The city where the sarcophagus with the body of Pirogov is located. Pirogov was dying of starvation. surgeon by the grace of God

The mummy of the surgeon N. Pirogov

In the Ukrainian village of Vishnya near Vinnitsa there is an unusual mausoleum: in the family crypt, in the church-tomb of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the embalmed body of the world-famous scientist, the legendary military man is preserved surgeon Nikolai Pirogov- 40 years longer than the mummy of V. Lenin. Scientists still cannot unravel the recipe according to which Pirogov's body was mummified, and people come to church to bow to him like holy relics and ask for help. The Vinnitsa necropolis is unique: in no mausoleum in the world, mummies have been preserved for more than a hundred years in this state.

Church-necropolis, which houses the sarcophagus of N. Pirogov

Local residents believe that the main secret of the excellent preservation of the mummy is in their collective prayers and the correct attitude towards the deceased: it is not customary to speak in the tomb, services in the temple are conducted in low tones, people come to the doctor’s mummy to pray, as to holy relics, and ask for health .

A. Sidorov. N.I. Pirogov and K.D. Ushinsky in Heidelberg

People believe that even during his lifetime, Pirogov's hand was controlled by divine providence. M. Yukalchuk, a researcher at the Pirogov National Museum-Estate, says: “When Pirogov performed operations, relatives knelt in front of his office. And once, during the Crimean War, at the front, soldiers dragged a comrade to the hospital, whose head was torn off: “Doctor Pirogov will sew!” they had no doubts.

Left - L. Koshtelyanchuk. N.I. Pirogov and sailor Pyotr Koshka. On the right - I. Quiet. N. I. Pirogov examines the patient D. I. Mendeleev

The outstanding surgeon Nikolai Pirogov performed about 10,000 operations, saved the lives of hundreds of wounded during the Crimean, Franco-Prussian and Russian-Turkish wars, created military field surgery, founded the Red Cross Society, laid the foundation for a new science - surgical anatomy. He was the first to use ether anesthesia during surgery. He spent the last years of his life on an estate in the village of Vishnya, where he opened a free clinic and treated patients.

The secret of the mummification of Pirogov's body has not yet been unraveled.

The topic of embalming during his lifetime was of great interest to Pirogov. There is a version that the doctor himself bequeathed to mummify his body, but this is not true. Nikolai Pirogov died of cancer of the upper jaw, he knew about his diagnosis and about his imminent death. However, the doctor did not make any wills. His widow, Alexandra Antonovna, decided to embalm the body of the deceased for history. To do this, she sent a petition to the Holy Synod and, having received permission, she turned for help to Pirogov's student, D. Vyvodtsev, the author of a scientific work on embalming.

I. E. Repin. Portrait of the surgeon N. I. Pirogov, 1881. Fragment

Scientists have repeatedly tried to unravel the secret of the mummification of Pirogov's body, but they only managed to get closer to the truth. Professor of the Vinnitsa National Medical University G. Kostyuk says: “The exact recipe of Vyvodtsev, which kept Pirogov’s body in an imperishable state for many years, is still unknown. It is known that he accurately used alcohol, thymol, glycerin and distilled water. His method is interesting in that only a few incisions were made during the procedure, and part of the internal organs - the brain, the heart - remained with Pirogov. The fact that there was no excess fat left in the surgeon’s body also played a role - he had shrunk badly on the eve of his death.

The mummy of the surgeon N. Pirogov in the tomb

The mummy might not have survived to this day: in connection with the historical events of the first half of the 20th century, it was forgotten for a while. In the 1930s the robbers broke the hermetic lid of the coffin and stole Pirogov's pectoral cross and sword. The microclimate in the crypt was disturbed, and when in 1945 a special commission examined the mummy, it came to the conclusion that it could not be restored. And yet the Moscow Laboratory. Lenina took up the reembalming. For about 5 months, they tried to rehabilitate the mummy in the basement of the museum. Since then, reembalming has been carried out every 5-7 years. As a result, Pirogov's mummy is in better condition than Lenin's mummy.

People come to Pirogov's mummy as to holy relics.

