[Alexey Ivanovich Polunin (1820-1888). On the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary]

The paper describes the life of A.I. Polunin (1820-1888), the first professor of an independent department of pathological anatomy in Russia, which was founded at Imperial Moscow University in 1849. It analyzes his doctoral dissertation on cholera and also gives the reviews of his key works. It is noted that the activities of A.I. Polunin as a scientist were greatly influenced by the humoral theory of pathology by Karl von Rokitansky (1804-1878), the doctrine of blood «crases», and by the works of representatives of the Viennese School of physicians who upheld the clinical and anatomical approach in medicine. At the same time, Professor A.I. Polunin is noted to be the first to familiarize Russian physicians with the theory of cellular pathology by R. Virchow (1821-1902).