Fate of the common soldier and decent life of the scientist

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In memory of the scientist

S.I. Isakov

Fate of the common soldier and decent life of the scientist

Semyon Innokentyevich Isakov participated in the Great Patriotic War, served as a soldier within 7 years; was awarded the medal  «For the victory over Japan», the order of the Patriotic War of the 2-nd class 1941–1945, jubilee medals of victory in the Great Patriotic War, medal "Georgy Zhukiv" 1996. After demobilization, Isakov S.I. worked as the chairman of the sport committee by executive committee of Yakutsk district council.

At the age of 7, Semyon Innokentyevich became an orphan after the death of his parents; five orphaned children were taken by relatives or foisted off to strangers, some - sent to an orphan’s home. Semyon lived in the house of an old man called Kuusteekh Kostokuun who was a very good friend of his father. Once, the elder from the Buyaginsky agricultural community came to visit this old man and saw the little orphan; he felt very sorry for him and took him off, then send him to the boarding school. After the test of his knowledge in second grade at school which lasted within two days, he got promoted to te third grade. He told that did not remember when he had learnt to read but by that time, he was able to read fluently. He was a good pupil at school.

The school director Afanasiy Petrovich Prokopyev was a very kind man, he took care of orphan children.

The Great Patriotic War started, locust years came, whole families died. At that time, the chair of Tommotsky district executive committee – Ivanov Sergei Gavrilyevich advised Semyon to go to the army. Then, he finished his study at school, passed the commission exams and went to the army.

He served as a trooper and submachine gunner in the 111th tank division, fought on  the Eastern Front  against Japan, in the ranks of the Soviet  army served as a soldier from June 1943 to July 1950. After demobilization, he worked as the chairman of the sport committee by the Executive Committee of Yakutsk district council.

In October 1950, he entered the Yakutsk Agricultural College and successfully graduated from it in 1954. Then he was named to a position of the director of the collective farm «Pravda». In a few short years, the agricultural productivity of the farm increased; rich harvests of grain and legumes including potatoes were gathered. Milk yield increased twice, a power station was build, a saw power bench and an electrical mill were installed, and a homemade hiller and a self-filling drinker purchased.

The collective farm under the management of Isakov S.I. became free from cattle tuberculosis and brucellosis. He performed a hard creative work on the elimination of massive losses of calves caused by white-muscle disease. Main causes of disease were determined and shortly the massive mortality of calves was stopped.

Isakov S.I. entered the Yakutsk State University; after graduation from the university, he work within many years as a chief veterinarian in many regions of the republic. He was elected deputy of the District Council of People's Deputies; worked as vice chairman and chairman of executive committee, a chief veterinary physician in Srednekolymsk district (1966–1968).

Semyon Innokentyevich Isakov is one among the few representatives of ethnic minorities of the North of Yakutia who achieved a considerable success in professional and scientific  fields.

Being a student of the Yakutsk State University, Isakov S.I. began his scientific activity.

While working as a chief veterinary physician in Ust-Maysky District in 1973, he was the first among the veterinarians of the republic who defended his PhD thesis on the topic «Some issues on epizootology of the main strongylatoses in herd horses in Yakutia and treatment of theses helminthiases» without discontinuing work.

Since 1975, after becoming a research associate of Yakutsk Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture, he began to study the extremely dangerous diseases of humans and animals – echinococcosis and alveococcosis.

He worked on this unexplored problem within 17 years risking his health, and defended successfully his doctoral thesis.

Isakov S.I. determined the role of domestic and wild animals in human pathology.

We have been working together with Semyon Innokentyevich since 1989 on the issues of prevention and struggle against echinococcosis and alveococcosis; we created recommendations, in cooperation with the government authorities we developed a schedule of complex measures approved by the order of the government of the republic Sakha (Yakutia).

The same complex five-year plans were created for the struggle against diphyllobothriasis. As a result of conducted measures, the incidence of echinococcosis and diphyllobothriasis in the republic has been significantly reduced.

Isakov S.I., was known worldwide due to his research on echinococcosis; he was invited by the International foundation JNTAS to the international conference which took place in Almaty in 2002. The conference report presented by Isakov S.I. was highly appreciated.

Isakov S.I. has published more than 100 articles, 3 monographs, an invention patent.

Isakov S.I. was recognized as the only leading scientist who fundamentally studied dangerous anthropozoonotic helminthiases for many years.

Since 1975 Isakov S.I. worked as a teacher at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Yakut State University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Yakut State Agricultural Academy. By the decision of the State Committee of RF for Higher Education, Isakov S.I. was awarded the rank of professor.

Under the management of Isakov S.I. 3 doctors of science and 5 PhD’s were prepared.

For his long-term scientific activity he received the titles «Honoured veterinary doctor of the Republic Sakha (Yakutia)» and «Honored Scientist of RF».

Over the years, Isakov S.I. was a member of Scientific Councils of Yakut Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture and Yakut State Agricultural Academy, a member of a specialized Dissertation Council  for PhD theses defense,  chairman of the Presidium of Yakut division of International Academy of Veterinary Science, academician of Northern Forum Academy.

Semyon Innokentyevich Isakov passed away at the age of  89; he has been working with us till the last.

Professor Isakov S.I. was the great and recognized scientist who made a considerable contribution to domestic and world helminthological science; he was a participant of the Great Patriotic War and performed the feat of arms, science and labor.


Colleague and pupil of Semyon Innokentyevich Isakov
Doctor of veterinary sciences,
Head of the laboratory for helminthology
of Yakut Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture
Ludmila Mikhailovna Kokolova 


© 2015 The Author(s). Published by All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of  Fundamental and Applied Parasitology of Animals and Plants named after K.I. Skryabin. 
This is an open access article under the Agreement of 02.07.2014 (Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI)) and the Agreemnt of 12/06/2014 (CABI org / Human Sciences section)