The outstanding physician Nikolai Pirogov, one might say, canonized as a saint. Not only did he perform miracles of surgery during his lifetime, after his death his embalmed body “survived” the revolution, war and perestroika ... And it survived better than the remains of the leader of the world proletariat. And in an ordinary rural church on the outskirts of Ukrainian Vinnitsa.

Scientists still cannot fully unravel the recipe by which he was mummified. Local residents are sure that there was a miracle here.

At the small church of Mykola the Wonderworker on the outskirts of the Ukrainian town of Vinnitsa, extraordinary silence reigns. The parishioners of the temple come to light a candle for the repose of the soul of the one whose body was never buried. True, there was an indication of the Holy Synod as early as 1881 ... And the fact that the body of Nikolai Pirogov has remained imperishable for more than a hundred years is partly considered by the inhabitants of the Cherry region to be their merit.

- It is supported by our prayers! my grandmother told me in a whisper at the gates of the temple.

It is generally not customary to speak in the tomb - this, even according to scientists, negatively affects the mummy. And the services in the temple are conducted in low tones.

“When Pirogov performed operations, relatives knelt in front of his office,” says Marina Yukalchuk, a researcher at the Pirogov National Museum-Estate. - And once during the Crimean War at the front, soldiers dragged a comrade to the hospital, whose head was torn off: “Doctor Pirogov will sew!” they had no doubts.

If Pirogov's patients believed that his hand was controlled by divine providence during his lifetime, people do not doubt his ability to work miracles even after death. Many treat the mummy as holy relics and come to ask for health for themselves and their loved ones.

“More than once we found kneeling parishioners in the tomb,” say the temple staff. - And, according to legend, the body continues to heal. Cancer patients also come to him - it is known that Pirogov was knocked down by a tumor of the upper jaw. But basically, Pirogov “works” as a dispensary: ​​they simply ask him for health. From the point of view of the church, this is not very welcome, on the other hand, they pray on the territory of the temple, which means that God will hear their requests.

An inconspicuous door leads to the crypt - like a descent to the basement, just a few steps. In front of the tomb there is a sign “Turn off mobile phones” to avoid loud sounds.

A glass sarcophagus opens before our eyes, the lid of the coffin lies separately. Behind an iron fence like a tomb, the tomb is buried in wreaths of artificial flowers. A crucifix is ​​nailed to the back wall of the crypt. Pirogov lies quietly. Like he just fell asleep. The yellowish tint of the skin is clearly visible in the pale rays of two special spotlights - bright light is contraindicated for mummies. The crypt is a little cooler than outside, but not damp.

- In winter, the temperature should not fall below zero, in summer it should not be more than 20 degrees, - Marina Yukalchuk explains. - Since the room is not specially equipped with air conditioners, and it is impossible to heat here, in cold weather sometimes you have to insulate the tomb on your own - plug the cracks in the doors.

A whole crowd of schoolchildren come to the next excursion to the entrance to the crypt - the children make noise and are not at all afraid to disturb the peace of the mummy: “Of course, we tell each other horror stories that Pirogov will someday wake up. But, to be honest, he is not at all scary and you can immediately see that he was a kind person, ”the third-graders smile.

Pirogov was embalmed by his wife

The Pirogov National Museum-Estate is located near the church. Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov acquired this estate 20 years before his death, being a renowned doctor, and at first considered this act absurd: "There is a share of charm in every stupidity." Did he know that someday crowds of tourists would pour into Vinnitsa to get in touch with the life of the great scientist.

“Nikolay Pirogov understood that the study of surgery is impossible without the study of cadaveric materials, so the topic of embalming was of great interest to him,” says Marina Yukalchuk. - He was the first in the world who began to store organs in the ice way - he covered the corpses with ice, and then with the help of tools he broke them, removing everything superfluous, isolating only those organs that he needed. And he wrote his teaching works on their basis.

On the showcase in the museum, several copies obtained in this way by Pirogov are still kept, now they are conserved in formalin and look completely unappetizing even for a medical student, but they are of historical value.

