Sketches to the portrait of Nikolai Timofeeff-Ressovsky

Instead of Introduction

It was the year of 1954-1955. I was a post-graduate biophysicist, specializing in Radiobiology. The Biophysics Chair of the Biology department at Moscow state University was in Mokhovaya street, then it moved to the Lenin (now, Vorobiev) hills.The Head of the Chair was Professor Boris Nikolaevich Tarussov. Volodya (Vladimir Ivanovich) Korogodin and I had our laboratory places in a room in the basement of the Biology department. There were my aquaria with hydras Pelmatohydra oligactis from the ponds of the Moscow Zoo and, separately, with water fleas Daphnia for hydra feeding. In the next room, there was an X-ray apparatus for the irradiation of living objects under study. A special compartment with a labyrinthine shielding - a Co⁶⁰ gamma gun, also for irradiation - was on the same floor.
  Looking at some subsequent years, I would like to metion an event, very bright in my memory, when, in the winter of 1955-1956 Nikolai Wladimirovich was doing a regular "patrol tour" around the Chair in the company of Boris Nikolaevich. The regular check tours were committed without permission and against the sound categoric prohibition, issued by the Dean of the Biology department, to "slap the doors of the department in front of this mendellist-morganist-weismanist". Seeing my aquaria with water thyme and hundreds of hydras, and, finding out my thesis theme, Nikolai Wladimirovich exclaimed with approval: " This is what I like: flesh and blood!" He told me that they had organized a group of "watermen*", as well as, "tankmen*", "coffin-makers*", "cavalrymen"* and other groups, at the biological station in Miassovo in the Ilmen reserve zone, Tchelyabinsk region, after the studies in "zone 40", i.e. Tchelyabinsk-40. And he invited me to come during summer months, for a training course in "water" problems, which was supervised by Elena Aleksandrovna, his wife. I was immensly glad and immediately promised to come, by all means. I added also, that I planned to work after the thesis at the Sevastopol biological station of AS, the USSR, and he sang to my words with his rich Shalyapin-like voice: "Duke's pier, Sevastopol, the waves of the sea were lapping over it." Later, I learned that one of his ancestors from the rich in brave warriors kin of Rurik** was a Hero of Sevastopol - Admiral Nakhimov. An avenue and a square are called after his name in the city. Other ancestors of his family were outstanding figures in the region of the Mediterranian and Black seas. Breaking out from a Turkish prison, they seized warships,including a freighter.
  Thus, I was immediately involved in the scientific activities of "watermen" in "Radiation Hydrobiology", under Elena Aleksandrovna's guidance, and, geographically, I found myself on the territory of Timofeeff-Ressovsky's brave ancestors. Originally, from 5 September 1956, the radiobiological laboratory of the Sevastopol biostation (later, the laboratory was enlarged and turned into a department of radiation and chemical biology of the Institute of South Seas' Biology, named after A.O.Kovalevsky, AS USSR) grew into a branch of the colossal scientific tree of "Radiation Biogeocenology", created by Nikolai Wladimirovich in "hostile far-away lands" (in Berlin, Copenhagen and other places) and in "dear vast valleys of Motherland" (Tchelyabinsk-40, Sverdlovsk and Obninsk). From the start, I armed myself with his bright witty priciples. I consider the most outstanding of them the following: "Why is point 5 primarily important?" Other scientists approve of these principles too. For example, on the 11th of December 1996 professor A.Aarkrog was awarded with a memorial medal of professor N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky (Aleksandre Viktorovich Trapeznikov, the "grand"-chief of the Sverdlovsk department, established by Nikolai Wladimirovich, handed it to him), which had an inscription on it: "In Life and in Science always see the Essential and the Nonessential." I saw the enthusiasm in the face of the outstanding Danish scientist, who works in the field of the biosphere radioactivity, and his words of gratitude immediately proved my thoughts: "Oh, yes, I absolutely agree with this moto!"

  And now, let me start from the very beginning.
