Platonov, Peter Savich

Peter Platonov was born on August 9, 1823 in the family of archpriest of the settlement of Serebryanka ^{[2] [3] of the} Stary Oskol district ^{[5] of the} Kursk province. He received his secondary education at the Starooskolsky Theological School , in which he reached the theological class. In 1846 he entered the St. Petersburg Imperial Medical and Surgical Academy , where he brilliantly completed the course in 1851, receiving instead of the title of doctor, the title of doctoral candidate. As the most distinguished student of his course, he was awarded the Bush Prize and received a gold medal. While still in his fourth year, he served as a resident in a surgical clinic, for which he received 300 rubles when graduating from the Academy ^[6] .

After the academy, he was appointed a doctor in a carabinier regiment and was seconded to the 2nd Military Land Hospital, where he continued to work as a resident in the clinic of Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov ^[6] .

In 1852, Platonov was transferred to the infantry Prince of Prussia Regiment, and in the same year he was finally identified as a super-resident at the hospital, which was part of the Academy. During this time, he prepared a dissertation of surgical content and, having defended it on May 16, 1853, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine ^[6] .

Soon, he accepted, at the suggestion of Professor Pavel Andreevich Naranovich , the position of prosector of descriptive anatomy; at the same time, in addition to prozector classes, he was entrusted with rehearsals and teaching part of the anatomy under the guidance of a professor. At the same time, he was left by the intern of the hospital; January 10, 1854, these orders were approved by the Minister of War. In 1854, he was also approved by the teacher of the feldsher school. Despite such a lot of responsibilities, Platonov successfully read the anatomy to students of the 1st and 2nd year of the Academy, replacing Naranovich. His lectures were constantly accompanied by a demonstration of fresh anatomical preparations; his audience was crowded with students; he soon gained a reputation as an outstanding teacher, and on September 6, 1855, the Academy Conference officially commissioned him to teach anatomy to first-year students, for which he was assigned additional content of 500 rubles a year. In the same year, he published the first two parts of his compilation of a manual on descriptive anatomy (the study of bones and joints) ^[6] .

In 1856, the Academy Conference, at the suggestion of Naranovich, decided to apply for the appointment of a special associate professor in the department of descriptive anatomy to give a lecture to first-year students; in the opinion of Professor A. I. Tarenetsky , “the resumption of the adjunct anatomy destroyed when the Anatomical Institute arose, apparently had the main goal to strengthen and highlight Platonov’s position .” In the same year, he was elected, at the suggestion of Rklitsky, to the vacant post-Nemmert chair of the adjunct professor of operative surgery and a surgical clinic, so that he continued to read descriptive anatomy; On September 17, 1856, the Minister of War approved Platonov in this post ^[6] .

A contemporary and colleague of Platonov, Nikolai Ivanovich Kulbin, in a biographical sketch about a scientist genuinely admired his hard work and was amazed how he managed to simultaneously fulfill so many duties assigned to him after a new appointment:

1. I read desmurgy (the doctrine of dressings) and mechanical science (the doctrine of tools, prostheses, etc.) and worked with students in the position of various kinds of dressings, partly on the phantom, and partly on the sick. In addition, for the greater benefit of students, he took for his lectures patients with fresh dislocations and fractures who were admitted to the clinic during the year;
2. He performed operations on corpses using various methods with 5th year students; at the same time, he outlined a short course of surgical anatomy together;
3. Engaged with fourth-year students in bandaging patients in a surgical academic clinic, performing operations on corpses and on living, critical analysis of histories and autopsies of patients who died in the clinic;
4. I read the full course of descriptive anatomy on freshly prepared drugs for 1st year students and trained students with rehearsals for fresh and dry drugs.

In July 1857, Platonov was appointed, in addition, as a special surgeon in the 2nd Military Overland Hospital. After lecturing, his main duty was to examine patients who arrived at the hospital who needed immediate help during off-hours. During the holidays, he replaced the professor at the hospital surgical clinic ^[6] .

Professor Platonov was one of Pirogov's closest students and in his surgical activity he constantly followed the anatomical direction that his teacher gave surgery. It was especially easy for him to carry out this principle, because he was both an anatomist and surgeon.

With a graceful appearance, excellent general education and brilliant oratory, he was at the same time a gifted practicing surgeon. His lectures were distinguished by the maturity of thought, rigorous analysis and literary treatment of why he was a favorite of students.

In 1858, Platonov completed his guide to descriptive anatomy, and it was awarded the Zagorsky Prize; in addition, the author received an annual salary as a reward, and a gift for presenting the composition to the sovereign. In the same year, he was elected an extraordinary professor of operative surgery and was then sent for one year abroad, but then the duration of the trip was extended for another year ^[6] .

Abroad, Platonov studied various medical schools in order to conduct an independent clinic on his return, but he was not destined to return to Russia: his previous activities were excessively intense, and he contracted pneumonia in Heidelberg, he did not recover, despite the trip to Venice. Returning from there, Peter Savvich Platonov died on July 3, 1860 in Dresden from consumption. ^[6]

His portrait was placed in the Surgical Museum of the Academy.

• Kulbin N.I. Platonov, Peter Savvich // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes / Under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsev, Chairman of the Imperial Russian Historical Society. - SPb. , 1905. - T. 14: Smelters - Primo. - S. 39-41.
• Mirsky M. B. Apprentice N. I. Pirogov surgeon Peter Savvich Platonov (1823-1860) // Bulletin of Surgery. I.I. Grekov. - 2003. - S. 115-118 .
• Platonov, Peter Savvich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.