Teaching of operative surgery and topographic anatomy began at the Medical Faculty of the Belarusian State University in 1923. The first head of the department was a well-known scientist, Professor M. P. Sokolovsky. Further, in different years, the department was headed by: Professor E. V. Korchits (1929-1931), Professor M. S. Lisitsyn (1932-1934), Professor Yu.M. Irger (1934-1937).
Scientific research of the pre-war period was conducted on the problem of traumatic shock, acute blood loss, injuries and purulent surgery. During the Great Patriotic War, when the Minsk Medical Institute was evacuated to Yaroslavl, the department was headed by Professor I. M. Perelmap, from 1945 to 1948 - Associate professor V. K. Tsvirko.
For more than 20 years (from 1937-1941 and 1948-1962), the department was headed by the Honored Scientist of the BSSR, Professor V. A. Babuk. On his initiative, a museum of anatomical preparations and a stand-atlas on the main sections of operative surgery were created. A textbook on operative surgery and a workshop on topographical anatomy have been published. 22 PhD theses were defended. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Red Banner of Labor, diplomas of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR.
From 1962 to 1975, the department was headed by Associate Professor F. A. Chekanovich, and from 1975 to 1978 - Professor I. F. Borodin. Course lectures were prepared for various faculties, curricula and methodological developments were compiled. During these years, scientific research of the department was conducted on the problems of surgical treatment of cardiovascular diseases, pathology of the respiratory system, the development of drugs for hemostasis in operations on the liver and spleen. 5 PhD theses were defended.
The next 11 years (1978-1988) the department was headed by Professor B. S. Gudimov. Under his leadership, the issues of abdominal surgery were developed, and a workshop on topographic anatomy was reissued. 7 candidate theses were defended.
From 1988 to 2000, the department was headed by Professor A. G. Kryuchkov. During this period, in an experiment, together with the staff of the Institute of Cardiology, the first domestic artificial heart valve was tested; a technique for accelerating blood flow in the veins by applying an arteriovenous fistula was developed, which was used in the clinic in patients operated on for thrombosis of the main veins. Candidate's and doctoral dissertations were defended.
For 5 years (2000 -2005), the department was headed by Associate Professor O. V. Lopukhov.
From 2005 to June 2014, the head of the department was Professor A. A. Baeshko. From the modern point of view, taking into account the requirements of the clinic, the standard training and training programs of the discipline have been revised. A manual and a course of lectures on angiology and vascular surgery have been published. Electronic control of students ' knowledge has been introduced.
Since June 2014, the department has been headed by Professor Sergey Denisov
All teachers have long experience (from 7 to 45 years), most of them are former surgical practitioners.