The Anatomy of Genius: Professor M.G. Prives – Early Years and Scientific Career
https://doi.org/10.18499/2225-7357-2025-14-3-9-23
Abstract
The article is devoted to the formation of the personality and early career of the outstanding Soviet anatomist, Mikhail Grigor'evich Prives. The primary focus is on his childhood, youth, and period of professional development in Voronezh. Based on previously unpublished archival documents, the research demonstrates how his genuine interest in medicine was fostered within the family of a pharmacist during the prerevolutionary and early post-revolutionary years. After finishing school, Mikhail Prives enrolled in the Medical Faculty of Voronezh University, which he successfully completed in 1925. He then worked as a surgeon in Voronezh. The practical clinical experience he gained in hospitals had a decisive influence on his subsequent scientific career. His surgical practice awakened in him a deep interest in the foundation of medicine – anatomy. It was during the Voronezh period that the pivotal transition from surgery to the in-depth study of anatomy occurred. This shift was fully realized in Leningrad and determined his future as a scientist with a world-class reputation. The authors demonstrate that the early years of M.G. Prives's life and work were a critically important stage for this great scientist and educator, laying the groundwork for his subsequent fundamental discoveries in the fields of functional anatomy and X-ray anatomy.
About the Authors
N. T. AlexeevaRussian Federation
Nataliya T. Alexeeva - Doct. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Head of Human Anatomy Department of N.N. Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University.
Voronezh
A. A. Shevchenko
Russian Federation
Aleksandr A. Shevchenko - Cand. Sci. (Philos.), teaching assistant of Human Anatomy Department of N.N. Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University.
Studencheskaya ul., 10, Voronezh, 394036
S. V. Klochkova
Russian Federation
Svetlana V. Klochkova - Doct. Sci. (Med.), Professor of Human Anatomy Department of Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.
Moscow
D. A. Sokolov
Russian Federation
Dmitrii A. Sokolov - Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor of Human Anatomy Department of N.N. Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University.
Voronezh; Moscow
D. B. Nikityuk
Russian Federation
Dmitrii B. Nikityuk - Doct. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Acad. of RAS, head of Federal Research Center for Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety.
Moscow
References
1. Aleksina LA. Istoriya kafedry anatomii cheloveka SPbGMU im. Akad. I. P. Pavlova. Uchenye zapiski SPbGMU im. akad. I.P. Pavlova. 2011;18(2):11-13. (In Russ.).
2. Anatomiya vnutriorgannykh sosudov : sbornik nauchnykh rabot kafedry normal'noi anatomii. In professor Prives MG. (ed.) Leningrad : 2-nd tip. Transzheldorizdata; 1948. 278. (In Russ.).
3. Bulatov Yu. Dinastiya Romanovykh i evreiskii vopros. Available from: https://interaffairs.ru/jauthor/material/1752. (accessed: 20.08.2025). (In Russ.).
4. Voronezhskii istoricheskii forum. Available from: https://vif-vrn.ru/viewtopic.php?t=5325. (accessed: 25.07.2025). (In Russ.).
5. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (666). l.179. (In Russ.).
6. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (105)a. l.8. (In Russ.).
7. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (114). l.82. (In Russ.).
8. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (114). l.255. (In Russ.).
9. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (195). l.197ob . (In Russ.).
10. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (200). l.561. (In Russ.).
11. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (195). l.209ob. (In Russ.).
12. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (1). d. (205). l.78. (In Russ.).
13. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (2). d. (36). l.10. (In Russ.).
14. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.2. (In Russ.).
15. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.3. (In Russ.).
16. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.5. (In Russ.).
17. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.6. (In Russ.).
18. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.20. (In Russ.).
19. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.30. (In Russ.).
20. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.28. (In Russ.).
21. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (3). d. (9270). l.31. (In Russ.).
22. The State Archive of the Voronezh Region. F. 33. op. (8). d. (97). l.68. (In Russ.).
23. Genina E. S., Ovchinnikov V. A. AntiCosmopolitan Campaign in the USSR: Russian Historiography in 2010s - Early 2020s. SibScript, 2024, 26(6): 929-939. (In Russ.)
24. Gosudarstvennyi reestr sanatornogo fonda. Detskii sanatorii Berezka. Available from: https://avatars.mds.yandex.net/get-altay/2029876/2a00000173b3fefba24518a01bd121a6ce5b/XXXL (accessed: 30.09.2025). (In Russ.).
