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[ONE OF THE EARLIEST SOVIET STUDIES OF IMMUNOLOGY] Osnovy immunologii: Ucheniye o nevospriimchivosti i o vaktsinatsii [i.e. The Fundamentals of Immunology: Studies on Incompatibility and Vaccination]

Gamaleya, N.

Item #2015

Moscow; Leningrad: Gos. izd-vo, 1928. 332 pp.: ill., schemes. 25x17 cm. In original publisher’s cardboards. Edges slightly bumped, otherwise near fine condition.

Extremely scarce. 1 of 3,000 copies. With 74 black-and-white illustrations throughout.

A seminal Soviet exploration of immunology by Nikolay Gamaleya (1859-1949), a distinguished Russian physician known for his revolutionary contributions to microbiology and vaccination. The book draws from the author’s thirty-year experience in vaccine research and represents one of the earliest comprehensive Soviet studies on immunity.

The primary objective of the publication, as set out in the foreword, is “to elucidate the characteristics of immunity and subsequently delve into the process of its acquisition.” The work
consists of two sections: “The Birth and Development of Immunology” and “The Immunology of Certain Infections.” In the initial section, the author provides a concise overview of the immunology history, commencing with Jenner’s breakthrough and progressing through the contributions of Chauveau, Tussen, Nutall, Richet, Avery, etc. The author also delves into the experiments of Pasteur and Mechnikov, both of whom he collaborated with closely on vaccine research, initially in France and later in Odessa. The second part of the book focuses
on the immunology of such infections as smallpox, rabies, typhus, intestinal infections, tuberculosis, syphilis, tumors, etc. The author extensively examines experiments conducted by eminent scientists and contributes his own research results on protective vaccines. In one of the instances, Gamaleya intricately outlines his vaccination process for guinea pigs against typhus, documenting the outcomes: “Using these extracts, I administered vaccinations to myself and approximately 30 colleagues, all of whom remained unaffected during the concurrent
severe epidemic.” The book is supplemented with numerous black-andwhite illustrations step-by-step accompanying the study.
Nikolay Gamaleya (1859-1949) graduated from Novorossiysky University in 1880 and the St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy in 1883. After working in Louis Pasteur’s laboratory in France, he joined Ilya Mechnikov to establish an Odessa bacteriological station, pioneering rabies vaccination studies and research on diseases like cholera and anthrax. Appointed director of the Odessa Bacteriological Institute (1896-1908), he discovered bacteriolysis, antibodies destroying Bacillus anthracis. Gamaleya led a public health campaign against the plague,
linking lice to typhus. His work in supplying smallpox vaccines for the Red Army contributed to smallpox eradication in the USSR. With over 300 academic publications, he held memberships in the USSR Academy of Sciences and the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences.

Worldcat shows 1 copy of the edition at the New York Academy of Medicine.

Price: $750.00