Basketball

BASKETBALL (from English basket and ball), a team sport (see Sport) the essence of which is that each team strives to throw a leather ball with their hands the greatest number of times into a bottomless basket (diameter 38 cm) located at a height of 3 m from the floor and attached to a wooden backboard. Two teams of 5 people each play, with 2 halves of 20 minutes each. The winning team is the one that scores the greater number of points (baskets made). The playing court is a rectangle from 18 to 28 m long and from 15 to 18 m wide; above the middle of the short edge, the backboard with the basket is installed. Basketball is a very lively and interesting game, developing mobility, speed of movement, agility, resourcefulness, eye-measure, and fostering team skills. The rules of the game, by prohibiting running with the ball in hand, snatching the ball from hands, etc., ensure the absence of roughness in the game. Speed is achieved not by individual, but by collective efforts, since passing the ball happens all the time. Compared to football (see), basketball has significant advantages, since it fosters more vital

reflexes (passing and tossing the ball with hands rather than feet and head) and requires less strain (not only the legs work, but all the muscles of the body—when picking up the ball from the ground and stretching the body when throwing the ball). The danger of injuries is almost eliminated. The game is also accessible in winter, as it requires a small indoor space. Basketball is recommended not only for men, but also for women. Studies of the effect of basketball on the adult organism, carried out by the State Central Institute of Physical Culture, showed a generally satisfactory reaction of the organism. A characteristic feature is the great nervous excitation of the cardiovascular system: increased pulse rate and a sharp rise in minimum blood pressure, appearing more sharply after the second half and lasting quite a long time after the end of the game. On the part of the blood, there is a weak but typical reaction: the end of the lymphocytic and the beginning of the neutrophilic phase. A small amount of protein and casts are often found in the urine. The strength and nature of the reaction depend mainly on the participants' training, their activity, and the tempo of the game. Studies of adolescents gave a poorer reaction, in view of which the duration and nature of the game (court size, ball size, etc.) must be modified for them. The duties of the physician include monitoring the hygiene of the playing room, examining participants for admission to scheduled competitions, and periodic monitoring during training to avoid overfatigue.

V. Ivanovsky. BASOV, Vasily Aleksandrovich (1812–79), prominent surgeon and professor. In 1833, having graduated from Moscow University, he received the title of physician, in 1834—veterinary surgeon, and in 1841—doctor of medicine and surgery. Left at the university (from 1834), in 1843 he was sent abroad, where he became acquainted with the anatomical treasures of the Hunterian Museum and Guy's Hospital, with the visual teaching methods in the lectures of Dumas, Andral, Grant, Barth, and in the clinics of Velpeau, Jobert. Upon returning to Moscow (1846), he was successively adjunct of the surgical clinic and lecturer in theoretical surgery with ophthalmiatrics, then extraordinary and finally ordinary professor (1852) of the same department. From 1859, Basov served as director of the faculty surgical clinic (successor to F. I. Inozemtsev), holding this position almost until his death. In addition, he was a resident physician at the Moscow Military Hospital (1848–1858) and senior physician at the Moscow City Hospital (1850–1859). Basov's teaching was not entirely free from dogmatism and scholastic methods—shortcomings of that time; however, his lectures on theoretical surgery were illustrated with charts, specimens, and photographs, and sometimes accompanied by animal experiments (he was the first vivisector among the professors of Moscow University). Basov's scientific activity, closely connected with surgical practice, was expressed predominantly in casuistic reports. A European-educated physician, Basov served in Russia as a conduit for many principles of Western science; thus, he performed the first tracheotomy in Moscow. Familiar with the work of W. Beaumont (1834) and independently of Blondlot (1843), he placed the first artificial fistula in a dog (1842). His largely original dissertation "On Calculus Disease of the Urinary Bladder" enjoyed European fame; it provides an anatomical justification for the indirect lateral section method. A highly humane man, a good practical surgeon, Basov was one of the best lithotomists in Moscow. Plastic surgery on the face, removal of neck and jaw tumors, amputations, and lateral lithotomies constituted the main sphere of activity of Basov, a surgeon of the pre-antiseptic era. He possessed amazing technique until his final days. It should be noted that Basov's scientific and pedagogical activity took place in conditions unfavorable for the development of Russian science (the reactionary era of the reign of Nicholas I, University Statute of 1835). Basov authored a number of published works.