DISSERTATION

DISSERTATION (from Latin dissertatio - discussion), a scientific work presented by the author to a higher educational institution for the purpose of obtaining an academic degree (master or doctor) and defended in an open meeting of the relevant academic council. The emergence of dissertations is connected with the first medieval universities, in which the solemn defense of a dissertation in the form of a public dispute took place on all faculties, including the medical one. In a number of countries, the mandatory submission and defense of dissertations still exist, serving as a form of examination for candidates seeking the degree of doctor, in particular doctor of medicine. In addition to defending the dissertation, the candidate must pass a special examination in all subjects of the medical faculty or in disciplines related to his chosen specialty. At the same time, more extensive requirements are made of the examinee than of a physician or doctor; in addition to practical knowledge, he must provide "irrefutable proof of his erudition". In Russia, the submission of a dissertation was permitted only after passing examinations. In Germany, the order is reversed: permission to take examinations is possible only after the dissertation has been accepted by the faculty. In general, in different countries and even in individual universities, the rules for dissertations differ somewhat. However, almost everywhere the following provisions are accepted: the dissertation must be printed at the author's expense with a certain format (in quarto or in octavo, good paper) and submitted to the faculty in a certain number of copies (in some countries, submission of the dissertation in manuscript is permitted); the institution where the work was done and the names of its censors are indicated on the title page; the literary sources used by the author are cited in the dissertation. A biography of the author and a list of his works are attached to the dissertation. The dissertation is evaluated by the faculty based on the review of reviewers or censors specially appointed from among the professors. The topic of the dissertation is indicated by the faculty, proposed by one of the professors, or chosen by the author himself. Dissertations defended by physicians are devoted to the most diverse questions - clinical, experimental, statistical, historical, abstract-philosophical, and others. The size of dissertations ranges from small brochures to bulky volumes. Until the middle of the 19th century, dissertations were written exclusively in Latin everywhere (and in Russia). Only from this time was the living language of the country allowed for medical dissertations. In Germany, England, and other countries, dissertations often became the subject of buying and selling. For example, in Edinburgh at the end of the 18th century, there was an open trade in dissertations. This circumstance was reflected in the German law of 1900, according to which a candidate submitting a dissertation must indicate whose advice he used and in what way during his dissertation work, and take an oath that he received no outside help except the guidance specified. The public defense of a dissertation has preserved certain features of medieval solemnity to our day, especially in England, and to some extent in France. The dispute takes place in the assembly hall (aula, hence the French term these auliques) and is accompanied by magnificent heraldic symbolism, which has long lost its living meaning; the participants of the meeting wear bright togas and berets; at the conclusion, a ring is placed on the candidate - a symbol of betrothal to science, and all those present kiss the newly consecrated doctor as a sign of solidarity. The defense of a dissertation is arranged less lavishly, but still quite festively in Germany. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the German order was adopted in this respect. The public dispute on the topic of the dissertation had its significance in the era of the flourishing of school rhetoric and the absence or weak development of printing. In the 19th century, the public defense of a dissertation degenerated into a mere formality, since permission to defend it was given only after the dissertation had been approved by the faculty in substance. The unquestionable benefit of a dissertation to the author lies in the in-depth study of a specific question - a study without which it is impossible to carry out any independent scholarly research in the chosen specialty, as the rules require. However, the scientific value of most dissertations, due to a number of circumstances, turns out to be insignificant. According to the established procedure, the fate of a dissertation ultimately depends on only one or two members of the faculty, which means that the influence of external factors, such as personal relationships, etc., cannot be ruled out. Moreover, the degree of doctor of medicine gives in many states not only the right to teach in higher education (licentia docendi) but also the right to hold certain administrative positions (chief physician of medical institutions, military units, etc.). Therefore, dissertations are often written by people who have no intention of devoting themselves to science and who consider a dissertation only as an inevitable means of obtaining certain rights. Such candidates naturally follow the line of least resistance, presenting little