«A brilliant teacher and popularizer»: Professor Pavel Nikolaevich Kashkin (1902-1991)

Based on archival materials this article reveals the main stages in the biography, as well as the scientific, pedagogical, and social activities of an outstanding scientist and professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and Candidate of Biological Sciences P. N. Kashkin. He was the founder of the Microbiology Department at the Leningrad Chemical and Pharmaceutical Institute (now known as SPCPU), one of the key figures in the reorganization of the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Faculty at the 1st Leningrad Medical Institute during the period from 1936 to 1937. He also established the world's first Faculty of Engineering and Microbiology in Saint Petersburg State Chemical Pharmaceutical University and became the head of this faculty. He outlined the most important task for the university – to train highly qualified specialists for the antibiotic industry, especially in antifungal drugs. P. N. Kashkin's contributions include numerous discoveries, the creation of a scientific school, and the scientific mentorship of many students that includes such prominent scientists as N. P. Elinov, V. V. Dobromyslov, A. A. Kutsenko, and S.A. Krastelevskaya. Professor P.N. Kashkin's scientific interests were very diverse. He studied the variability of microbes and pathogenic yeasts, epidemiology of fungal diseases, pathogenesis of tuberculosis, microbiology of medicines, preparation and characterization of antibiotics etc. P.N. Kashkin was the direct founder of the Leningrad Institute of Antibiotics, where he served as the first scientific director. He mentored several generations of researchers and qualified specialists, and founded a scientific school that includes dozens of candidates and doctors of science. P.N. Kashkin also became the founder of mycoses’s epidemiology in Russia. His work has had a significant impact on the development of this field. In 1951 P.N. Kashkin was awarded the State Prize for his book "Dermatomycosis". He has written dozens of works, including a standard textbook on microbiology for pharmaceutical students that has gone through 4 editions. P.N. Kashkin is a laureate of the USSR State Prize (1951) and has received numerous awards for his achievements in medical science. In 1957 he was awarded the title of Honored Scientist of the RSFSR, as well as the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of The October Revolution, and several medals. From 1951 to 1970 Kashkin served as Head of the Microbiology Department at the Leningrad State Institute for Advanced Medical Education named after S.M. Kirov. During this time, his name became known among mycologists as a major expert in the field due to his work in organizing the fight against fungal skin diseases.