Veteran Operating Surgeon of a Planet Died on 104-th Year of Life

Well-known surgeon Feodor Uglov died in Petersburg on 104-th year of life. Feodor Grigorevich Uglov - the oldest operating surgeon on the planet. For long years of medical practice he rescued lives and health of thousand people; several generations of surgeons studied reading his books. Uglov was known for during all long life he didn't smoke a cigarette and didn't drink a glass of vodka.

Feodor Grigorievich Uglov was born on the 22^nd of September, (New Style Calendar - 5^th of October) 1904 in Irkutsk area, in a remote taiga village in a family of a peasant. He decided to become a doctor and he was steady in his purpose. In the ordinary sense of this word - on foot. "it's enough to say that it took me about a month to get to the university - by steamer, by ship, riding a horse and on foot 1100 km, - Fedor Grivorievich recollected.  

In 1937 he became a graduate student in Leningrad State Medical Refresher Institute and remained to work there. During Finish War he served medical and sanitary battalion, during blockade he worked as the chief of department of surgery of one of city hospitals.

Since 1950, that's almost 60 years, the great surgeon worked in the 1-st Leningrad Medical Institute which now - St.-Petersburg State Medical University named after I.P.Pavlov. More than 40 years Uglov was a head of faculty of hospital surgery. He was one of the first in our country who successfully executed the most complicated operations on alimentary canal, adenoma of a pancreas, aneurysm of aorta and others. He invented and introduced the way of manufacturing of the artificial valve of heart. Until very recently Feodor Uglov continued to carry out doctor's rounds, gave consultations, operated.

During his life he was awarded a rank of the winner of the Lenin premium, premium of Sklifosovsky, the first national premium "Recognition" in nomination "Faith to Profession" (2002), International premium Holy St. Andrew The Apostle in nomination "For Belief and Faith" (2003).

The winner of the competition "Gold Ten of Petersburg - 2003" in nomination "For Fair Service to Fatherland" (2004). Was twice awarded The Red Banner of Labour, had the Order of the People's Friendship, the Order of Merits before Fatherland of the IV degree, Distinguished Medal, medal "For Defense of Leningrad", medal "Inventor of the USSR", a gold badge of Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (2003).

For some reason Uglov did not become honourable citizen of Petersburg, though he was repeatedly put forward on that rank. Last time the supervisor of studies of Brain Research Institute - Natalia Bekhtereva and the chapter of "Меtrostroy" Vadim Aleksandrov were chosen honourable citizens. Then, contrary to annual tradition, deputies added the third honourable petersburger to them - Dutch football trainer Dick Advokaat who won together with "Zenit" the Cup of UEFA.

From editorial board: All long life of academician Feodor Uglov was a great scientific experiment on delimitation of physiological opportunity of homo sapiens to keep physical and intellectual activity. Feodor Uglov lived a long life but its achievement was not its duration - there were longer lives. All his life the academician remained in magnificent form due to that way of life which he considered to be most of all approached to natural, organic way of life of our biological species.

It is necessary to note that, despite of impressing achievements of technical progress, human civilization has practically very little advanced in prolongation of life limits. All successes of modern medicine, physiology, hygiene achieved to increase average life time: people began to perish less in the first days and months of life, childbirth ceased to be fatally dangerous to women, many infectious diseases receded, medicine began to struggle successfully with the majority of exigent conditions. Due to all this and many other measures average lifetime on a planet, especially in developed countries, has significantly grown for the last one and a half century.

However, the norm of long life remains approximately the same for a man in the Stone Age and a man in a century of electronics, genic engineering and global information. The mere word "man" comprises direction on a century limit of lifetime.

Academician Uglov peeped round a century threshold, having kept thus sensible mind and ability to work, having justified the name of own last, program book "Century Is Not Enough for a Man". He was not engaged in "improvement" of own "design", he defined physiological borders of normal operation of that human body which he had by nature. It's difficult to estimate this scientific feat, as it is difficult to estimate the deed of great I.P.Pavlov who made a "report of own expiration" on his deathbed.

The next step of medicine, is possibly to call, - epoch-making - real shifting of a centenary physiological threshold of life. When will medicine make this step? Whether it will make it at all during the life of present generations?

Unfortunately, there's no answer to this question. It seems, nobody is concerned by it. Serious busy people have more important questions. In 20-30-th years of the last century that question was on agenda of the Soviet science, prolongation of a physiological threshold of life down to a full victory over dying - at that very period when Uglov and his generation did first steps in medicine. Today, certainly, it looks fondly. Today the state and the society don't put such questions at all. By the way, why? ...

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