This article concerns the history of the creation of the first fundamental Russian publication on the history of medicine – “The History of Ancient Medicine” by S.G. Kovner, which was published in Kiev in 1878–1888. This publication was one of the first attempts to draw the attention of fellow countrymen (including representatives of the Russian medical community) to the need for studying the history of medicine as a scientific discipline and academic subject. In his research, Kovner paid particular attention to the source base and presented, apparently, a review of literature on the subject that was one of the most comprehensive for Russian historiography of the period. Most of the work is contained in sections that deal with the activities of two classics of ancient medicine – Hippocrates and Galen