Nikolay V. Chebyshev,
Iza A. Berechikidze,
Tatiana Yu. Degtyarevskaya,
Anna V. Shumak
FSAEI HE I.M. Sechenov First MSMU MOH Russia (Sechenov University)
8 Trubetskaya St., building 2, Moscow 119991, Russia

This article presents the biography of the outstanding biologist Fyodor F. Talyzin (1903–1980), one of the leading Russian parasitologists of the 20th century, a corresponding member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, a talented teacher and a populariser of science. Among Professor Talyzin’s numerous achievements are his participation in the elimination of infectious outbreaks (plague, tick-borne rickettsiosis), the discovery of a new species of tapeworm in humans and the study of this type of parasite, the study of the effects of tapeworm on the human body in experiments with self-contamination, the development of a method for manufacturing anti-ophidic serum, participation in the creation of poliomyelitis vaccine production, and the creation of teaching aids for medical students. Particular attention is paid to Talyzin’s work during World War II: stopping an outbreak of recurrent typhus in Iran, eliminating an outbreak of bubonic plague on the banks of the Tigris River and preventing schistosomiasis on the Euphrates. The authors draw attention to the versatile interests of the renowned professor that were instilled in him during his childhood by his parents. Talyzin was a gifted man, who had a talent for painting, wrote poetry and stories and knew several languages. He used his pedagogical skills masterfullу – in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s he topped the list of the best teachers of the 1st Moscow Medical Institute (MMI). The tremendous work he conducted as the director of the 1st MMI allowed the institute to occupy a leading position among medical universities. Talyzin was a medical advisor to the Soviet representation at the United Nations, and he worked in India and Mexico on behalf of WHO. Overall, Talyzin made a significant contribution to the development of Russian biology and medicine.