Peter the Great’s Lost Letter to Georg Wilhelm de Henning: On the History of Expert Thought and the Antiques Market

The elements of expert analysis established in Russian academic circles by the late nineteenth century, when auxiliary historical disciplines became an indispensable part of the academic base of historical knowledge, are described in this article with reference to a lost letter by Peter I to Georg Wilhelm de Henning sent on 24 December 1724. These elements include the study of the letter, the stages and methods of introducing it into scholarly circulation, and the assessment of its significance and value in monetary terms. It is established that the original of the letter ended up in a private collection in the early twentieth century and became inaccessible to historians. However, handwritten copies, a draft, and descriptions have survived. The article analyses the work with Peter I’s letter performed by the members of the commission for the publication of Peter the Great’s letters and papers, as well as by the first owner of the letter, N. K. Bogushevsky, the Parisian antiquarian Noël Charavay, into whose hands the letter fell a decade after its former owner’s death, and N. P. Likhachev, a prominent specialist in a number of auxiliary historical disciplines to whom the antiquary turned for an expert opinion. While researching the copies and descriptions of Peter I’s letter, the authors used traditional methods of expert analysis of the missing original found in the collections of St Petersburg Institute of History (Russian Academy of Sciences), the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, and the National Archives of France. Referring to handwritten materials from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Arts, the Russian State Library, and sales catalogues, the authors carry out a brief analysis of the Western European and Russian antiques market in the late nineteenth – early twentieth centuries in relation to Russian documents from the eighteenth century (prices and demand). The attribution of authenticity to historical documents (including the first Russian emperor’s autographs) was not only an issue of the reliability of historical knowledge or academic interest, but also one of reputation of connoisseurs, collectors, antiquarians, and the experts they turned to. At the same time, reputation helped ensure the quality of expertise and was a tool for raising this through horizontal connections within the professional community.

Experience of using vacuum therapy in the burn department

Relevance. Indications, application techniques and contraindications for the use of vacuum therapy in surgery and orthopedics are formulated in clinical guidelines and are generally available. Indications for the use of a vacuum in patients with severe burns are scattered and depend on personal experience and preferences of the medical staff, and not on objective reasons.Intention. To analyze the results of using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) in patients of burn departments.Methodology. The study included 56 patients treated with local negative pressure in the Department of thermal injuries of the Saint-Petersburg institute of emergency care named after I.I. Dzhanelidze in 2017–2020. Statistical data processing was performed using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and IBM SPSS 20.0 using descriptive and non-parametric statistics.Results and their Discussion. The frequency of using VAC-therapy in patients with burn injuries was 0.8 % (56 of 6764). The most common reasons for hospitalization of patients were contact injuries – 20 (36 %) and flame burns – 18 (32 %). The main indications for NPWT were stimulation of granulation formation – 21 (38 %), control of wound infection – 20 (36 %), and temporary wound closure after early excisions or atypical amputations – 11 (20 %). The main contraindications to the use of the method were cognitive disorders or impaired consciousness. The primary complication was the depressurization of the dressings, which we encountered in 9 cases (16 %). The expected results of vacuum therapy were achieved in 49 patients (88 %).Conclusion. Local negative pressure is relatively rarely used in burn treatment. A positive effect from the use of NPWT can be expected in the control of wound infections and in the preparation of wounds for skin grafting. The prospects for the introduction of the method can be considered its application in the treatment of partial-thickness burns and additional fixation of skin grafts. To objectify the choice of modes and duration of vacuum therapy in burned patients, it is necessary to conduct further multicenter studies with the preparation of clinical guidelines.

Civil Engineers – the architects of Yakutsk (mid XIX – early XX centuries)

This article presents the materials of the research conducted by the author within the framework of the scientific project “Architects and Engineers of the Eastern Suburbs of Russia” (late XIX – early XX century)". The paper touches upon the spheres and results of activity of the graduates of Saint Petersburg Institute of Civil Engineering, who worked in Yakutsk in the pre-October period. Brief biographical records are provided on the following civil engineers: A. N. Aristov, N. V. Baumgarten, G. F. Katsienko, A. I. Kudryavtsev, K. A. Leshevich, G. V. Rozen, I. F. Tamulevich, and V. A. Shkalin. The significance of the preserved objects of artistic heritage of the graduates of Saint Petersburg Institute of Civil Engineering in the site development of the historical core of Yakutsk is described. Based on the field surveys and archival findings, the author presents the holistic picture of creative and professional activity of the graduates of Saint Petersburg Institute of Civil Engineering who worked in Yakutsk in the late XIX – early XX centuries. It is established that the administrative, urban planning and creative activity of civil engineers associated with routine work in the local government  bodies, coordination and planning of the projects of facilities of various purposes, had a considerable impact upon the development of regional architecture, and as well as new construction technologies of the large public buildings in the conditions of permafrost.

