[Early history of helminthology in the Russian Academy of Sciences]

Zoological Institute RAS (up to 1930--Zoological Museum) dates back to 1728, when the first Russian museum, Kunstkammer, was opened under the authority of the newly organized Russian Academy of Sciences. Zoological collections of Kunstkammer were greatly enriched by a number of naturalists who worked in Russia since the middle of the 18-th century, P. S. Pallas (1741-1811) and I. T. Koelreuther (1733-1806) were among them. Both had made an essential progress into helminthology. In 1895, Zoological Museum legislatively acquired a statute of the central institution in Russia for zoological research. Investigations of parasitic worms here become permanent. First parasitologists in its staff, A. K. Mordvilko (1867-1938) and N. P. Annenkova-Khlopina (1887-1950), should be mentioned.