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Being a post-graduate in 1953-56, I "was gnawing at" literature on Radiation Biophysics, where I constantly met the names of Western learned men: Lea, Timofeeff-Ressovsky, Zimmer and others. Suddenly, rumours crept on the Chair, growing louder and louder, that a Western scholar Timofeeff-Ressovsky appeared to be working at a laboratory in the Urals, where he had his own laboratory equipment brought along from Berlin-Buch. He was also said to have plans to open a department at the Institute of Biology, at the Urals Department of the Academy of Sciences (UDAS) of the USSR Besides, he was expected to come to Moscow to attend a conference on Medical Radiology. The reaction of different Moscow scientific circles was contrasting. An out-of-reach quiet scholar known only in scientific literature, suddenly turned out to disturb the tranquillity of academic spheres, as he was the closest colleague of T.Morgan and G.D.Meller. It should be noted here that the responsibility for the purity ( in the meaning of ideological "cleanness") in the Soviet Genetics lay on the pet of the communist general secretaries, from Stalin to Khrushchev, the "folk" agrobiologist T.D.Lysenko.
  Well, the conference was in a vast amphitheatre conference-hall. We, the young, sat at the back and in front rows, naturally. We could better see the lecturer. There were three persons in the Presidium - one of them standing, another one walking up and down energetically, with his head bull-like, discussing simultanously the question of biological refinement of radioactive water. We were told that one of them was Timofeeff-Ressovsky Nikolai Wladimirovich. But who? It must be a well-bred dandy, besides, after dozens of years of life abroad he was sure to have a foreign accent, or at least, sounds. The one who was walking to and fro, standing on his tip toes from time to time, to impress the listenner with his ideas, spoke brilliant Russian, very emphatically and idiomatically. And he was the man.
  He delivered late-evening lectures on Genetics at the department of Mechanics and Mathematics, at the Chair of professor Lyapunov (he was not allowed to deliver lectures at other departments), where a Hungarian scientist was invited at the time. Long discussions were in German, but it was absolutely clear that he spoke Russian much better than any Muscovite.
  I remember the complicated procedure, even a secret operation, of Timofeeff-Ressovsky's intrusion into the Biophysics Chair, as a private person, on the invitation of the courageous Head of the Chair, B.N.Tarussov. We, half a dozen of post-graduates, were waiting for him at the fixed time at the department entrance to safeguard him passing the Cerberusin the crowd, through a side door of the department (The front door was "on the alert" and impossible to enter - it had been ordered by the Dean not to let the foot of the ex-student of MSU, now, a "reactionist" geneticist, step into "Alma Mater"). So, N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky, in a hat and coat hanging loose, arrived at the place of the appointment. We got acquainted - and I must say, he never made an acquaintance 'formally', he remembered the first and the second name together with the surname of the person, where he or she was from and whose pupil, once and forever.The photo of the 'initiative group' (to let him to the Chair) with N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky in the centre at the Biology department was published in the Russian magazine "Science and Life" to his jubilee. Then, in the room of the Head of the Chair ( it was not allowed to use a big hall with large audience), in the presence of exceptionally professors, senior lecturers and post-graduates we discussed the following questions:
a/ scientific priorities of the Chair - Boris Nikolaevich speaking;
b/ "Vernadskology with Sukachevism" - mainly speaking Nikolai Wladimirovich. After that we visited the laboratories. It is that very visit that is described at the biginning of the memoirs.
  N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky also made a lecture at a seminar in the Institute of Physics of AS USSR, under the guidance of P.L.Kapitsa. I remeber some questions of P.L.Kapitsa: "What is the behaviour of the radioactive cesium produced at the nuclear weapons' tests when it falls out to the soil from the atmosphere?" The answer was very remarkable to remember: "Usually, it is deadly adsorbed by the soil". This utterance was proved many a time after the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl NPS.
  Now, the time came when the diplomatic V.N.Stoletov from the Ministry of Higher Education of the USSR rose to a rather outstanding administration post in the Science Authorities and "put on" a more loyal mask in the questions of freedom of thought in Genetics, moreover, the Lysenko dogmas came more and more audacious, though, still being supported by the gensec (General Secretary of the Communist Party I.Stalin). This time N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky entered the building of the Biology department on the invitation of V.N.Stoletov, officially, through the front door, and delivered a lecture in one of the halls. The Big hall remained the obvious preference of the gensec. As usual, the lecture by Nikolai Wladimirovich was very bright, left no doubtful thoughts and was really an esthetic pleasure. All his "verbal free-style exercises" were in the right place and were accepted as an illustration method or a measure to enforce memorizing. In some cases, again exactly to the occasion, they reminded of his wide range of life experience: the refine procedure of the ceremony in the Royal British Society and horrible ways of survival in concentration camps with convicts in Kazakhstan, or a miraculous escape from death during the "last trip" in a cargo train (stuffed with people alive, dying and already dead), from the Far East to Moscow. I always thought that if it had been possible to establish equal conditions for public lectures and discussions for N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky and T.D.Lysenko at universities, institutes, in mass media, the final result would have been too obvious and clear. But the power was above Logic and the interests of the state...
