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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Vladimir Havkin is an outstanding microbiologist who the first invented a vaccine against cholera and plague

Vladimir Aronovich Havkin was born in 1860 in Berdyansk. Since the childhood at the boy tendency to natural sciences was shown. After the termination of the Berdyansk gymnasium, Vladimir entered the Odessa university. The outstanding scientist-microbiologist Ilya Mechnikov under the influence of whom Vladimir Havkin became interested in zoology of protozoa was his teacher.

Havkin was very gifted and differed in improbable diligence, but at the same time he was a participant of the political organization which opposed the Jewish riots in Odessa. For participation in this political Havkin's union expelled from university twice and subjected to arrests.

In 1884 Vladimir Havkin graduated from the university external, defended the dissertation and received an academic degree of the candidate of zoology. Because of the Jewish origin the young scientist had no opportunity to conduct scientific research in the homeland, and he decided to leave for abroad.

At first Vladimir Havkin went to Switzerland, and then to Lausanne where entered a position of the privatdozent of the Lausanne university. In 1889 Vladimir left to Paris. The outstanding scientist-microbiologist Ilya Mechnikov helped to find to him work of the librarian, and then a position of the research associate in world famous Pasterovsky institute. At that time Louis Pasteur already created vaccines against rage and anthrax.

At the end of the 19th century in the world deadly diseases stormed: cholera and plague. Vladimir Havkin was fond of development of an anticholera vaccine and set for himself the big object - to find a way of rescue of mankind from this serious illness. He made experiments on guinea pigs and rabbits, entering it microbes of diseases to calculate a dose, necessary for prevention. By 1892 Vladimir Havkin managed to create the first effective vaccine against cholera and proved in himself its safety for the person.

However the French authorities didn't hurry to enter the vaccine invented by the foreigner and the Russian Empire was indifferent to opening of the scientist too. And here the British government became interested in opening and allowed Vladimir Havkin to test a vaccine in India where at this time cholera epidemic raged, took away hundreds of thousands of human lives.

1893 Vladimir Havkin went to Calcutta in the status of the state bacteriologist of the British crown. Very quickly in the tent town the scientist arranged production of the vaccine and mass vaccination of the population began. Havkin personally participated in vaccination more than 42 000 people. Cholera seemed and began to recede, mortality in the areas captured by cholera epidemic decreased in tens of times. Inoculations of a vaccine of Havkin became after that mass and are applied in the improved look still.

And the trouble - plague which epidemic struck in 1896 the second-large city of Bombay and its vicinities came for cholera to India even more terrible. From Calcutta Vladimir Havkin transferred the base to Bombay where in three months made an antiplague vaccine, and on January 10, 1897 was already influenced by it. Within several years the outstanding microbiologist directly participated in vaccination of the population.

In total in India more than 4 million people were vaccinated. The antiplague vaccine of Havkin gained distribution around the world. In forty years were imparted and more than thirty five million people were saved from death. The outstanding scientist was appointed the chief bacteriologist of India and the director of the Bombay antiplague laboratory. Later this laboratory was transformed to Havkin's Institute. The state mail of India released a stamp with a portrait of the outstanding scientist. In total Vladimir Havkin lived in India twenty two years.

In 1897 the Queen Victoria awarded Vladimir Havkin with one of the highest awards of the British Empire. The scientist from Berdyansk was elected by the honorary member of many scientific organizations and academies of the countries of Europe and Asia. In 1909 the Parisian academy noted an award a huge contribution of Havkin to development of medicine.

In 1915 Vladimir Havkin returned from India to Europe. In the second half of the 20th years he lodged in Lausanne, on the bank of Lake Geneva. In Lausanne Vladimir addressed belief of parents and began to visit a synagogue. In the fall 1927 visited Odessa. One year prior to death Havkin bequeathed 500000 dollars on creation of fund for promotion of young talents at the Jewish religious schools of Eastern Europe. Vladimir Havkin's fund exists still.

The outstanding scientist from Berdyansk died in 1930 in Lausanne, Switzerland. In India Havkin's death became in the afternoon ​​ deep national mourning. It was the real genius who could resist to fatal diseases and saved mankind from cholera and plague.

source - http://www.discoverukraine.com.ua

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