Biography of Dr. Gas

Who was Fedor Gaaz? Friedrich Joseph Lavrentius Haaz-this is how the newborn boy was recorded-was born on August 10 of the year in the small German town of Bad-Munsferaifel, near Cologne. His grandfather was a doctor, his father was a pharmacist, so it was written, it was written in the family to connect Frederick with medicine. His biography did not stand out at first: the Catholic school, then the Central School, the Faculty of Philosophy of Jena University - the usual path for the city German young man.

During his studies at the University, Frederick meets with the German surgeon and ophthalmologist Karl Gustav Gimli Himley known at that time. When in the year his teacher was invited to the University of Gettingen, Haaz decided to continue to study with him medicine. Of particular interest was his ophthalmology. Already in the year he became a certified eye doctor. Medical practice went well, Haaz even began to write a dissertation, but fell ill with a rash typhus and for a year was out of order.

The fateful for Haaz was an acquaintance with Nikolai Grigoryevich Repnin-Volkonsky, the hero of the Napoleonic Wars, a prominent Russian diplomat. The doctor managed to save his eyesight when he began to blind. And in the year he went to Russia, where he was destined to become famous. At first, he was hired to care for Princess Repnina-Volkonskaya, the wife of Nikolai Grigoryevich.

Renamed for convenience in Fedor Petrovich Gaaz, he rapidly gained fame. The powerful of this world and the richest people in Russia were almost in turn to be treated with him. But Fedor Petrovich would not have entered history if only generals and officials were treated. He began his charitable activity as a consultant to the Preobrazhensky rich house, where he helped a lot of eye sick.

Then he continued to work first in the Pavlovsk hospital, then in the old -line and Preobrazhenskaya hospitals in Moscow. It was Haaz that stood at the origins of the study of mineral waters in the south of the Russian Empire. In years, he made extremely successful trips to the Caucasus, examining mineral springs in Kislovodsk, Zheleznovodsk, Essentuki. He personally conducted a chemical analysis of sulfur and acidic waters.

He described most of the sources for the first time, laying the foundations of Caucasian balneology and resortology. A peaceful medical and scientific career was interrupted by the beginning of the Patriotic War of the year. During the service of a surgeon in the army, he finally Russified and mastered the language. When the Napoleonic hordes were expelled from Russia, Haaz began to explore the cereals, the epidemic of which was blazing in the country for 5 years.

He became the first Russian scientist to detailed this disease. Haaz did not even sign many of his works, being completely devoid of ambition and desire to gain fame for himself alone. Haaz was part of numerous commissions to combat epidemics, he did a lot to organize therapeutic case. Largely thanks to his efforts, the world's first specialized ophthalmological clinic was created - the Moscow Eye Hospital, which has existed to this day.

He stood at the origins of the first hospital subsequently the Alexander Hospital for suddenly ill people who needed immediate help. In the year, by order of the Moscow governor, Gaaz received a new appointment, which became fateful for him to a certain extent. In Butyrskaya prison, one of the largest in the country, typhus was rampant, and the doctor was to create an insulator and restrain the development of an epidemic.

Over the year, Haaza managed to establish hygiene, exterminate carriers of rats of rats and mice, organize the work of pharmacies. He could not defeat only one terrible illness - embezzlement: denunciations rained down on the Haaz, and a year later he was resigned. But the problems of Russian prisoners became unexpectedly close to Fedor Petrovich. He devoted his further life to facilitate the fate of exiles and prisoners.

He succeeded, and not only in terms of medical care, but also a penitentiary system. He managed to achieve the abolition of a metal rod to which the exiles were riveted throughout Siberia. The efforts of the Haaza were introduced from leather or fabric, insulated and expanded barracks of shipments, mattresses and pillows appeared on the bunks, for the first time began to divide criminals into recidivists and those who were convicted for the first time, workshops in which prisoners worked.

He had to walk around the authorities, beg officials, sometimes frankly humiliating before them, for which he was often scolded by his colleagues. But Haaz sincerely believed that if you go to such measures for the sake of the suffering, it was not sinful and not ashamed. He made more than several generations of officials of this department for the reform of the domestic penitentiary system.

Among the prisoners, the name of Dr. Gaaz enjoyed great authority, the doctors lived about this for many decades after his death, due to which he acquired a reputation as almost a saint. Haaz never had a lot of money - everything went to his charity projects.He built a hospital at the Moscow shipping on the Vorobyovy Mountains, a prison church, a school and a shelter for children of prisoners.

He bought medicines, linen for prisoners. Even in the year he sold his house and lived at hospitals until his death, and very modestly. Spending his savings on charity, he often also refused money for the medical services provided. He never started his family, and the student is known only one-Nikolai Norshin, to whom he once saved his life. The state from time to time tried to somehow encourage the doctor, but Gaaz did not accept financial assistance for himself.

So from honors he had only 2 orders-St. Vladimir of the 4th degree and St. Anna of the 2nd degree. In recent years, it was more difficult to fulfill his duties, he often began to get sick, but stoically continued to work, fulfilling his professional and human duty as he understood it. About 20 thousand people escorted it on the last journey. The Moscow authorities were initially going to disperse this crowd, but did not dare.

They buried an outstanding doctor at the Vvedensky cemetery of Moscow, in the old Lutheran necropolis. The grave is still preserved.

Fedora Gaaza is remembered today. Streets in Germany are named after him, in his hometown, and in Russia: in Moscow, Zheleznovodsk and Essentuki. He installed several monuments. The name of the doctor who did so much to reform the prison department was named the regional hospital of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

There is a departmental medal of this service. Despite the fact that Haaz did not return to Germany anymore, they remember him in his homeland. In e, Archbishop of Kyulnsky even turned to the initiative to classify Fedor Gaaz to the face of saints, but so far this has not yet been done. Cover: Portrait of Fedor Gaaz.