- There is erroneous information circulating on the Internet, as if Pirogov bequeathed himself to be embalmed. It’s not like that,” says an employee of the museum-estate. “He diagnosed himself, and shortly before his death, he was honored by all the major specialists of that time, so he had the opportunity to say goodbye to them. But he did not leave any wills. Cancer of the upper jaw did not allow the scientist to eat, he could only drink. They were also treated to champagne ... In a few days, the already medium-sized Pirogov completely lost weight, there is an opinion that death came, including from hunger.

And to embalm his body for history, but most likely mainly as a family heirloom, the widow Alexandra Antonovna decided. She turned to her husband's disciple David Vyvodtsev, and also sent a petition to the Holy Synod, which approved this proposal only four days after the death of the surgeon.

“The exact recipe of Vyvodtsev, which kept Pirogov’s body in an imperishable state for many years, is still unknown,” says Grigory Kostyuk, professor at Pirogov Vinnitsa National Medical University. - It is known that he definitely used alcohol, thymol, glycerin and distilled water. His method is interesting in that only a few incisions were made during the procedure, and part of the internal organs - the brain, the heart - remained with Pirogov. The fact that there was no excess fat left in the surgeon's body also played a role - he had shrunk badly on the eve of his death.

The funeral of the surgeon, which was attended by several thousand people, took place a month after the death of Pirogov, in January 1882 - the crypt was originally located in a wooden church, more like a barn.

- Then the church was on the territory of the estate - it was the Pirogov family crypt, under lock and key, there was no way for strangers to go there. Then Pirogov's wife also rested in the courtyard of the temple, - says Marina Yukalchuk. - The Pirogovs had two sons, one of whom was buried in the crypt with his father, as evidenced by the slab to the right of the coffin. From them, at the time of the 1917 revolution, two granddaughters, Alexandra and Lydia, lived on the estate. The first, fearing the Bolsheviks, fled to Athens after the October events. The second is in France. And in that year, a retired colonel of the Greek army by the name of Gerschelman, the great-great-great-grandson of Pirogov, came to us. And literally kissed the ground near the necropolis. The rest of the descendants have not visited yet.

Naturally, the granddaughters could not transport the body of an outstanding ancestor with them abroad, so the crypt with the body of Pirogov was left to the mercy of fate for a long time.

Mummy comes back to life

Shortly after the revolution of 1917, the John Reed commune settled on the estate for a long time. Nobody touched the sacred remains.

“The great surgeon is still dressed in the uniform of the Privy Councilor in which he was buried. And the hands of the deceased close on an old pectoral cross. Previously, Pirogov's sword was also in the crypt. But in the 30s of the last century, while no one guarded the tomb, unknown robbers broke the first sealed coffin lid. The necropolis was then watched only by the caretaker of the temple, - continues the researcher of the museum. - They also stole the first pectoral cross.

But the worst thing is that the microclimate in the crypt was thus disturbed - Pirogov's body was forgotten for almost 50 years, and when he was remembered in 1945, a special commission that examined him on the orders of the party concluded that the body cannot be restored.

“Although Hitler’s headquarters was in Vinnitsa and much was stolen from the museum, the invaders did not disturb Pirogov’s peace,” continues the employee of the estate museum. “They even put guards on it to prevent looting.

And yet, the Lenin Moscow Laboratory, which monitored the condition of the embalmed leader, took up the first reembalming of Pirogov's body. Especially for this, a laboratory was equipped in the basement of the museum, where the mummy was rehabilitated for about five months.

“The body is all overgrown with mold and fungus due to the cadaveric secretions of fat wax,” says Professor Grigory Kostyuk. “This is the worst thing for us. Pirogov's uniform was also restored at the same time. A new glass coffin was installed, lined with metal from the inside, which is not affected by cadaveric secretions.

A special commission at Vinnitsa University constantly monitors the external state of the body - periodically make special masks on the skin. And after the war, this duty was performed by Kharkov specialists. On the basis of Pirogov, scientists from Vinnitsa have long established close cooperation with the Scientific Research and Educational Center for Biological and Medical Technologies, which also monitors the condition of the bodies of Lenin and Ho Chi Minh. At the same time, re-embalming every 5-7 years is carried out by Moscow specialists who do not share the “recipe” of their miraculous balms with Ukrainian ones, because it is classified as “secret”. Ukrainian colleagues also monitor the cosmetic condition of Pirogov.

