Vol 45, No 2 (2024)

One of the core themes in the Soviet Michurinist biology was pointing out Darwin’s “errors” and a plea for a revision of classical Darwinism, allegedly based on “flat evolutionism” (= gradualism) and misinterpretation of the dialectics of the organic evolution. The result was the so-called “Soviet creative Darwinism” that promoted fundamentally new concepts of the biological species and speciation, and was coined the “new doctrine of the species” (NDS) during the 1952–1955 discussion. Even though Lysenkoism has been thoroughly studied, the basic postulates of the NDS, its logical structure and genesis remained outside the scope of attention of the historians of science. Based on primary sources, principally on T. D. Lysenko’s own publications, this article is an attempt at presenting a holistic view of the NDS and identifying its conceptual origins. The content of the NDS is shown to be closely associated with the postulates of dialectical materialism used as the philosophical grounding for the new theory. Most of its biological content is not original and was borrowed by Lysenko from other sources. The more or less original elements of the “new doctrine” were the rejection of the intraspecific struggle for existence and the “physiological” concept of speciation, based on the belief that the most important mechanism of evolutionary transformations is changes in species-specific metabolism. Both of these elements were rejected by biology in the course of its further advancement while some others (inheritance of acquired traits, speciation by leaps) find their supporters today. However, modern ideas of saltational evolution have no continuity with the NDS, as they are based on the mutational paradigm rejected by Lysenko.

The article is devoted to the history of interactions between Sir Joseph Banks, President of the London Royal Society in 1778–1820, and the French naturalists during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. From the beginning of the French Revolution the communication between the English and French scientists was hindered and, in some cases, stopped altogether. Banks’ actions helped to renew contacts and reactivate scientific life in both countries. His input was essential for the intellectual heritage of French scientists such as Jacques Julien de La Billardière, Déodat de Dolomieu, and Pierre Bernard Milius. The exchange of periodicals, the conservation of natural science collection and returning it to France, the naturalists’ liberation from captivity – the credit for all of this belongs to Joseph Banks. The analysis in this article is based on the correspondence between Banks, French naturalists and British ministers, published by the British embryologist Sir Gavin de Beer in 1960. The article reveals the context in which this publication appeared and offers Russian translation of the fragments of these letters. Special attention is given to the British scientific culture. Thus, the author suggests to ponder on the extent to which Banks’ actions were determined by the professional culture of the time or by the English mentality. Both of these factors could have possibly influenced Banks’ actions, paradoxical in a sense that in the situation of armed conflicts they turned out to be potentially advantageous for the French science.

The article reviews the opportunities for scientific communication, provided by the early international physiological congresses and also touches on the history of their organization and conduct. The advancement of physiological science in the 19^th century necessitated a new form of communication between physiologists that could promote both the dissemination of achievements in this field and the integration of physiologists from different nations. International physiological congresses the first of which was held in Basel (Switzerland) in 1889 provided a platform for such interaction. Eight more international physiological congresses were held before the outbreak of World War I, the last pre-war congress being held in 1913 in Groningen (the Netherlands). The source base for this study includes articles in the Russian and international periodicals published in the 1880s – 1910s, the researchers’ works reflecting the main events of the congresses as well as their scientific and cultural programs, and the participants’ reminiscences of the first physiological congresses that appeared in the periodicals later on. It is shown that the early international physiological congresses provided their participants an opportunity and a platform for communication within the framework of the events planned by the organizers. It is established that Russian scientists took part in all of the international physiological congresses that took place before World War I. It is concluded that the first international physiological congresses became an effective platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences and establishing scientific links, which enhanced the advancement of physiology as a science.

The development of microbiology in the Russian Empire at the cusp of the 19^th and 20^th centuries was accompanied by the emergence of specialized scientific institutions involved in bacteriological studies. These were both standalone organizations and those that were part of the universities. Later on, departments of microbiology began to open in the USSR’s higher educational institutions and specialists began to be trained in this discipline. This article analyses the material on the history of non-medical microbiological research at Kazan University from the 1920s to the 1930s. It is shown that A. P. Ponomarev and his colleagues were the pioneers in geo-environmental microbiology. Their comprehensive studies were devoted to the role of microorganisms in the mechanisms of formation of therapeutic muds and were of both applied and theoretical significance.

During World War I the development of new methods for camouflaging the troops demanded the involvement of not only military professionals but also of the artists. Thus, a famous artist and Academician of Painting, Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin (1861–1939), cooperated with the paint-disguise and camouflage service established on the South-West Front on the initiative of brothers A. N. and N. N. Suchkov. The documents deposited at the Russian State Military Historical Archives reflect Korovinʼs interest in the problems of military camouflage, his trips to the front and his inventions. In the documents published here (the letters to the Suchkov brothers; a memorandum and an explanatory report to the chief of engineers of the armies of the South-West Front; instructions for the so-called “color finder” for determining the color of paint after drying) the artist outlined the problems of camouflage at the front, gave advice on the best ways of concealing positions (camouflaging trenches by paint spraying, setting up observation points that merge with the terrain, the use of camouflage nets). Korovin was aware of the innovations in camouflage in the armies of Russiaʼs allies, and urged to adopt the best of what they had. According to Korovin, the leadership of camouflage teams should be entrusted to competent officers familiar with the rules and specifics of perception of color combinations. The documents suggest that Korovin was one of the pioneers in the military science of camouflage in Russia.

The article is devoted to the history of the establishment of the International Committee for the History of Technology (ICOHTEC) that has united the scientists from many countries involved in the studies on the history of technology. The formation of this new scientific organization occurred in the years of the Cold War escalation, which had affected the choice of its leaders. The article provides a brief description of science-organization activities of the scientists who became the leaders of the ICOHTEC: Maurice Daumas (France), Eugeniusz Olszewski (Poland), Semyon V. Shukhardin (USSR), and Melvin Kranzberg (USA). The foundation of the International Committee for the History of Technology was approved by the 12^th International Congress of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology in Paris in 1968. Over the next 50 years, the international symposia have been held annually under the auspices of the ICOHTEC.

8 ноября 2023 г. не стало замечательного человека, мужественной и отважной женщины, летчика, космонавта, полковника ВВС, кандидата технических наук – одной из тех уникальных Личностей, которыми мы, сотрудники Института истории естествознания и техники им. С. И. Вавилова РАН, по праву гордимся. Без малого 30 лет проработала Валентина Леонидовна в институте, занимаясь вопросами истории пилотируемой космонавтики. В 2018 г. она ушла на заслуженный отдых, однако дружеские контакты с ней не прерывались. 18 сентября 2023 г. отмечался ее 90-летний юбилей, и она радовала родственников и друзей своим неиссякаемым оптимизмом, жизнелюбием, сохраняла светлый разум и неистощимое чувство юмора.