25. Evreiskie pogromy v Rossii. 1905-1906 gg. Sbornik dokumentov. In Kel'ner V. (ed.). 2017. (In Russ.).
26. Istoricheskaya spravka o kafedre klinicheskoi anatomii i operativnoi khirurgii im. prof. M.G.Privesa (kurs normal'noi anatomii). Available from: https://www.1spbgmu.ru/obrazovanie/kafedry/274-universitet/structura/kafedry/teoreticheskie/kafedra-anatomii-cheloveka-imeni-professora-m-g-privesa/2045-istoricheskaya-spravka-o-kafedre-klinicheskoj-anatomii-i-operativnoj-khirurgii-im-prof-m-g-privesa-kurs-normalnoj-anatomii. (accessed: 25.09.2025). (In Russ.).
27. Istoriya FGU Rossiiskii nauchnyi tsentr radiologii i khirurgicheskikh tekhnologii Minzdrava Rossii. Available from: https://rrcrst.ru/istoriya/istoriya.html. (accessed: 25.09.2025). (In Russ.).
28. Kremishev A. Mikhail Grigor'evich Prives. SovershCentral State Archive of Saint Petersburgenno osobennoe otnoshenie k zhizni -priznak dolgozhitelya. Available from: https://dzen.ru/a/YixTl6XzWTnvZ43a. (accessed: 15.07.2025). (In Russ.).
29. Polyanskii AI. Evreiskie pogromy v Khersonskoi gubernii v 1905-1906 gg. Voprosy istorii. 2008;5. (In Russ.).
30. Prives MG. K voprosu o krovosnabzhenii sustavov. Arkhiv anatomii, gistologii i embriologii. 1929;8(3):245-256. (In Russ.).
31. Prives MG. Arterii kolennogo sustava cheloveka. Trudy Leningradskogo instituta usovershenstvovaniya vrachei. 1930;(2):87-94. (In Russ.).
32. Prives MG. Innervatsiya krovenosnykh sosudov konechnostei. Fiziologicheskii zhurnal SSSR. 1935;19(4):712-725. (In Russ.).
33. Prives MG. O morfologii limfaticheskoi sistemy nekotorykh vnutrennikh organov. Vestnik khirurgii i pogranichnykh oblastei. 1936;44(112):101-110. (In Russ.).
34. Prives MG. Krovosnabzhenie dlinnykh trubchatykh kostei cheloveka : tezisy k dissertatsii na stepen' doktora meditsinskikh nauk. Leningrad : "Pechatnyi trud", 1937. 1. (In Russ.).
35. Prives MG. Razvitie ucheniya o kollateral'nom krovoobrashchenii. Sovetskaya meditsina. 1938;10:34-42. (In Russ.).
36. Prives MG. Krovosnabzhenie dlinnykh trubchatykh kostei cheloveka : anatomicheskoe i rentgeno-anatomicheskoe issledovanie. 1938. 260. (In Russ.).
37. Prives MG. Anatomicheskie osobennosti krovosnabzheniya serdtsa v svyazi s ego funktsiei : trudy Voenno-meditsinskoi akademii RKKA. 1940;22:56-68. (In Russ.).
38. Prives MG. K metodike prepodavaniya anatomii cheloveka v meditsinskikh institutakh. Anatomiya i morfologiya. 1941(3):45-52. (In Russ.).
39. Prives MG. O krovosnabzhenii dlinnykh trubchatykh kostei. Arkhiv anatomii, gistologii i embriologii. 1947;26(2):15-24. (In Russ.).
40. Prives MG. Metody konservirovaniya anatomicheskikh preparatov. Leningrad : Medgiz. Leningr. Otd-nie, 1956. 128. (In Russ.).
41. Prives MG. Stroenie skeleta lyudei razlichnykh professii : doklady VII Mezhdunarodnogo kongressa antropologicheskikh i etnograficheskikh nauk, Moskva, avgust 1964 g., Moskva : Nauka, 1964. 258:8. (In Russ.).
42. Prives MG. Krovosnabzhenie dlinnykh trubchatykh kostei v vozrastnom aspekte. Arkhiv anatomii, gistologii i embriologii. 1961;(41)9:15-24. (In Russ.).
43. Prives MG. Innervatsiya krupnykh sustavov cheloveka. Morfologiya. 1965;48(4):32-41. (In Russ.).
44. Prives MG. Osobennosti vaskulyarizatsii kostnoi tkani pri travmakh. Vestnik khirurgii im. I.I. Grekova. 1971;107(11):45-51. (In Russ.).
45. Prives MG. Funktsional'naya morfologiya nervnykh spletenii. Arkhiv anatomii, gistologii i embriologii. 1973;65(12):5-14. (In Russ.).