  As a contrast, I remember, as if it was yesterday, a "lecture" by T.D.Lysenko at the Biology department of MSU. It was held, of course, in the Big hall and it was on Speciation. The impression was disgusting and the mood was spoiled for long: it was a mockery of an imbecile, a vindictive feeble-minded man, at the modern science. I remember his silly pronouncements. The contrast was aggrevated with a hoarse voice. One of his "pearls" was: "Some people think that Lysenko is a fool. They will learn what it means and they will feel it in their skinnn!"
  It was absolutely clear that such a"super-outlaw" like N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky could succeed to survive (not taking into consideration horrible years in prisons and camps) only somewhere inaccessibly far away: in the international laboratory in Berlin, or at the secret site "Tchelyabinsk-40", being there a convict-head of the camp laboratory, because the camp manager was wise and farsighted enough.
  His ancestors, who set off to explore the North Pole, managed to escape from an African prison, stealing a ship and sailing it from Turkey to Sevastopol. Later, one of them was awarded with a high naval rank.

Miassovo, meetings, correspondence.
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As we had arranged, I sent the following telegramme: "Miasse Tchelyabinsk region Ilmen reserve Miassovo biostation Timofeeff-Ressovsky - Arriving in Miasse on 10 June. Polikarpov. Sevastopol"
  Having arrived, I observed the people on the platform to find the driver. There were not many people, so it was easy, I introduced myself. "And where is the second man?" - "I am alone." - "Why? And Mr Sevastyanov?" - "No, I am the only one." - "Then, let's search. Sevastyanov! Sevastyanov!" I also shouted "Sevastyanov!" Then the driver said:" Maybe, he'll come with another train. We have to wait." But I was beginning to guess and asked: "Where is he from?" "What do you mean "where"? The same place as you. There was only one telegramme." - "Show it to me, please!" I was right - it was signed "Polikarpov Sevastyanov" - it was a misprint instead Sevastopol. I explained it to the driver, he was annoyed we were losing time, while the way was not short and the road was not "so smooth".
  At last we arrived, I walked to the biostation, Nikolai Wladimirovich met me enthusiatically, embraced, called by the first and the second name and asked where that Sevastyanov was. The explanation was followed by an outburst of laughter around the lake Big Miassovo. After that episode, Korogodin, who came earlier, and I were called "Brothers Sevastyanov" for quite a long time.
  Then I was led into a tent, shown the equipment and invited to have tea and an interview in the cottage of the N.W. and E.A. Timofeeff-Ressovskys. The next morning I was introduced into the group of "watermen" where I started an experiment on cerium-144 accumulation by the fresh water mollusks, under the guidance of the most amiable and kindest person Elena Aleksandrovna. I shall not discuss here the scientific side of this and other experiments with other nuclides and hydrobionts: there are papers on them. Every summer, in 1957 and 1958, I went to Miassovo and worked hard. I had so much experience (more than for 10 pages). It was very natural for me to meet a lot of people, among them the Head of the biostation, a post-graduate of N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky - Nikolai Vasilievich Kulikov. Later, he succeeded him in the department, became Doctor of Biology, Professor.
  But at that time we all were afraid and ill-informed, including the post-graduate A.Tyuryukanov, who emerged at the entrance of my tent and asked in whisper about the affairs at the biostation. He himself arrived with a group of soil specialists from MSU (we used to live on the same, 9th, floor at the university hostel). "They say, he said, he experimented you guess on whom (?!), there, in Berlin..." I stopped him: "Go and talk to him, then you'll see that a person of his rank, with his principles and character, never experiments on those who must not be subjected to tests." After a talk the post-graduate came back with an absolutely different opinion. And he visited him more and more often, becoming in the course of time one of his closest colleagues.
