Vladimir Nikolaevich Shamov – scientist, innovative surgeon, transfusiologist: the 140th anniversary of his birth (1882–1962)

The article describes the life, scientific and professional career of Vladimir Nikolayevich Shamov, an outstanding scientist-transfusiologist, neurosurgeon, talented health care organizer, founder of a scientific school, full member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Honored Scientist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Lenin Prize laureate, Lieutenant General of medical service. During the Civil War, V.N. Shamov became one of the first in our country to work on the new problem – blood transfusion. Together with his assistants I.R. Petrov, N.N. Elansky, S.V. Heinats and P.I. Stradyn, he conducted research on isolating four isoagglutination blood groups and obtaining standard sera for their determination. On June 20, 1919, the first blood transfusion in the country was performed taking into account isoagglutination groups of a donor and a recipient. The works on the use of cadaveric blood constituted a small part of the topic, which V.N. Shamov was interested in all his life: the problem of organ and tissue transplantation. In 1940, he published the fundamental "Manual on Blood Transfusion" and made a report at the meeting of Pirogov's Surgical Society of Leningrad on the results of treatment of cranial gunshot wounds. The formed principles of treatment became the basis of neurosurgical care rendered to the wounded people during the Great Patriotic War.  In 1961, he organized the  first in this country Artificial Kidney Laboratory and became the head of the newly established Leningrad Laboratory of Blood Fibrinolysis Preparation and Use. After the Civil War, V.N. Shamov became the Head of the Department of General Surgery of Perm Medical Institute.