title: Historical overview of studies on inflammation in Russia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Historical overview of development investigations on inflammation in Russia up to date is presented.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of modern Russian language literature (1950-2010) on history of medicine and researchers' activity on inflammation, as well as Russian language content of internet on this theme, was made. Many names of Russian researchers are still little known to the English-speaking Western readers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Starting in the eighteenth century, the mystery of the inner workings of the inflammation process attracted the interest of physicians and biologists of the Russian Empire. Accumulated knowledge focused mainly on the etiological factors of inflammation. In the nineteenth century, scientific schools emerged for studying inflammation and established close contacts with leading scientists in other countries. At this time, Ilya Mechnikov formulated his famous biological theory of inflammation, according to which inflammation is a protective adaptation response to an injury. He also developed his teaching on phagocytosis and was awarded the Nobel Prize. In the twentieth century, Russian scientists participated in the discovery of viruses and new bacterial pathogens, and in the investigation of the mechanics of the genesis and development of inflammatory processes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Today interest in studies of inflammation in Russia is on the increase; scientists united by the Russian Inflammation Society continue their quest to investigate inflammatory mediators, and study molecular and cellular mechanisms and approaches in the treatment of complications associated with inflammation.
authors: Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Cardiology Research Complex, Moscow, Russia.
authors: Liudmila
authors: L
authors: Buryachkovskaya
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Sumarokov
authors: Nikita
authors: N
authors: Lomakin
mesh_terms: D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D007249:Inflammation / Q000266:history*; D012106:Research / Q000266:history*; D012426:Russia
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