Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026. Vol. 71. № 3

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-3-135-140

Yu.E. Kvacheva

Academician N.A. Krayevsky (on the 120th Anniversary of the Birthand the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the National School of Radiation Pathology)

A.I. Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia

Contact person: Yu.E. Kvacheva, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Abstract

In 2025, we mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of a world-renowned scientist, an outstanding figure in Russian medical science, one of the pioneering organizers of healthcare in the nuclear industry, and one of the creators of our country’s nuclear shield, Academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences N.A. Kraevsky, who made an invaluable contribution   to the study of the pathology of various human diseases. One of the most striking and significant chapters of N.A. Kraevsky’s professional biography was the creation of a new scientific and practical field for twentieth-century medicine–radiation pathology–whose development coincided with his tenure at the Institute of Biophysics (1950–1965). In historically short periods, under the scientific leadership of N.A. Kraevsky, the main pathological syndromes of acute and chronic radiation sickness were studied, later complemented by detailed morphological descriptions of the long-term consequences and carcinogenic effects of radiation exposure. During this period, pathological and forensic medical services were also organized under the 3rd Main Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Health. The results of large-scale scientific research conducted under N.A. Kraevsky at the Institute of Biophysics and its branches formed the basis for seven doctoral and more than twenty candidate theses, information about which is presented here for the first time. Following the traditions established by N.A. Kraevsky, the activities of the school of radiation pathology he founded continued in subsequent decades. Its representatives made a significant contribution to the system of medical measures to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, during which an unprecedented volume of clinical and anatomical studies of acute human radiation damage was conducted worldwide.

The scientific ideas of Nikolai Alexandrovich Kraevsky continue to develop today. Based on the synthesis of many years of research experience at the N.A. Kraevsky School of Radiation Pathology, a new scientific discipline – medical nuclear forensics – has been established. As with all of Nikolai Alexandrovich’s work, these developments have a pronounced social focus, which today is applied to enhance the effectiveness of investigations of unlawful incidents involving sources of ionizing radiation, resulting in practical measures to counter radiological terrorism and ensure the radiation safety of the population and territories of the Russian Federation.

Keywords:  N.A. Kraevsky, radiation pathology, pathologicalanatomy,medical nuclear forensics, prominent scientists-radiobiologists, history of science, anniversary

For citation:  Kvacheva YuE. Academician N.A. Krayevsky (on the 120th Anniversary of the Birthand the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the National School of Radiation Pathology). Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026;71(3):135–140. DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-3-135-140

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Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Financing. The study had no sponsorship.

Contribution. The article was prepared by one author.

Article received: 20.02.2026. Accepted for publication: 25.03.2026.