the law faculty of the secret Ukrainian University. Since 1923 he studied at the Lviv Academy of Veterinary Medicine.

While still a student, since 1927 he began working as a deputy assistant of the department, and since 1928 - a junior assistant. In 1929, S. Gzhitsky graduated from the Academy, receiving a diploma in veterinary medicine, and was left to work at the Academy as a senior assistant.

In 1931, S. S. Gzhitsky defended his thesis on the topic “ On the Effect of Unicomponent and Mixed Diets and the Use of Salts on Some Components of Blood and Urine ” and received a doctorate in veterinary medicine. After that, he continued his research work and in 1933, as a scholarship holder of a folk culture fund, he was sent to Berlin , where he worked at the Berlin Institute of Biochemistry. Kaiser Wilhelm in the laboratory of the director of the institute, a prominent chemist, the “father of biochemistry” Karl Neuberg . In January 1935, S. Gzhitsky received the title of Associate Professor in General Pathology for scientific work on the study of chemistry in paralytic myoglobinuria in horses.

In 1937, he again went on a foreign scientific business trip, where he conducted research on clinical biochemistry at the clinic of the famous professor of Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine D. Wirth. Here he studied biochemical changes in the blood of animals suffering from leptospirosis (the so-called Stuttgart disease). At the end of the trip in 1938, S. Gzhitsky returned to the academy and continued pedagogical and scientific work at the department.

In 1940, by a decision of the Higher Attestation Commission of the USSR, he was awarded the scientific degree of Doctor of Biological Sciences and the title of Professor of the Department of Biochemistry.

During the German occupation, Professor S. Gzhitsky was appointed head of the Veterinary Institute in Lviv.

After the war, he headed the department of pathology, therapy and clinical diagnostics. He continued to engage in scientific work. In 1951, S. Gzhitsky was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, he was entrusted with the management of the laboratory of biochemistry of farm animals in the newly created Research Institute of Agrobiology, which was subsequently reorganized into the Research Institute of Agriculture and Livestock Production of the Western Regions of Ukraine (now the Institute of Animal Biology of the NAS Ukraine) and played a significant role in the preparation of scientific personnel. The organizer and first director of this institute was S.Z. Gzhitsky, at the same time managing the department of biochemistry.

For merits in the development of animal biochemistry in 1959, S.Z. Gzhitsky was elected an academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

He was a member of the editorial board of the Ukrainian Biochemical Journal, the republican interdepartmental thematic collection Physiology and Biochemistry of Farm Animals, which was published at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry of Farm Animals; a member of the editorial commission of the collection of scientific works of the Research Institute of Agriculture and Livestock Production of the western regions of the Ukrainian SSR "Biochemistry of farm animals." Member of many forums (congresses, conferences, symposia).

He was buried at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv.

An important place in the research of S. Gzhitsky and his students was given to elucidating the peculiarities of metabolism in ruminants , in particular, cicatricial metabolism and symbiotic relations in the pancreas, which have developed evolutionarily . The studies did not lose their relevance today, they entered the classics of biochemistry in general and ruminant biochemistry in particular. Regularities of the metabolism of substances in the pre-stomachs of ruminants with the participation of microflora can serve to create new biotechnological models.

The scientific work was related to the study of the effect on the body of the hormone of the pancreas of insulin (lat. Insula - an island), which is synthesized by β-cells of the islets of Langerhans.

Professor S. Gzhitsky prepared 16 doctors and 52 candidates of sciences. The Lviv Scientific School of Biochemists was created. Among his students are academics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Palfiy F. Yu., Lagodyuk P.Z., member. NAS of Ukraine Makar I.A., member The Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine Yavonenko A. F. , professors: Germaniuk Y. L., Golovatsky I. D., Kusen S. I., Turevsky A. A., Golovach V. M., Lemishko A. M., Shust I. V ., Pupin I.G., Skorohid V.I., Kalachnyuk G.I., Rozgoni I.I., Birch I.G. et al.

• In September 1994, the Lviv Veterinary Institute (now the Lviv State Academy of Veterinary Medicine ) was named after Professor S.Z. Gzhitsky.
• On the building of the Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after S.Z. Gzhitsky in 1990, a memorial table in honor of the scientist was opened.
• The Western Scientific Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine established a Gzhycki Prize for young scientists.
• In honor of the centenary of the birth of Academician S.Z. Gzhitsky, the laboratory in which he worked was given the name "Laboratory of Metabolism named after Professor S.Z. Gzhitsky."
• The Presidium of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences established a prize named after S.Z. Gzhitsky to award outstanding works in the field of natural, biological and veterinary sciences.

• The Order
• LIFE IT IS IMMORTAL! Until the 110th anniversary of the birth of S.Z. Ґzhitsky V.M. Gunchak, V.L. Galyas (Ukrainian)