[B. V Petrovsky's scientific school at the turn of two centuries]

The paper shows how Academician B. V. Petrovsky's scientific school has been set up and how it has developed. Three stages of its development are identified: 1) the establishment and formation of the school on the basis of the department, the development of large areas of surgery (cardiovascular, thoracic, and esophageal surgeries) in 1951 to 1963; 2) the development of the school within the research institute-department system, the setting up of its branches, specialized services in the country, organizational and methodological management of its related research institutes in 1963 to 1989; and 3) the present period marked by the design and introduction of high technologies, the development of topical research problems (transplantation of the heart and liver, including related, miniinvasive surgery, computer-aided monitoring, telemedicine, as well as staff training). Four world's priorities of the school are noted. They included as follows: diaphragmatic plasty on a vascular pedicle for various abnormalities; the world's richest experience in surgically treating gunshot wounds of the large blood vessels during military actions; discovery of the physiological mechanisms of the function and properties of the valve-aorta complex of the human aortic root; the design and successful clinical application of nitinolic memory prostheses to endoprosthesis. The paper predicts how surgery will develop in the 21st century.