- After the first reembalmation, Pirogov's body did not last long - it again began to be covered with fat, - says Grigory Kostyuk. - We realized that in Ukraine there is no technology to "bring it back to life." To save the exhibit, in 1979 and 1988 it was taken to Moscow: on a plane that landed at a military airfield near the capital. The surgeon was "soaked" in the same laboratory where they monitor Lenin's condition. Then an amazing thing happened: Pirogov, who was embalmed 40 years earlier than Lenin and remained without proper care for half a century, as a result looked “fresh” the body of a politician. We believe this is the merit of Vyvodtsev's recipe.

In total, eight reembalmings were performed on Pirogov's body, the last one took place in 2005.

“In the 90s, it was not easy - the state did not have money to maintain Pirogov's body, since this is our exhibit - and Ukraine is spending on it,” the museum staff say. - More or less the situation improved in 1997, when the estate acquired the status of a museum and organized excursions began to be led to the necropolis. Political relations have never interfered with scientific Russian-Ukrainian friendship. Although there were rumors in the press that Moscow could take Pirogov's body for itself. But his estate is here. And in fact, everyone understands that disturbing the peace of the mummy is not pleasing.

Just these days, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the surgeon, medical workers from all over the world gathered in Vinnitsa for the so-called Pirogov Readings. And for the next memorial service for the repose of the soul of Nikolai Pirogov, a thousand people gathered in the courtyard of the church of St. Nicholas the Saint.

“Pirogov knows everything and hears our prayers,” his admirers are sure.

Vinnitsa-Moscow.

After passing several dozen steps down a steep staircase, you find yourself in a cool and semi-dark room. Lights snatch out of the semi-darkness a sealed glass sarcophagus made at one of the military factories in Moscow, and in it is a coffin. For more than a hundred years now, the body of the world-famous scientist, legendary military surgeon, hero of the Crimean War of 1853-1856, Nikolai Pirogov, has been resting on such an unusual deathbed. All these years he lies in his tomb in the uniform of the Privy Councilor of the Ministry of Public Education of the Russian Empire.

The uniqueness of the Pirogov necropolis is undeniable. Firstly, in no country in the world where the bodies of historical figures such as Lenin, Ho Chi Minh City and Kim Il Sung are now buried are embalmed, there is no example of such a long (more than a hundred years) preservation of the remains in a “normal” state. Secondly, we are talking about the mausoleum, which was created in a remote province, in the estate of the deceased - the village of Vishnya, Vinnitsa province.

How is it possible to preserve the body of a man who for the first time in the world used ether anesthesia during surgical operations, the author of the famous book "Fundamentals of General Military Field Surgery" for so many years? This question is still open.

And knowing some of the details from the history of his illness and death, the details of the embalming process in the cold December 1881, one involuntarily admires the talent of Nikolai Ivanovich's student, David Vyvodtsev. He embalmed, among other things, the bodies of the US and Chinese ambassadors who died in St. Petersburg at one time, so that they could be delivered to their homeland.

It was D. Vyvodtsev’s book “On Embalming”, which a grateful student presented to his teacher, that made Pirogov’s wife Alexandra Antonovna, during the life of her husband, who was dying of an incurable disease, decide to save his body. “Most Gracious Sovereign David Ilyich,” she writes a letter to Vyvodtsev, “please forgive me generously if I disturb you with my sad news ... Wouldn’t you consider it hard work, when it pleases the Lord God to call Nikolai Ivanovich to him, to come to the village. Cherry and embalm his body, which I would like to preserve incorruptible for me and posterity. Vyvodtsev agreed, writing to Pirogov's wife that for this it was necessary to prepare alcohol, glycerin, thymol ...

