History
History of Anatomy Education in Bulgaria
On November 10, 1917, by Decree No. 21 of Tsar Ferdinand, the law establishing the Faculty of Medicine at Sofia University was enacted. The bill was introduced by the Minister of Education, Petar Peshev.
The Department of Anatomy in Sofia began its work in June 1918, and a year later, the Department of Histology and Embryology also began its work.
In 1950, the Faculty of Medicine separated from Sofia University (SU) and became an independent Medical Academy, which was renamed the Higher Medical Institute (HMI) Sofia in 1954. In 1972, the HMI became part of the new Medical Academy (MA), a consolidated entity encompassing all medical higher education institutions in Bulgaria.
The development of anatomy education in Bulgaria began with a blend of Russian, French, and German influences, leading to the synthesis of the best elements from all three schools and the establishment of the Department of Anatomy in Sofia.
Russian influence during the "Little Russia" period on the yellow cobblestones
The founder of the Department of Anatomy was the Russian anatomist Prof. Vladimir Petrovich Vorobiev (1876–1937). He studied and worked at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University—the oldest institution of higher education in Ukraine. Vorobiev was appointed head of the Department of Anatomy for that period and organized and led it until September 1921. During this time, the Russian anatomist gave lectures, published a textbook, and established the department’s anatomical museum. Under the difficult postwar conditions, over the course of a year and a half (March 1920–September 1921), Vorobiev managed to establish the Department of Anatomy and prepare his successor in teaching, Dr. Milko Balan. At the same time, on March 20, 1920, a second Russian morphologist—Alexander Feodorovich Mankovsky (1868–1946)—was elected professor of histology and embryology at the department.
Prof. Vorobiev’s greatest achievement in the field of morphological science was the preservation and embalming of human tissues, which retained their natural color despite exposure to the environment, atmospheric pressure, and light. Although pressed by circumstances, it was he who managed to briefly preserve and embalm the body of Vladimir Ulyanov—Lenin—in 1924.
With the help of Vladimir Vorobyov, in March 1924 Zbarsky began the gruesome procedures on Lenin’s body. About 20 incisions were made, holes were drilled into the skull (the brain and eyes had already been removed along with most other internal organs), and the leader was placed in a tub of formaldehyde for several weeks to kill microbes and bacteria and prevent further decay.
Zbarsky and Vorobyov then placed Lenin in a tub of alcohol to improve the color of his skin and conceal the postmortem spots that had appeared. However, by that point, two full months had already passed since Lenin’s death.
Finally, the scientists used a glycerin solution to soften the skin of the corpse. It was important for the body to relax after being stiffened so that Lenin’s posture could be adjusted. No one in Russia had ever done anything like this before, so Zbarsky and Vorobyov worked largely “in the dark,” risking everything, especially incurring Stalin’s wrath if they failed. They succeeded, however.
The Influence of the French School
With the Treaty of San Stefano (March 3, 1878), the Bulgarian state was reborn. A year later, diplomatic relations were officially established between France and Bulgaria: Eugène Scheffer presented his credentials to Prince Alexander Battenberg and became France’s diplomatic agent and consul general in Bulgaria. France—whose currency was used in the Principality until the introduction of the lev (1880)—played a significant role in the establishment of the modern Bulgarian state. French universities became the preferred destination for the formation of the Bulgarian political, cultural, and economic elite. In the years that followed, the influence of French medicine—and anatomy in particular—grew, as a large number of members of the Bulgarian intelligentsia (including doctors) received their higher education in France. As a result of the deepening of Franco-Bulgarian relations, the 54th Congress of the “Association des Anatomistes” was held very successfully in Sofia from March 30 to April 3, 1969. For Bulgarian anatomists, this event marked an important step toward gaining experience in organizing and hosting major international congresses.
The Influence of the German School
The first assistant professor in the newly established Department of Anatomy and Histology in 1919 was Dr. Milko Balan (1888–1951). Prof. Dr. Milko Alexandrov Balan was born on December 4, 1888, in Sofia, into the family of the prominent Bulgarian linguist and first rector of Sofia University, Academician Alexander Balan. He graduated in medicine in Vienna, after which he served as a military doctor during the Balkan Wars and World War I. From 1924 to 1926, he specialized in anatomy in Vienna as a Rockefeller Fellow. In 1930, he was appointed as an adjunct associate professor, in 1945 as a full associate professor, and in 1950 as an extraordinary professor at the Department of Human Anatomy within the Faculty of Medicine at Sofia University. Prof. Dr. M. Balan was one of the founders of the Section of Anthropology and Human Anatomy at the Institute of Morphology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He was the first researcher in the field of paleoanthropology in Bulgaria and the teacher of all paleoanthropologists in the country. Prof. Dr. Milko Balan died on October 7, 1973, in Sofia.