  I would like to mark that the main magnifying force for experienced scholars and young scientists to attract them to the Miassovo biostation were not only mutual experimental investigations but also regular colloqua under the guidance of Nikolai Wladimirovich. His manner of supervision was excellent, and all of us experienced deep satisfaction, like having overcome a huge peak in the mountains. This side of his activities is much discussed in mass media.
  My close participation in the activities of the progressive school by N.W.Timofeeff-Ressovsky brought about the main trends of research at the organised at the time laboratory of Sea Radiobiology in Sevastopol, at the Sevastopol biological station of AS USSR. I was completely preoccupied with planning for the special experimental block and parallel research in old rebuilt station blocks in Primorsk avenue. But I never stopped to write letters to the Timofeeff-Ressovskys until their last days. Elena Aleksandrovna answered my letters from Sverdlovsk ( or from Miassovo in summer), after their move - from Obninsk. I went to Obninsk to visit them. Those were very interesting and friendly contacts, as usual. After the death of Elena Aleksandrovna Nikolai Wladimirovich continued writing to me, despite the degrading eyesight. I was present at the funeral ceremony of Elena Aleksandrovna in Obninsk. In my study, there are their portraits - they were sent to me on my request by Nikolai Wladimirovich. Above their portraits there is a portrait of V.I.Vernadsky.
  In 1963 Elena Aleksandrovna published her monograph "Radioisotope distribution in the main components of fresh water resevoirs" (Proceedings of the Institute of Biology, UDAS USSR, Issue 30), and it was in no time issued in English in the Oxbridge series, by the USA National Laboratory. The next year she defended her thesis in Sverdlovsk, while I had the honour to be an opponent to this outstanding paper, which met all the necessary requirements for a Doctoral Thesis. And, inspite of a gastral attack after snacking something from Sevastopol shops, I managed to arrive in Sverdlovsk to be present at the event.The Chairman of the Thesis Council was the Director of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, UDAS USSR, academician S.S.Shvarts.
  It was well-known that Nikolai Wladimirovich was very critical in his nature, trying to tell "essential" from "nonessential". He hated "empty talk". The term "Radioecology" was also criticised by him because of several "weak" papers on the topic. We had some occasions to discuss the word in Miassovo and Sverdlovsk.
  At the Annual report discussion in the AS Council on Radiobiology in Obninsk, at 33, Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya street, Nikolai Wladimirovich referred himself and the scientists whom he thought of the same qualification to "reasonable radioecologists". He commenced his speech with the words: "We, reasonable ecologists,..." and discussed the department achievements. Actually, radioecology became popular, and many a scientist, especially, technocrats, turned out to be radioecologists, but unreasonable.
  I remeber my visit to Moscow, after a long expidition to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbian sea and the island of Cuba in 1965. I attended a lecture by Nikolai Wladimirovich at the MSU department of Biology, where he was reading a course on Population Genetics. I was extremely glad to see it, like ten years before, when he had been allowed to enter the building! And I was very happy to see Nikolai Wladimirovich, friendly and hospitable, as usual.
  Nikolai Wladimirovich used to say: " A true scientist cannot be a bad person, and visa versa". He and his wife Elena Aleksandrovna were true scientists and personalities, Nikolai Wladimirovich was a genius, he was terrifically energetic, with an acute train of thought which saw to the very core of any problem. He was generous in sharing his energy, he talked with equal attention to a worker, a clerk, an artist or a researcher. I feel his energy inside me.
  I hope to find time and describe everything in more detail, with citing letters, naming colleagues. I mentioned only several of them here. Let us hope, everything is in store for us!

Polikarpov G.G.
Institute of Biology of South Seas, after A.O.Kovalevsky National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine Nakhimov avenue, 2 Sevastopol 335011
* Slang used in scientific groups of Timofeeff-Ressovsky's research laboratory:
"watermen" - the researchers who made experiments with radionuclides in the aquarium conditions;
"Tankmen" - the researchers who conducted experiments in tanks with lotic water in natural conditions;
"Coffin-makers" - those who studied migration capabilities of plants in relations with radionuclides or radiosensitivity in a gamma-field in long big boxes with soil;
"cavalrymen" - those who evaluated radionuclide transmission from a vegetation vessel with aquatic medium into another one with the help of grass seedlings, which "sit" on the vessel sides like cavalrymen on horseback.
**Rurik - Russian form of Roderick; died 879, Scandinavian conquerer who founded the Russian monarchy, the House of Rurik, which lasted from 862 to 1598.