N.I. Pirogov. Photo 1855

When N. Pirogov died on December 5, 1881 (the Holy Synod had already agreed to his wife not to betray Nikolai Ivanovich to the ground, as Christian custom dictates), Vyvodtsev arrived at the estate. By that time, a string had been delivered from Vienna, ordered in advance by Alexandra Antonovna. In it, according to the museum staff, he lies to this hour.

Only on the fourth day after his death, Vyvodtsev began embalming. The paramedic helped him. The process, at which the priest was present, lasted several hours. When relatives were allowed to enter the room, they saw the deceased father and husband as if sleeping. It has been this way for over 60 years! Until 1944-1945, when immediately after the liberation of Vinnitsa from the German invaders, on the orders of Voroshilov, preparations began for the first re-embalming of the body of the legendary surgeon. Throughout the war, by the way, it was in the estate, the Germans did not touch it.

Curious are the details that speak of the high skill of D. Vyvodtsev and the uniqueness of his embalming technique. He left intact both the brain and internal organs. To this day, only a few incisions remain on the body of Nikolai Ivanovich - in the area of ​​​​the carotid artery and groin. Using the law of physics about communicating vessels, Pirogov's student filled under pressure the large blood arteries of the deceased with a special solution, which ensured the safety of the body for more than half a century.

In all likelihood, such a striking effect was also achieved due to the fact that Pirogov was a man of "small bones". He never suffered from obesity, was lean and fit all his life. And what, apparently, is also significant - in fact, he left the other world from starvation.

Pirogov fell ill unexpectedly, when he was already living permanently in his estate Cherry. An ulcer formed in the upper part of the jaw. As it turned out later - malignant.

- With such a disease, - said Galina Semyonovna Sobchuk, director of the museum-estate of N. Pirogov, - Nikolai Ivanovich was not even able to simply swallow. To somehow support life, he was given small doses of champagne and expressed breast milk.

... The tomb of Nikolai Pirogov is now, as it were, in the basement of the church-necropolis, built more than a hundred years ago on the edge of the rural cemetery. It was here that Alexandra Antonovna prudently bought a piece of land for 200 silver rubles from the village community under the mausoleum of her husband. Here everything is well-groomed, everything is in the colors that the famous surgeon loved so much. In his estate, according to eyewitnesses, there were more than a hundred varieties of roses. Varieties, not bushes. Nikolai Ivanovich himself grew them, as well as his magnificent garden.

In the ritual church-necropolis above the tomb there is a beautiful iconostasis, ancient icons. It was restored, but actually recreated anew in accordance with a special resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR in the 1980s. It appeared after the Minister of Health of the USSR Academician Boris Petrovsky visited here in 1978 and saw the deplorable state of the building. That year, a group of specialists from the unique Moscow Center for Embalming Problems arrived here. It was decided to send the body of Pirogov for the first time in all the post-war years to the laboratory at the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin. And then - in 1994 and later, reembalming was carried out by Moscow specialists.

Alas, in recent years it has caused a storm of political rumors: they say, Muscovites, Russia want to take Nikolai Pirogov from us.

How can one not recall the words that sounded from the stands of congresses of Ukrainian doctors back in the 1920s: “Pirogov belongs not only to the country in which he was born, he belongs to world medicine. The mission to preserve his remains fell to the lot and honor of Ukraine.”

History of illness and death of N.I. Pirogova has long become a textbook deontological “situational task” for medical students, which illustrates how to behave with a patient, tell or not tell the truth to cancer patients, etc. But this is not just a “situational task”, this is one of the many mysteries that accompanied N.I. Pirogov throughout his life and even after his death.

Let us turn to the history of N.I. Pirogov, which was led by Dr. S. Shklyarevsky (doctor of the Kyiv military hospital). At the beginning of 1881, Pirogov drew attention to pain and irritation on the mucous membrane of the hard palate. Soon an ulcer formed, but there was no discharge. The patient switched to a milk diet. However, the ulcer grew. Attempts to cover it with pieces of paper, smeared and soaked in a thick decoction of linseed, had no effect. The first consultants were N.V. Sklifosovsky and I.V. Bertenson. May 24, 1881 N.V. Sklifosovsky established the presence of cancer of the upper jaw and considered it necessary to urgently operate on the patient. It is difficult to assume that N.I. Pirogov, a brilliant surgeon, diagnostician, through whose hands dozens of oncological patients passed, could not make a diagnosis himself.