Unity brings strength, faith, and hope
In practice, these influences from foreign schools blended together and laid the foundations for the development of Bulgarian anatomy. After Prof. Vorobiev’s retirement, between 1921 and 1923, the Department of Anatomy was temporarily headed by Bulgarian Associate Professor Mihail Tsvetkov Minev (1874–1949). Mihail Minev was born on November 26, 1874, in the city of Lovech. He studied at the Aprilov High School (Gabrovo) and completed his secondary education in Sofia. From 1894 to 1897, he was a student of natural sciences at Sofia University.
He graduated and worked for several years as a high school teacher. From 1902 to 1908, he was a medical student at the University of Nancy (France). He graduated as a physician with a doctoral degree in medicine. His doctoral thesis was titled “Morphological Studies of the Floor of the Fourth Ventricle.”
On November 1, 1923, the Russian anatomist Prof. Ilya Feodorovich Shapshal was elected head of the Department. He was born in 1878 in Saint Petersburg; he was a professor of anatomy in Odessa and an adjunct professor of anatomy at the University of Belgrade. He is the author of the first Bulgarian textbook on human anatomy. Prof. Shapshal headed the department until November 1933. In 1934, he returned to clinical practice and began working as a doctor in the village of Razhdavitsa, Kyustendil Province, and later as a doctor in private practice in Sofia.
From 1933 to 1935, the department was headed by Associate Professor Mihail Minev.
In 1935, the departments of anatomy and histology and embryology merged, and Prof. A. I. Hadjiolov headed the combined department until 1945, when the departments were separated again. Prof. Hadjiolov specialized in Paris and Lyon, and upon his return to Bulgaria in 1934, at the age of just 31, Hadjiolov was already a professor in the Department. During this period, Hadjiolov recruited young people as his assistants and collaborators, who went on to become prominent scholars—Acad. G. Uzunov, Prof. Kr. Balabanov, Prof. Br. Papazov, and others.
In 1939, Associate Professor Dimitar Dimitrov Kadanov took over the teaching of anatomy, and in 1945 he became a full professor and head of the Department of Anatomy. He was born on April 12, 1900, in Shumen, studied medicine in Prague, and graduated in Würzburg, Germany.
From 1925 to 1933, he served as a prosector (senior assistant) at the Institute of Anatomy of the Würzburg Medical Faculty. Kadanov was appointed full associate professor of histology and embryology at the Medical Faculty of Sofia University, but due to his obligations as a prosector in Würzburg, he was unable to take up the position. After his dismissal in Germany (due to his anti-fascist beliefs and status as a foreigner), he returned to Sofia, where he worked for three years as a resident at Sofia First State Hospital and for two years as a lecturer in anatomy at the Midwifery School and the Academy of Arts. Having mastered to perfection the silver impregnation methods for visualizing nerve fibers and receptors, he studied the sensory innervation of a number of organs. Kadanov’s election as associate professor in 1939 came after three unsuccessful competitions, based on the indisputable achievements of his scientific works. The reason for this was “the competitive participation of Dr. J. Drexel, who, as the leader of the German Nazi colony in Bulgaria, was supported by professors at our medical faculty, who were conduits of German influence in our country” (D. Kadanov: On the History of Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski”; in Memories of SU, 1982). In 1942, D. Kadanov was elected as an adjunct professor and in 1945 as a full professor and director of the Department of Anatomy in Sofia, a position he held until his retirement in 1965. The faculty members began active scientific work, and a large number of papers were published in the field of morphology. The reason for this is “the active involvement of Dr. J. Drexel, who, as the leader of the German Nazi colony in Bulgaria, was supported by professors at our medical faculty, who served as conduits for German influence in our country” (D. Kadanov: On the History of Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski”; in Memories of SU, 1982). In 1942, D. Kadanov was elected as an adjunct professor and in 1945 as a full professor and director of the Department of Anatomy in Sofia, a position he held until his retirement in 1965. The faculty members began active scientific work, and a large number of papers were published in the fields of receptor morphology, branching patterns and types of blood vessels, bilateral symmetry, anthropological characteristics of Bulgarians, and muscular transformation. Prof. Kadanov was a bearer of the rich traditions of the German school of anatomy. He conducted active scientific research and was one of the most distinguished scholars in the establishment of the Bulgarian school of anatomy. He was widely respected in scientific circles and lectured at many European universities.
