Professor R. U. Umakhanov and the development of neurosurgery in Dagestan in the second half of the 20^th century

Introduction. The first surgical operations on the nervous system in Russia began to be carried out at the end of the 19th century. The first neurosurgical clinic in Soviet Russia was opened in Petrograd on the basis of the trauma institute in 1921. In the late 1920s the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery began to function at the Faculty of Medicine of North Caucasian Medical State University in Rostov-on-Don. During the Great Patriotic War, neurosurgery took shape as an independent scientific and clinical discipline.

Aim – to present the biography of the famous Dagestan neurosurgeon, doctor of medical sciences, professor Rashidbek Umakhanovich Umakhanov (1925–2003).

Materials and methods. On the basis of archival materials from the funds of the State Archives of the Russian Federation, the Central State Archives of the Republic of Dagestan, the archive of the Dagestan State Medical University, which are for the first time introduced into scientific circulation, the main milestones in the life of R. U. Umakhanov and his multifaceted activities in Dagestan.

Results. During the period of active work of R. U. Umakhanov, the formation of the neurosurgical service of the republic, the beginning of the systematic teaching of the discipline at the Dagestan Medical University and the folding of the system of rendering neurosurgical care to patients took place. A special place is given to the role of R. U. Umakhanov in the development of the clinic of neurology and neurosurgery, the main directions of scientific research of the scientist are considered.

Conclusions. The neurosurgical service in Dagestan began to develop at a time when doctors did not have diagnostic methods that are considered commonplace today. А neurosurgeon was armed exclusively with his own knowledge and could rely only on professional instinct. And at the origins of the provision of specialized care was Rashidbek Umahanovich Umahanov was a man who embodied the faithful to the chosen path, the scientific vision and aspirations for the future.

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