Iosif Kassirskii

Born Apr. 4 (16), 1898, in Fergana; died Feb. 21, 1971, in Moscow. Soviet internist and hematologist; academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR (1963), Honored Scientist of the Uzbek SSR (1960).

Kassirskii graduated in 1921 from the medical department of the University of Saratov. He became a professor at the Central Institute for the Advanced Training of Physicians. His research focused mainly on hematology, tropical diseases, rheumatology, and cardiology. It was his theory that active autobiological stimulants play a part in remissions of leukemia and in the morphodynamics of blood diseases. He suggested that kalaazar be diagnosed by means of sternal puncture, for which he designed a special needle (Kassirskii’s needle). He was the first in the USSR to take punctures of the lymph nodes and viscera for cytological diagnosis. He was the first in the world to propose and carry out intrasternal blood transfusions, a procedure of great value in the treatment of injuries, burns, and cachexia. He promoted the active planned rehospitalization of rheumatic patients. Kassirskii was vice-president of the International Society of Hematology (1961-–63) and an honorary member of the Polish and Hungarian medical societies and the Swiss Society of Hematology. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two other orders, and various medals.