Following Prof. Kadanov’s retirement, Prof. Dr. Georgi Petrov Galabov took over as head of the Department of Anatomy, a position he held until 1982.
He was born on November 7, 1918, in the village of Yavorovo, Asenovgrad District. His classmates included the distinguished Bulgarian writer Nikolay Haytov and the renowned cartoonist Boris Dimovski, with whom he remained friends until his death.
He graduated from medical school in Sofia in 1943. Beginning in 1944, he served successively as an assistant professor, associate professor, and professor in the Department of Anatomy. He served as Deputy Minister of Health from 1951 to 1959. From 1959 to 1966, he was Scientific Secretary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and founder of the Central Laboratory for Regeneration at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where he remained director until the end of his life. Prof. Galabov’s colleagues undertook long-term training abroad, which gave a major boost to the development of anatomy in Bulgaria. Medical schools were gradually established in other major cities—Varna, Plovdiv, Pleven, and Stara Zagora. Many of the scientists who began their careers as demonstrators or assistants in anatomy went on to become prominent scholars and brilliant physicians in a variety of clinical disciplines.
Founding history
The historical overview was compiled by G. P. Galabov and M. S. Davidov, who express their special gratitude to Academician Prof. Dr. A. I. Hadjiolov and Corresponding Member Corresponding Member Prof. Dr. D. Kadanov for their assistance in writing the book on the history of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
There is no doubt that the establishment of an independent society of anatomists, histologists, and embryologists in Bulgaria has contributed significantly to raising the level of scientific research and teaching activities among Bulgarian morphologists, to the establishment of international contacts and the recognition of our achievements beyond Bulgaria’s borders, as well as to the awakening of interest in morphological research among a large number of young human physicians, veterinarians, zoologists, biologists, and others.
Some key documents are missing from the company’s archives, which makes it difficult to reconstruct the chronology of events related to its founding and development. At the same time, however, when the historical account was compiled in 1982, the company’s founders were still alive and recounted the initial difficult, yet highly enthusiastic, steps taken in its organization.
Although the archives do not contain the relevant documents, it appears that the establishment of the Society of Anatomists, Histologists, and Embryologists in Bulgaria was preceded by a lengthy period of preliminary discussions and preparations.
Before the establishment of an independent society, morphologists in Bulgaria were organized as a separate section within the so-called “General Medical-Biological Society” under the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. This society had separate sections for most of the medical-biological disciplines represented in our country. Such a form of organization clearly did not allow for the broader development of the Morphological Section’s activities. At the Society’s founding meeting, Prof. Goranov specifically pointed out that within the framework of the general Society, it was not possible to organize a national conference of morphologists on a relevant topic, nor to establish branches in cities with medical faculties. Despite the difficulties highlighted, morphologists in Bulgaria found an opportunity within the framework of the general medical-biological society, on behalf of the Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, the Institute of Morphology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as the Departments of Anatomy and Histology at universities, to organize and hold the First Conference of Morphologists in Bulgaria.
The First Conference of Morphologists in Bulgaria
The conference took place from November 24 to 28, 1959, in Sofia, with the enthusiastic participation of all morphologists in the country. The conference was also attended by a significant number of prominent morphologists, guests from various European countries (the USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Greece).
The Organizing Committee of the Conference consisted of the following members: Chair—Academician A. I. Hadjiolov; Vice Chair—Corresponding Member Prof. D. Kadanov; Secretary – Assoc. Prof. Zh. Yordanov; and members: Corresponding Member D. Paspalev, Prof. M. Balan, Prof. P. Petkov, Prof. D. Dimov, Prof. St. Ivanov, Assoc. Prof. G. Galabov, Assoc. Prof. D. Stanishhev, and Senior Researcher R. Yanev.
The secretariat included Senior Researcher G. Boyadzhiev, P. Boev, S. Atsev, N. Ilkov, V. Dokov, E. Chakarov, H. Krastov, P. Emanuilov, I. Georgiev, and V. Nankov. The meetings were held in the following sections: Section on Cytology and General Histology – chaired by Prof. M. Moskov; Section on Special Histology and Neurohistology (Assoc. Prof. D. Stanishhev); Section on Special Histology and Hematology (Assoc. Prof. Zh. Yordanov); Section on Anatomy and Anthropology (Corresponding Member Prof. D. Kadanov); Section on Embryology and Comparative Histology and Embryology (Corresponding Member G. Paspalev).
