Sergei Sergeevich Brukhonenko (; 30 April 1890 – 20 April 1960) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

physician, biomedical scientist and technologist during the

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

era. Brukhonenko's research was vital to the development of open-heart procedures in Russia. He was one of the leaders of the Research Institute of Experimental Surgery, where Professor Alexander Vishnevsky performed the first Soviet open-heart operation in 1957. Brukhonenko is primarily remembered for his development of the autojektor, one of the first heart and lung machines. The device was used to mixed results in a series of experiments with canines during the year 1939, which can be seen in the film ''

Experiments in the Revival of Organisms ''Experiments in the Revival of Organisms'' () is a 1940 documentary film directed by that purports to document Soviet research into the resuscitation of clinically dead organisms. The English version of the film begins with British scientist ...

''. While there is some speculation today that the film is a re-staging of the procedures, the experiments themselves were well documented, and resulted in Brukhonenko being posthumously awarded the prestigious

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

Career

Brukhonenko received his secondary education in

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

, later joining the medical faculty of

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

. He was drafted to serve in World War I in 1914, witnessing numerous combat injuries while assigned to the active army as a junior physician. He returned in 1917 to work in Moscow. During 1919 to 1926, Brukhonenko was the assistant professor at the Department of Clinical Pathology and Therapy in Moscow. Brukhonenko's work in creating the autojektor, an early heart-lung machine, was displayed in a series of experiments with canines in 1939. These experiments are shown in the 1940 documentary film ''

'', directed by . While the film is commonly suspected to be a re-staging of the procedures, as none of the more scientifically questionable experiments are shown in full-frame shots, the experiments in question were documented thoroughly. Additionally, the film's claim that dogs had been drained of blood and revived to live for years after was found to be only partially true, as according to the lab records the dogs survived for only days after the experiment, not years as the film claimed, and suffered serious brain damage. Through 1951 to 1958, Brukhonenko lead the Institute of Experimental Surgical Devices and Instruments. Following his experiments with canines, Brukhonenko was granted permission to continue his autojektor experiments with human cadavers. However, these experiments failed to produce encouraging results, resulting in Brukhonenko losing favor with Soviet leadership. Brukhonenko died 20 April 1960 from rectal cancer.

Legacy

in 1965, 5 years after his death, Brukhonenko was posthumously awarded the

for advancing knowledge of artificial blood circulation and laying the ground for future advancements. His experiments laid the groundwork for further advancements in cardiac surgery in the Soviet Union.

Decorations

* 3rd class of the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

(1914) *

3rd class of the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

(1915) *

Gold Star Medal of Hero of the Soviet Union

(1965, posthumously)

Notes

References

External links

''Experiments in the Revival of Organisms'', English version
at the

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