original works and lowering the average level of dissertations. This leads to a huge pollution of the medical literature with compilatory works. Among the abundance of mediocre works, individual truly valuable dissertations are lost. In recent years, voices have been heard in various countries in favor of reforming or completely abolishing dissertations. In Russia, relatively high requirements were made of dissertations as independent monographic works; as a result, dissertations played a fairly significant role in the history of Russian medical thought. Among Russian dissertations there are original works of outstanding importance, such as the dissertations of the founders of Russian clinical medicine - Zakharin, Ostroumov, Filatov, Korsakov, Snegirev. Many Russian dissertations are valuable bibliographic sources. The first dissertation in Russia was devoted to respiration ("Dissertatio medico-physica de respiratione quam pro gradu doctoris elaboravit et defendit Thomas Barssuk-Moisseiw", Mosquae, 1794) (see illustration); Thomas Barssuk-Moiseev defended it at Moscow University on March 29, 1794. The first dissertation in Russian belongs to P. Khlebnikov ("An Attempt at a Historical Exposition of the Doctrine of the Cell in Anatomical and Physiological Relations", SPB, 1858). In total, over 129 years (1794-1922), 681 dissertations passed through the medical faculty of Moscow University (the largest number of dissertations was in 1895 and 1896 - 23 and 22 dissertations); about 3,000 dissertations passed through the Military Medical Academy (since 1798). This impressive figure is connected with special advantages in career advancement, which a military physician with the degree of doctor of medicine acquired. The medical faculty of Kazan University graduated only about 200 dissertations, Kharkiv University - about 240, Kyiv University - about 200. A significant number of dissertations came from the medical faculties of Yuryev (Dorpat), Odessa (Novorossiysk), Warsaw, and Tomsk universities. After the October Revolution, with the abolition of academic degrees in the RSFSR (decree of the SNK of the RSFSR, October 1918), public defense of dissertations also ceased. It was partially restored in 1920 for works submitted for the purpose of obtaining the right to teach independently in higher educational institutions, and abolished again in 1922. At present (1929) in the RSFSR, diploma works are subject to public defense upon completion of higher educational institutions (except medical ones) and graduate works upon completion of graduate studies. Since 1926, a project for the restoration of the academic degree of doctor has been discussed by the State Scientific Council under the NKP of the RSFSR and the Section of Scientific Workers, for which it is proposed to make the public defense of scientific works mandatory. The degree of doctor has been established in the Azerbaijan SSR (since 1922), the Ukrainian SSR (since 1925), and the Byelorussian SSR (since 1927). The degree is conferred after the public defense of scientific works, which are evaluated only in substance and may not have the form of previous dissertations. The term "dissertation" is almost never used in the USSR, with the exception of the Azerbaijan SSR, where from 1922 to 1928, 18 dissertations were defended at the medical faculty of the Azerbaijan State University. In Germany, the content of dissertations is less serious than in pre-revolutionary Russia, approaching the type of diploma works submitted by graduates of higher educational institutions in our country. In France, the word dissertation (dissertation) usually denotes a graduation work required to obtain the degree of bachelor (baccalaureate; corresponds to the completion of a higher educational institution). A doctoral dissertation in France is called a thesis (these). The scientific significance of French dissertations, like English ones, is small. The most important bibliographic sources: Zmeev L., Russian Physician-Writers, SPB, 1886-92; Petrov P., Bibliographical Index of Russian Dissertations on Medicine and Veterinary Medicine from 1860 to 1892, SPB, 1907; Ternovsky V., Bibliographical Index of All Dissertations for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine Publicly Defended at Moscow University, M.-L. (n.d.). In addition, lists of Russian dissertations (sometimes with brief abstracts) were published in the Notes, Works, News, etc. of individual universities, as well as in the catalogs of the bookstore of K. Ricker in Petersburg. There is no systematic international accounting of dissertations. A special national bibliography of dissertations is maintained in Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the U.S.A., Argentina. It is most fully represented in Germany: Bibliographischer Monatsbericht iibcr neuerschienene Schul-, Universitats-u. Hochschulschriften, hrsg. v. G.

Fock', Lpz., from 1889; Jahresverzeichnis der an den deutschen Universitäten erschienenen Schriften, hrsg. v. d. Preussischen Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, from 1887. For Switzerland: Jahres-Verzeichnis der Schweizerischen Hochschulschriften, hrsg. von der Universitätsbibliothek, Basel, from 1898. For France: Catalogue des theses et écrits académiques, publié par le Ministère de l'Instruction publique, Paris, from 1885. For U.S.A.: List of American doctoral dissertations published by the Library of Congress, Washington, from 1912.