Academician Hadjiolov recalls that during the conference, the issue of separating morphologists from the Medical-Biological Society and establishing an independent society of morphologists in Bulgaria was discussed. The holding of the Morphologists’ Conference in 1959 undoubtedly played a positive role in the realization of these ideas, because it demonstrated, above all, that there were quite a few well-trained morphologists in our country who possessed the necessary organizational skills to independently manage scientific and organizational activities.
At the same time, discussions were held at the Ministry of Health and specific measures were taken to reorganize the scientific medical societies under its jurisdiction.
The Founding Meeting
As a result of persistent preparation and the proper stance and support of a number of relevant authorities, on February 6, 1962, the founding meeting was held in Room 19 of the Department of Anatomy in Sofia, at which the establishment of REPUBLICAN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY OF ANATOMISTS, HISTOLOGISTS, AND PATHOLOGISTS IN BULGARIA.
The founding meeting was attended by 39 morphologists from Sofia and Plovdiv. At the suggestion of Prof. Goranov, the meeting was chaired by Corresponding Member Prof. D. Kadanov, Dr. D. Penev, and Dr. G. Dashev.
The meeting proceeded according to the following agenda:
1. Reading of the order issued by the Scientific Medical Council (SMC) at the Ministry of Health regarding the establishment of the Scientific Society of Anatomists, Histologists, and Pathomorphologists;
2. Adoption of a model charter (proposed by the Ministry of Health)
3. Board election
The meeting proceeded with very active participation from most of those present. The remarks made by all participants reflected a desire for better internal structuring and organization of the Society’s academic activities. Initially, the formation of two sections was proposed: one on normal morphology and one on pathological morphology. Recommendations were also made for the creation of a histochemistry section. Another interesting proposal was that the scientific output of morphologists be reviewed by the society. It was also proposed that morphologists from other higher education institutions, such as zoologists, veterinarians, biologists, and others, be invited to become members of the society. Already at the founding meeting, the question was raised regarding the advisability of uniting anatomists and histologists on the one hand and pathologists on the other. The primary argument cited was the specific scientific issues of the individual disciplines, as well as the importance of forming two separate societies for establishing and maintaining international contacts with corresponding societies abroad.
Resolutions of the Founding Meeting
The decisions made at the founding meeting were summarized by the chair, Corresponding Member Prof. D. Kadanov, and recorded in the minutes as follows:
1. The Society of Anatomists, Histologists, and Pathomorphologists in Bulgaria is hereby established, with its headquarters in Sofia.
2. Two sections are established within the Society: a) the Section of Anatomists and Histologists, and b) the Section of Pathomorphologists.
3. A Sofia branch is established, as well as a branch in Plovdiv
4. The following are appointed to the Society’s Executive Board: Prof. Kadanov (Chair), Prof. Goranov (Board Member and Chair of the Section of Pathomorphologists), Prof. Kardzhiev (Member), Prof. N. Yordanov (Member), Dr. Manolov (secretary of the Society and of the Section of Anatomists and Histologists), Dr. Dashev (secretary of the Section of Pathomorphologists), Dr. Teoharov (treasurer), Dr. Pavlov (member), and Dr. Petkov (member).
5. The headquarters is located in Sofia.
6. Propose to the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Health that it organize a periodic journal for morphologists. In the meantime, participate in editing the section of the journal *Contemporary Medicine* (Experimental Medicine and Morphology).
On March 29, 1962, it became necessary to hold another general meeting of the association because the National Council of Ministers (NCM) at the Ministry of National Economy (MNE) had objected to the executive board consisting of nine members. It insisted on compliance with the bylaws, according to which the board must consist of seven members. At this meeting, the committee responsible for electing the board proposed a change, and the meeting unanimously voted for the following composition: Corresponding Member Prof. D. Kadanav (chair), Prof. B. Kardzhiev, Prof. A. Prodanov, Prof. Zh. Yordanov, Assoc. Prof. I. Georgiev, Assoc. Prof. V. Vankov, Dr. B. Teoharov.
Meanwhile, the Plovdiv branch held an organizational meeting at which it elected the following leadership: Prof. A. Prodanov (chair), Prof. D. Stanishhev (vice chair), Assoc. Prof. I. Georgiev (secretary), Dr. H. Milenkov, and Dr. P. Petrov (members).
At the meeting held on March 29, 1962, in Sofia, the leadership of the Sofia branch of the society was elected: Prof. Iv. Goranov, Dr. G. Dashev, Dr. P. Petkov, Dr. S. Manolov, and Dr. K. Pavlov.
