Dukhin Lev Khristoforovich (1891-1969)

Director of Kharkov Chemical-Pharmaceutical Institute, 1924-1929

Lev Khristoforovich Dukhin was born on May 20, 1891 to bourgeois family. From 1904 to 1910 he studied at the Simferopol gymnasium, and then continued his education abroad. In 1911 he entered the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich. While studying he actively worked in club and Benefit society for students from Russia and Benefit society for immigrants.

In 1915 because of his own financial difficulties was forced to return to Russia. He passed qualifying state examinations in 1916 at KazanUniversity, after that he was mobilized to the front line.

At the end of 1917 L.Kh.Dukhin was elected factory doctor of Ironworks in the Lesovoe settlement, Berdyansk district. After some time he was offered the position of assistant at the surgical department of KhersonCityHospital. In April 1919 L.Kh.Dukhin was appointed as the senior intern of floating hospital “Iskra”. During the Civil War Lev Khristoforovich worked as head of medical unit, Senior Registrar and chief doctor of the district hospital. He actively participated in the creation of various trade unions, including “Vsemedikosantrud”.

In autumn 1921 Lev Khristoforovich Dukhin arrived in Kharkiv and was appointed as the head Subdivision among medical schools. In 1924-1929 he combined the duties of head Subdivision with duties of director Kharkov Chemical-Pharmaceutical Institute. At the same time L.Kh.Dukhin headed KharkovChemical-PharmaceuticalCollege that actually worked as higher educational establishment. Teaching staff of the college remained almost the same as it was in KhPhI. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry was headed by Professor M.A. Valyashko, Analytical Chemistry – Professor F.S. Shulman, and lectures on other subjects were given pluralistically by professors and associate professors of Kharkov universities.

Lev Khristoforovich, having extensive experience in the medical field as a practicing scientist, has successfully implemented his knowledge in the organization of training of highly qualified specialists-pharmacists.

While L.Kh.Dukhin was the head of Institute (College) the structure of the young educational institution continued to improve. New disciplines were introduced, new departments and laboratories were created. In 1923 was founded the Department of Social Sciences. The courses in political economy, history, social theory and the history of class struggle were started. At the Department of Inorganic Chemistry was established the scientific laboratory and was started the research work in the field of synthesis of organic compounds and production technology of fertilizers. At the initiative of Lev Khristoforovich in 1924 there were organized the Department of Pharmacology and Department of Physiology. Initially classes were held at the Kharkov Medical Institute, then on its own base, and in 1925, based on the course of pharmaceutical research and chemical-pharmaceuticals was created the Department of Organic Chemistry.

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