The news that he had a malignant tumor plunged Nikolai Ivanovich into a severe depression. Having refused the operation, he leaves for a consultation with his student T. Billroth in Vienna, accompanied by his second wife Alexandra Antonovna and personal doctor S. Shklyarevsky.

In Vienna, T. Billroth examined the patient, was convinced of a serious diagnosis, but realized that the operation was impossible due to the difficult moral and physical condition of the patient, so he “rejected the diagnosis” made by Russian doctors. This deceit “resurrected” Pirogov: “Well, if you tell me this, then I calm down.” A decoction of flaxseed and a mouth wash with alum solution were prescribed.

Nikolai Ivanovich returned home reassured. Despite the progression of the disease, the conviction that it was not cancer helped him to live, even to consult patients, to participate in the anniversary celebrations dedicated to the 70th anniversary of his birth.

The last year of his life N.I. Pirogov lived in the Vishnya estate, where he continued to write his "diary of an old doctor." Until the last days he worked on the manuscript. On October 22, 1881, Nikolai Ivanovich wrote: “Oh, hurry, hurry! Bad, bad! So, perhaps, I will not have time to describe even half of St. Petersburg life. He didn't make it. The manuscript remained unfinished, the last sentence of the great scientist broke off in mid-sentence. Many mysteries from the life of N.I. Pirogov keeps this manuscript. One of them is connected with the death and embalming of his body.

Died N.I. Pirogov at 20:25 November 23, 1881 At his request, the body was embalmed. Embalming was carried out by Dr. D.I. Breeders from the St. Petersburg Medical and Surgical Academy by injecting thymol solution into the carotid and femoral arteries, without opening the cranial, abdominal and thoracic cavities. Dr. D.I. Vyvodtsev was no stranger to embalming. In 1870, he published his work entitled “On embalming in general and on the newest method of embalming corpses without opening cavities, using salicylic acid and thymol”, which was practically the only book on embalming in Russia. Before embalming D.I. Vyvodtsev cut out part of the tumor that occupied the entire right half of the upper jaw and spread through the nasal cavity. The tumor was examined in St. Petersburg - by N.I. Pirogov turned out to be a characteristic “horny cancer”.

Why is N.I. Pirogov was allowed to be embalmed after death, and his corpse is still kept in the family tomb in the village. Cherry near Vinnitsa (Ukraine)? Let us turn to the origins in the history of embalming. The ancient Egyptians mastered the art of embalming; their mummies, preserved in excellent condition, date back more than 2,000 years. There are many myths and legends about who invented embalming. Many believe “that it was Hermes who embalmed the corpse of the Egyptian king Osiris.”1 Historically, embalming of corpses in Egypt got its start with a hygienic purpose to prevent putrefaction. It is difficult to agree with this, because. in the deserts of Egypt, the corpses quickly dried out under the influence of the scorching heat, turning into a yellow-brown mummy. Such mummies remained unchanged for a very long time and were found in huge quantities in the cemeteries of Egypt. Then what's the matter? According to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, the human soul, after being cleansed of sins, moved into its physical body, thereby gaining immortality. It was necessary to preserve the body of the deceased in the same form as it was during life on earth, so that the soul of the deceased would gain immortality. Belief in the afterlife, in the immortality of the soul, is the only reason for the careful embalming of the body among the ancient Egyptians.

Let us turn to the last paragraphs of the Old Doctor's Diary, written a few days before his death. His diary ends with memories of his first wife Ekaterina Dmitrievna (née Berezina):

“For the first time, I wished for immortality - the afterlife. Love did it. I wanted love to be eternal - it was so sweet ... Over time, I learned from experience that not only love is the reason for the desire to live forever.

Belief in immortality is based on something even higher than love itself. Now I believe, or rather, I wish in immortality, not only because the love of life for my love - and true love - for my second wife and children (from the first), no, my faith in immortality is now based on a different moral principle, on another ideal.”1

This ends the diary of N.I. Pirogov. With thoughts of immortality, he leaves this life.