46. Prives MG. Russkaya anatomicheskaya shkola v XIX veke. Voprosy istorii meditsiny. 1967;(3):28-37. (In Russ.).
47. Prives M.G. Vklad otechestvennykh uchenykh v razvitie topograficheskoi anatomii. Khirurgiya. 1980;(5):120-127. (In Russ.).
48. Prokhorov D. A. Problema evreiskikh pogromov v Rossiiskoi imperii i obshchestvennoe mnenie (po materialam gazety "Tavrida"). Uchenye zapiski Krymskogo federal'nogo universiteta imeni V.I. Vernadskogo. Istoricheskie nauki. 2017;3(69)(2):137-146. (In Russ.).
49. Na kafedre mikrobiologii. Pul's, 21 January, 1938;3(258):4. (In Russ.).
50. Na kafedre normal'noi anatomii. Pul's, 2 February, 1940;2(314):3. (In Russ.).
51. K raionnoi partiinoi konferentsii. Pul's, 12 February, 1948;5-6(445-446):2. (In Russ.).
52. Pul's, 19 April, 1949;9(294):4. (In Russ.).
53. Plody upornykh znanii. Itogi zachetov po anatomii. Pul's, 26 January, 1950;4(539):1. (In Russ.).
54. Prives MG. Za tvorcheskoe ob"edinenie kafedr. Pul's, 20 April, 195O;17(552):1. (In Russ.).
55. Prives MG. Neustanno povyshat' lektsionnoe masterstvo. Pul's, 18 September, 1953;31(694):2. (In Russ.).
56. Prives MG. Zalog uspekha v planomernykh zanyatiyakh. Pul's, 6 September, 1954;27(737):1. (In Russ.).
57. Anatomiya i fiziologiya soyuzniki. Pul's, 8 December, 1964;37(1161):1-2. (In Russ.).
58. Interv'yu posle sobraniya. Pul's, 3 November, 1989;32:2. (In Russ.).
59. Rossiiskaya evreiskaya entsiklopediya. Available from: https://www.rujen.ru/index.php/MIChURINSK. (accessed: 20.08.2025). (In Russ.).
60. Furmenko I.P. Voronezhskii gosudarstvennyi meditsinskii institut : kratkii istoricheskii ocherk.Voronezh : Izd-vo Voronezhskogo universiteta, 1968. 47. (In Russ.).
61. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.1. (In Russ.).
62. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FR. 330. op. (2). d. (122). l.17. (In Russ.).
63. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (4). d. (327). l.l.1-58. (In Russ.).
64. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (4). d. (72). l.l.68. (In Russ.).
65. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (5). d. (570). l.1. (In Russ.).
66. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (79). l.1. (In Russ.).
67. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (79). l.2. (In Russ.).
68. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (79). l.6. (In Russ.).
69. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (167). l.1. (In Russ.).
70. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (167). l.7. (In Russ.).
71. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (269). l.6. (In Russ.).
72. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (449). l.6. (In Russ.).
73. Central State Archive of Saint Petersburg. FZ. 132. op. (7). d. (548). l.9. (In Russ.).
74. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.1. (In Russ.).
75. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.2. (In Russ.).
76. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.3. (In Russ.).
77. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.13. (In Russ.).
78. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.14. (In Russ.).
79. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305203). l.16. (In Russ.).
80. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305214). l.1. (In Russ.).
81. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305214). l.14ob. (In Russ.).
82. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305214). l.4. (In Russ.).
83. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305214). l.5. (In Russ.).
84. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305214). l.5. (In Russ.).
85. Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of Saint Petersburg. R. 1728. op. (1). d. (305214). l.11. (In Russ.).
86. Chernysheva NS. Mestechki Rossiiskoi imperii vo vtoroi polovine XIX -- nachale XX v. : kolichestvo, geograficheskoe raspredelenie, osobennosti statusa. Istoriya evreiskoi diaspory v Vostochnoi Evrope : materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii pamyati M. G. Shteina, 2930 April, 2012, Sankt-Peterburg, 2012:68-72. (In Russ.)
Review
For citations:
Alexeeva N.T., Shevchenko A.A., Klochkova S.V., Sokolov D.A., Nikityuk D.B. The Anatomy of Genius: Professor M.G. Prives – Early Years and Scientific Career. Journal of Anatomy and Histopathology. 2025;14(3):9-23. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.18499/2225-7357-2025-14-3-9-23
























