FAMOUS PERSONALITIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN LVIV IN THE TIME OF THE WORLD WAR II

Abstract

The development of biological studies in Lviv can be sub-divided into three large historical periods: 1) from the foundation of Lviv university in 1661 to the World War I; 2) between the WWI and WWII; 3) after the World War II. On November 16, 1784, the Privilege of Emperor Josef II allowed to approve four Faculties in Lviv University: theological, law, philosophical, and medical. Later on, biochemical studies started at the Medical Department. In 1939, Lviv State Medical Institute was founded on the basis of the Medical Faculty of the University where a powerful Department of Biochemistry existed and was headed in 1921-1941 by a world-known biochemist Jakub Parnas. At that time, another Department of Biochemistry was functioning at Lviv Academy of Veterinary Medicine, which was headed by Waclaw Morachewsky. At the classical university (now Ivan Franko National University in Lviv), the Department of Biochemistry was founded after the establishment of the Biological Faculty in 1940; it was later restored in 1963. This review highlights scientific and biographical about the most famous scientists in the field of biochemistry who originated from the Western region of Ukraine, namely Ivan Horbachevsky, Jakub Parnas, Waclaw Morachewsky, Stepan Hzhytsky, and Bohdan Sobchuk.

Keywords

• biochemistry, history, lviv, outstanding scientists