Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin at the origins of training specialists in dentistry in Russia

全文:

BACKGROUND

The political and social history of many nations demonstrates the importance of individual figures in shaping the destinies of states [1, 2]. The impact of certain individuals on the development of scientific fields and specialties is equally evident [3, 4]. One such figure in the establishment and growth of dental education in Russia was Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin (1864–1924), recognized as the founder of one of Russia’s dental schools, specifically in Saint Petersburg (Fig. 1). While scattered information about him exists in specialized papers [5–8], the scope and significance of his contributions to Russian dentistry merit a more thorough examination, particularly his substantial role in training dental practitioners in Russia.

Fig. 1. Doctor of Medicine Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin (photograph from the album of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Surgical Dentistry, S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy).

This work aimed to present an account of the role of I.A. Pashutin as one of the organizers of dental professional training in Russia.

This article draws upon available data from Russian dental sources concerning I.A. Pashutin.

Stages of Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin’s Professional Career

Mr. Pashutin was born on September 20, 1864, in the Don Host Region of the Russian Empire. Born into the family of a priest, young Ivan benefited from an environment that encouraged education, a privilege that his parents fully exercised. He finished the Novocherkassk Gymnasium and then studied at the Medical Faculty of the Imperial Kharkov University for three years before transferring to the Imperial Military Medical Academy (IMMA) in Saint Petersburg. After graduating successfully, he served for approximately five years as a staff resident in the surgical department of the Siberian Nikolaevsky Military Hospital. During this period, Pashutin prepared and defended his academic thesis, Materials for the Study of Changes in Malnourished Animals with Subsequent Fattening (1895), most of research for which was conducted in the laboratory of his namesake, Professor V.V. Pashutin. The defense earned him the Doctor of Medicine degree.

While serving at the Siberian Nikolaevsky Military Hospital, Pashutin became acutely aware of the deficiencies in dental care within the army and the nation, as well as the underdeveloped state of dental professional training in Russia at the time. In 1901, during a trip to Saint Petersburg, he attended a course on dental diseases taught by Dr. A.K. Limberg—author of the first Russian thesis on dental caries—at the Department of Odontology of the Women’s Medical Institute. The following year, he visited several clinics of the Royal Institute in Berlin, learning about dental training and oral healthcare under renowned German dental leaders W. Miller, F. Busch, and K. Warnekros. This exposure to advanced German dental education inspired Pashutin to establish a dental training program in Saint Petersburg.

In 1902, having the financial means, Pashutin opened a dental school together with dental technician V.D. Efremov. The primary objective of this new type of dental school (preceded by similar institutions established by F.I. Vazhinsky in Saint Petersburg—first in Russia—and Ya.L. James-Levy in Vilna) was to train “individuals knowledgeable and skillful in technical, surgical, and scientific aspects, seeking to obtain the title of dental physician” [4]. The inaugural cohort comprised 25 trainees; 19 graduated three years later, in 1905. Final examinations were held at the IMMA, and successful candidates received the certificate of a dental physician. The school quickly grew in popularity: enrollment rose to 75 in its second year and to 170 in its third. Students received a distinctive badge, a photograph of which appears on page 19 of A.V. Silin’s monograph “Cabinet, Department, Faculty: A Historical Essay on Dentistry in the Saint Petersburg Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education” [8]. As a physician with broad medical training, Pashutin introduced courses in bacteriology and syphilidology—progressive and practically relevant subjects for the time. After the October Revolution, the dental school was closed. Having accepted the new government, Pashutin engaged in research and worked as a consultant on “dental diseases” at the State Clinical Institute (formerly Elenin Institute), which provided advanced training for physicians of various specialties. He had also periodically worked there in the same capacity before the revolution.

In the 1920s, the organization of dental care in the army and navy lagged significantly behind the medical state-of-the-art. In 1922, the Military Medical Academy (MMA) established an independent course in odontology. On November 11, 1922, Pashutin was appointed staff lecturer in odontology at the MMA, as recorded in the order of the Main Military Sanitary Directorate of the Red Army (No. 234 dated December 30, 1922). However, his participation was cut short by a brief but severe illness—lung cancer—that led to his death in June 1924. He was buried at the Nikolskoe Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Grave of I.A. Pashutin at the Nikolskoe Cemetery of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Saint Petersburg.

Following his death, Pashutin’s relatives donated numerous teaching aids and specimens to the MMA course in odontology, forming the nucleus of the museum of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry of the S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy.

Until late 1924, the odontology course at the MMA existed largely in name; it was in fact taught at the Department of Surgical Propedeutics until D.A. Entin was appointed head of the independent course [6].

Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin’s Role as an Organizer of Dental Professional Training in Russia

Until 1891, Russia recognized only one professional category in dentistry—dental practitioners [4]. Earning this title required merely three years as an apprentice to a private dental practitioner, followed by a relatively undemanding qualifying examination. The scarcity of dental practitioners and dental schools meant that aspiring dental surgeons often had to study abroad. Thus, Pashutin’s establishment of a dental school represented a progressive milestone in Russian healthcare. Many graduates of the school he co-founded with V.D. Efremov served as dentists during World War I, playing an important role in relieving acute dental pain among military personnel.

CONCLUSION

In summary, Doctor of Medicine Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin was indeed among the pioneers of dental professional training in Russia. His principal achievements were the founding of a modern dental school for its time and his service as a teacher, consultant, and practitioner in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the teeth and oral tissues.

作者简介

Andrey Iordanishvili

编辑信件的主要联系方式.
Email: professoraki@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0052-3277
SPIN 代码: 6752-6698

MD, Dr. Sci. (Medicine), Professor

参考

补充文件

附件文件

动作

1. JATS XML

下载

2. Fig. 1. Doctor of Medicine Ivan Alekseevich Pashutin (photograph from the album of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Surgical Dentistry, S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy).

下载 (259KB)

索引源数据

3. Fig. 2. Grave of I.A. Pashutin at the Nikolskoe Cemetery of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Saint Petersburg.

下载 (330KB)

索引源数据