Immediately after the society’s founding, the leadership convened and developed a program for the current year. In accordance with this program, the first section meetings and the first general scientific gatherings of the society were held. The first scientific papers were presented at these events. The first scientific presentations by foreign guests are also delivered to BAS's members (Dr. Manina of the USSR, who presents a report on regenerative changes in the central nervous system during embryonic development following radiation damage). The program also includes reports on the results of our morphologists’ trips abroad. The first two general meetings of the society were devoted to contemporary issues in morphology, with reports prepared by Corresponding Member Prof. D. Kadanov, Dr. Manolov, Dr. Atsev, Prof. Zh. Yordanov, and Dr. Chakarov. The preserved documents from this period attest to the great interest in the first scientific events and the desire of most members to actively participate in their organization.
BAS was recognized as a legal entity by a court ruling dated July 24, 1962, for which a certificate was issued by the Sofia People’s Court—Commercial Division, under No. 6 of 1962.
After the necessary stabilization of the BAS’s internal organization on May 20, 1962, the management decided to affiliate BAS with international associations and establish lasting ties with them. For this reason, and in connection with the participation of our representatives in the International Symposium on Histochemistry and Cytochemistry in May 1963 in Warsaw, a meeting of the management was held on November 22, 1962, at which a decision was made to propose the establishment of a histochemistry section within the society. Of primary importance for its establishment were the preparations for the creation of an international association for histochemistry and cytochemistry, of which our section was to become a collective member. On November 29, 1962, such a section was to be established at a general meeting, and although the minutes of that meeting are not in the archives, later documents unequivocally show that it took place and that such a section was formed. This is also evidenced by the fact that our section was included in the international organization of the symposium in Warsaw in 1963 and finally at the Federation Congress in Frankfurt in 1964. Furthermore, at the meeting where the division of the society’s main sections was approved, the question arose as to which society the histochemical section would join.
While working to strengthen the BAS’s internal organization, recruit new members, and establish its first international contacts, the company’s management actively participated in assessing the state of morphological science in Bulgaria, as well as in discussing its main directions and challenges. This joint initiative at the national level proposes addressing a number of important issues, such as: Age-related changes in the body under normal and pathological conditions; Changes in the cardiovascular system under normal and pathological conditions; Regenerative and adaptive capacities and capabilities of the central and peripheral nervous systems; Liver, lung, and experimental cancer with regard to histogenesis, as well as the significance of diet (including vitamins, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics); Occupational pathology, toxicodynamics, clinical manifestations, prevention, and dynamics of new toxic occupational hazards emerging in agricultural and industrial production. As is evident, the focus of scientific morphological research has shifted to the most pressing issues that have been posed for resolution to the global scientific community.
The active work of the society’s two sections, as well as of the society as a whole, is gradually revealing that the merger of the two main sections was, to a large extent, artificial. Despite the common ground—the use of the same morphological methods—the specific nature of the issues addressed by the two disciplines is quite different and, in practice, leads to a clear distinction between them.
This, along with the Society’s full participation in the international scientific community, led to a consensus against splitting the Society into two separate entities: one for normal anatomy and the other for pathological anatomy. On April 18, 1963, the issue of the Society’s division was specifically raised at a meeting. The minutes of that meeting do not indicate that a final decision was made on this matter. Some remarks suggest that raising this issue at that meeting was not in accordance with the bylaws. In practice, a decision was made to refer the matter to the Ministry of National Education. A letter sent to the National Council of the Ministry of National Education (the copy lacks an outgoing number and date) states that the division of the society was approved by a majority vote and requests confirmation of the decision by the society’s general assembly. There is no record of a response from the Ministry of National Economy. Regardless, the company is split, and the following are established:
1. The Bulgarian Society of Anatomists and Histologists
2. Bulgarian Society of Pathologists.
The initial version of BAS’s articles of association, adopted at the founding meeting on February 6, 1962, had been issued by the Ministry of National Education. As early as February 15, 1962, the management made proposals for amendments. Later, on May 29, 1969, Acad. Hadjiolov made new proposals for amendments to the bylaws, which were necessitated by the establishment of the Union of Scientific Medical Societies in Bulgaria (the founding congress was held on November 29, 1968). Prof. St. Manolov took on this task and, at the general organizational meeting held during the 6th National Conference in Pamporovo, presented a revised text of the Society’s bylaws for discussion. Discussions of this version did not lead to a vote, but a decision was made to have a three-member commission draft the final text, which would be put to a vote at the general meeting during the 7th conference in Varna. The vote took place on June 4, 1978.
The newly established independent society of anatomists and histologists has taken on a life of its own in both organizational and scientific terms, with the leadership continuing to carry out the planned program.