Sergey Yevgenevich SEVERIN

Background

Sergey Yevgenevich Severin was born in 1901 in the Russian Empire (later the Soviet Union).

Education

Severin graduated from Moscow University in 1924, where he received training in the biological sciences and began focusing on biochemistry, a rapidly developing field in early Soviet scientific research.

Career

Sergey Yevgenevich Severin began his professional career in 1924 at the Moscow Institute of Occupational Diseases, where he specialized in biochemistry and physiology. During this period, Soviet biomedical science was expanding, particularly in areas related to labor conditions and human physiology, providing a foundation for his later research.

In 1932, Severin was appointed professor and head of the Chair of Biochemistry at the 3rd Moscow Medical Institute (later Ryazan Medical Institute). His role involved both teaching medical students and conducting biochemical research, particularly in areas relevant to clinical and physiological processes.

Between 1933 and 1939, Sergey Yevgenevich Severin also served as professor and head of the Chair of Biochemistry at Moscow University. In this capacity, he contributed to the development of academic biochemistry, helping train future scientists and physicians while advancing research programs within the university system.

Severin’s research focused primarily on the biochemistry of blood and muscle tissue. He is noted for helping to establish the timing and sequence of appearance of compounds such as carnosine and anserine during organism development, as well as their role in enhancing phosphorylation processes in skeletal muscle. This work contributed to a broader understanding of muscle metabolism and biochemical regulation.

In the postwar period, Severin held several important administrative and research leadership roles. From 1945 to 1947, he served as director of the Institute of Nutrition, where research addressed dietary science and public health. He later became director of the Institute of Biological and Medical Chemistry of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences (1948–1949), reflecting his standing within Soviet biomedical research.

From 1949 to 1957, Sergey Yevgenevich Severin served as academic secretary of the Department of Medical and Biological Sciences of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, a position involving coordination of scientific programs and oversight of research directions at a national level.

In addition to his research and administrative work, Severin was active in scientific publishing. He served as editor of the journal Voprosy meditsinskoy khimii (Problems of Medical Chemistry) and was a member of the editorial board of the Bolshaya meditsinskaya entsiklopediya (Large Medical Encyclopedia), contributing to the dissemination and organization of scientific knowledge.

Membership

Sergey Yevgenevich Severin was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences in 1948 and became a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1953. His scientific contributions were recognized with major state honors, including the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, as well as several medals.

References

• Sergey Yevgenevich Severin - Heroes of the Country The international patriotic internet project "Heroes of the Country." Biographical essays about Heroes of the Soviet Union.