Experience of Legal Regulation and Organization of Transport Specialists Training at the Imperial Moscow Engineering School: 1896–1913

Drawing on analysis of laws and regulations of the Russian Empire, as well as on documents from fond 231 (“Emperor Nicholas II Moscow Institute of Railway Engineering”) of the Central State Archive of Moscow, the article investigates issues of legal regulation of student training at the Imperial Moscow Engineering School, legally established requirements for railway engineers’ level of training, and organization of teaching in the said educational institution at the turn of 20th century. The peculiarity of legal documents (legalizations and local acts) studied here is that they present legally formalized requirements for structure and content of educational programs to be mastered by students at the Imperial Moscow Engineering School and for procedure for selecting teaching staff to provide training for railway engineers, as well as analytical materials of the Ministry of Railway Transport on issues related to the subject. The materials studied in this article give an idea of requirements for railway engineers’ level of training, content and system of their training, as well as procedure for teaching staff selection. The historical and legal analysis of these sources and analytical materials allows us to conclude that the Imperial Moscow Engineering School graduates had a high level of education, which in some indicators equaled or exceeded that of the Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg Institute of Railway Engineers graduates. It indicates that pedagogical activity of professors was premium, which subsequently permitted to initiate reorganization of the School of Railway Engineers into the Institute of Railway Engineers. The scientific results thus presented to the general public can serve as a starting point for further discussion on prospects, trends, and directions of the modern Russian transport education development.

Great Perm Governance in the Late 16th – Early 17th Century: From Administrators to Voivodes

Introduction. Great Perm (Perm Velikaya) in the late 16th – early 17th centuries included Cherdyn, Solikamsk and Kaigorod districts. It was an important strategic region. Taxes from this region entered the royal treasury almost regularly, while the central part of the state was devastated by military operations during the Time of Troubles. The region provided communication with Siberia, its annexation and development. Historiography is dominated by the opinion that the institution of voivodeship was introduced in Great Perm in the late 16th century. Methods and materials. The research is based on the documents of the archive of the Solikamsk district court, which currently constitute the collection of the fund No. 122 “Acts of Solikamsk” of the Archive of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the period from 1605 to 1613. The documentary complex was previously reconstructed using the principle of mutual correspondence of documents. The prosopography method was applied to study the biographies of clerks. Analysis. The article analyzes the argumentation of researchers on the problem when the institute of voivodeship was introduced in Great Perm. The fundamental documents of the late 16th century have been revealed. It is proved that they do not contain information about the voivodeship form of government. The list of administrators and clerks of the late 16th century – early 17th century has been restored. The beginning and end of their service are indicated. Results. There was no voivodeship position in Great Perm until 1609. An administrator and a clerk were appointed to the clerk hut from Moscow. The change of administration took place on average every 2 years. The institute of voivodeship was introduced in Great Perm in 1610. The first voivode of Great Perm was Ivan Ivanovich Chemodanov. The administrators who replaced him also served as voivodes. The control system in Great Perm was strengthened by 1613.

Gerontostomatology: from science to clinical medicine (survey)

Aim of the study was, based on the analysis of dissertation research prepared in scientific laboratories and departments of the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, to present the contribution of the staff of this Institute to the development of modern gerontostomatology. Dissertation research carried out within the walls of the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology in the field of gerontostomatology touched on the pathology of hard tissues and pulp of teeth, rehabilitation in case of tooth loss, periodontal diseases, oral mucosa, injuries and inflammatory diseases of the jaws and peri-maxillary soft tissues, as well as pathology temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscles in elderly and senile people.

ALGORITHM OF TARGET POINT SETTING FOR COLLISION-FREE RECONFIGURATION OF ROBOT SWARM

St. Petersburg Institute for Informatics and Automation of the Russian Academy of Sciences An algorithm for collision-free robot reconfiguration is presented, based on search for short mappings between start and target positions, which minimizes the total length of straight robotic paths. Modeling results for a swarm up to 10000 agents are presented.

Review of the monograph «Scientific bases of radiation protection in modern medicine» Volume 1 «Radiation diagnostics»

This article presents the review on the monograph “Scientific bases of radiation protection in modern medicine “volume 1” X-ray diagnostics “ by M.I. Balonov, V.Yu. Golikov, A.V. Vodovatov, L.A. Chipiga, I.A. Zvonova, S.A. Kalnitsky, S.S. Sarycheva, I.G. Shatsky, edited by Professor M.I. Balonov. – St.-Petersburg Institute of Radiation Hygiene after prof. P.V. Ramzaev, 2019. Due to the increasing use of ionizing radiation in medicine, implementation of new imaging modalities and equipment, increase of the patient and staff doses, the aspects of their radiation protection are very relevant. The monograph is based on the analysis of data from national and foreign studies, as well as the data from own research conducted in the laboratory of radiation hygiene of medical facilities of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene named after Professor P. V. Ramzayev for almost 20 years. It reflects the current trends in radiation protection for various imaging modalities and it will be useful to a wide range of readers, especially specialists in the field of X-ray diagnostics and radiation hygiene.