The question of embalming one's body appeared, apparently, with N.I. Pirogov not on the eve of his death. It was necessary to prepare for this, because. the method of embalming was not simple, and there were few specialists in embalming in Russia. Let's turn to history.

According to the works of the ancient Greek scientist Herodotus (5th century BC), there were many different ways of embalming (for different segments of the population). The most expensive involved the obligatory removal of the brain through the nasal cavity with an iron hook, or drawing fluid. The second method included cutting the abdomen, removing the entrails, washing with palm wine, filling the abdominal cavity with powder from bituminous clay, lime, potassium nitrate, sodium carbonate, sulfate and hydrochloric acid, resin and roots, and wax. Palm wine, used by the ancient Egyptians for embalming, was made from the fruits of the date tree. The whole process was accompanied by ritual spells. For example: “O you, the sun, the supreme ruler, and you, O gods, who give people life, take me to yourself and let me live with you!” The embalming was completed by immersing the body, the abdominal cavity of which was filled with the above composition, into a vessel with wax and resin and kept on low heat for several days. After that, they were treated with tannins, dried and wrapped in bandages soaked in tannin, wax, and resin.

The ancient Egyptian methods of embalming were recorded on papyri, but they were gradually forgotten. In the Middle Ages, embalming was almost never used, and it was remembered in Europe during the Renaissance. In Europe, embalming begins to gain a place in medical science at the end of the 15th century. to preserve the bodies of ruling persons, for transportation from battlefields, for anatomical museums, etc. (no religious motive). French doctors used murraceum: table salt, alum, myrrh, aloe, vinegar, etc. Removal of internal organs - “gutting” remained an obligatory element of European embalming. So they embalmed the body of Louis XIII - the king of France, Alexander I - the Russian tsar. In 1835, the Italian doctor Tranchini introduced a new method of embalming without opening the cavities with the injection of large vessels with a solution of arsenic and cinnabar.

In 1845, zinc chloride was used for embalming without opening and removing internal organs. In Russia, this method very quickly found its application. Professor Gruber and Lesgaft embalmed the bodies of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

So, N.I. Pirogov was embalmed by Dr. D.I. Breeders in his newest way, using salicylic acid and thymol, glycerin, he injected them with both large trunks and small vessels. Before starting the embalming, it was necessary to open the veins so that all the blood came out. Without a doubt, embalming could only be effective if it was carried out shortly after death. Therefore, to embalming N.I. Pirogov prepared in advance. Embalming was carried out by the best specialist in Russia in this field. The method was the most effective. But why? There was no need to transport the body anywhere, N.I. Pirogov remained in his family vault. To be like royalty after death? But vanity, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, was alien to N.I. Pirogov. According to the conservative at the Anatomical Institute, Dr. Endrikhipsky, the embalming of the corpses of rich and noble people in St. Petersburg in the 80s. last century was a kind of fashion. It is difficult to agree with this. The funeral was rather modest. The only thing that remains is the desire for immortality. It can be assumed that the solution lies in the religious and philosophical views of N.I. Pirogov.

The religious and philosophical views of N.I. Pirogov, his spiritual quest and the difficult path to faith: “I must make myself clear how much I am a materialist; this nickname is not to my liking...” “I became, but not suddenly, like many neophytes, and not without a struggle, a believer.” Religious and philosophical views of N.I. Pirogov are reflected in two editions of the article “Questions of Life”, where he refers to the teachings of Jesus Christ, calls for a fight with himself, with his duality, with the inconsistency of the external and internal man. What made Pirogov refuse to be buried and leave his body on the ground? This riddle N.I. Pirogov will be unsolved for a long time.

In the Ukrainian village of Vishnya near Vinnitsa there is an unusual mausoleum: in the family crypt, in the church-tomb of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the embalmed body of the world-famous scientist, legendary military surgeon Nikolai Pirogov is preserved - 40 years longer than the mummy of V. Lenin. Scientists still cannot unravel the recipe according to which Pirogov's body was mummified, and people come to church to bow to him like holy relics and ask for help.

Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (November 13, 1810; Moscow - November 23, 1881, Vishnya village (now within the boundaries of Vinnitsa), Podolsk province) - Russian surgeon and anatomist, naturalist and teacher, creator of the first atlas of topographic anatomy, founder of Russian military field surgery, founder of the Russian school of anesthesia. In the photo, I. E. Repin's sketch for the painting "The arrival of Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov to Moscow for the anniversary on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his scientific activity."

The Vinnitsa necropolis is unique: in no mausoleum in the world, mummies have been preserved for more than a hundred years in this state.

The mummy of the surgeon N. Pirogov

Church-necropolis, which houses the sarcophagus of N. Pirogov

Local residents believe that the main secret of the excellent preservation of the mummy is in their collective prayers and the correct attitude towards the deceased: it is not customary to speak in the tomb, services in the temple are conducted in low tones, people come to the doctor’s mummy to pray, as to holy relics, and ask for health .

A. Sidorov. N.I. Pirogov and K.D. Ushinsky in Heidelberg

People believe that even during his lifetime, Pirogov's hand was controlled by divine providence. M. Yukalchuk, a researcher at the Pirogov National Museum-Estate, says: “When Pirogov performed operations, relatives knelt in front of his office. And once, during the Crimean War, at the front, soldiers dragged a comrade to the hospital, whose head was torn off: “Doctor Pirogov will sew!” they had no doubts.

Left - L. Koshtelyanchuk. N.I. Pirogov and sailor Pyotr Koshka. On the right - I. Quiet. N. I. Pirogov examines the patient D. I. Mendeleev

The outstanding surgeon Nikolai Pirogov performed about 10,000 operations, saved the lives of hundreds of wounded during the Crimean, Franco-Prussian and Russian-Turkish wars, created military field surgery, founded the Red Cross Society, laid the foundation for a new science - surgical anatomy. He was the first to use ether anesthesia during surgery. He spent the last years of his life on an estate in the village of Vishnya, where he opened a free clinic and treated patients.

The secret of the mummification of Pirogov's body has not yet been solved

The topic of embalming during his lifetime was of great interest to Pirogov. There is a version that the doctor himself bequeathed to mummify his body, but this is not true. Nikolai Pirogov died of cancer of the upper jaw, he knew about his diagnosis and about his imminent death. However, the doctor did not make any wills. His widow, Alexandra Antonovna, decided to embalm the body of the deceased for history. To do this, she sent a petition to the Holy Synod and, having received permission, she turned for help to Pirogov's student, D. Vyvodtsev, the author of a scientific work on embalming.

I. E. Repin. Portrait of the surgeon N. I. Pirogov, 1881. Fragment

Scientists have repeatedly tried to unravel the secret of the mummification of Pirogov's body, but they only managed to get closer to the truth. Professor of the Vinnitsa National Medical University G. Kostyuk says: “The exact recipe of Vyvodtsev, which kept Pirogov’s body in an imperishable state for many years, is still unknown. It is known that he accurately used alcohol, thymol, glycerin and distilled water. His method is interesting in that only a few incisions were made during the procedure, and part of the internal organs - the brain, the heart - remained with Pirogov. The fact that there was no excess fat left in the surgeon’s body also played a role - he had shrunk badly on the eve of his death.

The mummy of the surgeon N. Pirogov in the tomb

The mummy might not have survived to this day: in connection with the historical events of the first half of the 20th century, it was forgotten for a while. In the 1930s the robbers broke the hermetic lid of the coffin and stole Pirogov's pectoral cross and sword. The microclimate in the crypt was disturbed, and when in 1945 a special commission examined the mummy, it came to the conclusion that it could not be restored. And yet the Moscow Laboratory. Lenina took up the reembalming. For about 5 months, they tried to rehabilitate the mummy in the basement of the museum. Since then, reembalming has been carried out every 5-7 years. As a result, Pirogov's mummy is in better condition than Lenin's mummy.

People come to Pirogov's mummy as to holy relics