Theophilus Yanovsky: how one of the founders of Ukrainian pulmonology lived and worked

Theophilus Yanovsky was an outstanding Ukrainian physician, therapist, pulmonologist, nephrologist, phthisiologist, Doctor of Medicine, professor. Since 1927, he was a full member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

Biography

Feofil Gavrilovich Yanovsky was born on 24 June 1860. He studied at the Third Kyiv Gymnasium and the Medical Faculty of Kyiv University. He was also the chairman of the scientific council of the respective gymnasium from 1909.

Theophilus Yanovsky was the founder of the system of anti-tuberculosis sanatoriums and the Institute of Pulmonology and Phthisiology. He also published many scientific papers in the field of microbiology, kidney disease, tuberculosis therapy, and diagnostics. In Kyiv, he founded his own therapeutic school, created the first bacteriological laboratory for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, and implemented advanced treatment methods. Future doctors studied under his guidance.

His work laid the foundations for modern tuberculosis care in Ukraine. In addition, Feofil Yanovsky was an academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Medical Sciences, an organiser of sanatoriums, and the author of numerous scientific papers.

The expert also knew many foreign languages. He spoke Latin, Ancient Greek, Yiddish, and Polish. He was also interested in agronomy, parasitology, and medicine. Anna Matviyivna Savchenkova, Fedir’s mother, was from an ancient Kyivan family.

Work

In the 1890s, Janowski worked extensively on clinical practice, publishing works directly related to therapy and diagnostics. The specialist created a glass stethoscope of his own design. He studied the differential symptoms of rash infectious diseases and described the diagnostic value of Traube’s space in pleurisy. The physician also published a number of reviews on the pathology and therapy of liver, spleen, and pancreas diseases.

Among his patients were Lesia Ukrainka, Mariia Zankovetska, Mykhailo Starytskyi, Volodymyr Korolenko, Ivan Karpenko-Karyi, and Volodymyr Korolenko. During 45 years of medical practice, he never refused a single patient. His contemporaries said that the doctor never took money for a consultation, but also provided his own money to buy medicines. The doctor could leave them unnoticed under the patient’s prescription, book or pillow, or send them by post.

The people of Kyiv spoke positively about Feofil Gavrilovych and called him a ‘holy doctor’. Many legends existed among ordinary Ukrainians.

One day, Feofil Yanovskyi fell asleep in a tram and lost a book with the addresses of his patients. Later, the whole city searched for the book for two days – at bus stops, in churches, and in markets. People found it and returned it, but refused to accept any reward.

Feofil Yanovsky was robbed late one night. The thieves saw his business card and returned all his belongings under the house in the morning with a note: ‘Sorry, we made a mistake in the dark.’

According to people, Kyiv taxi drivers categorically refused to take money from him. They would stop themselves when they saw the doctor on the street and offer to take him where he needed to go.

Feofil Yanovskyi died on 8 July 1928. He was buried at the Lukianivske Cemetery in Kyiv. A large number of people came to say goodbye to the outstanding physician. Trams were even stopped in Kyiv.

The F.G. Yanovsky National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine was named in honour of the scientist. In 1993, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine established the F.G. Yanovsky Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for outstanding scientific work in the field of therapy, clinical bacteriology and immunology.

As a reminder, linguist and dialect researcher Maria Pshepiurska-Ovcharenko was born on 19 June.