The development of otorhinolaryngology in Belarus connected with 1926, when the Department and Clinic of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases of the Minsk State Medical Institute was established. The first director and head of the Department of ENT diseases was Professor Burak S.M. (1926-1938). S.M. Burak defended the dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1902.
The main scientific directions in the work of the clinic staff were questions on the diagnosis and treatment of regional pathology – scleroma. Burak S.M. created his own school of otorhinolaryngologists, from which Karpilov G.Kh., Lopotko I.A., Yaroslavsky E.I., Aluker S.M. received the degree of doctor of medical sciences. Evstafiev N.T. received a PhD in Medicine.
Burak S.M. was an active organizer of scientific conferences and congresses. Two years after the opening of the clinic (1928), the first All-Belarusian Congress of Otorhinolaryngologists was convened with an urgent agenda “On the results of scientific research on scleroma of the respiratory tract and deafness.” The congress made a decision to organize the Belarusian Scientific Society of Otorhinolaryngologists. In 1933 Burak S.M. publishes a monography in the Belarusian language “Scleroma of the upper and lower respiratory paths”, and in 1934 the manual on otorhinolaryngology in 3 books in the Belarusian language “Diseases of the ear, nose, throat” was published, which for many years served as a universal guide for doctors in Belarus. Burak S.M. paid great attention to the medical literacy of the people of the Republic of Belarus. His popular brochures and memoranda: “Free breath and good health”, “Hygiene of the voice” and others in many ways played a role in improving the medical culture of the population. He is a participant in international congresses on otorhinolaryngology in Budapest (1909) and in Madrid (1932). S.M. Burak published 40 scientific works.
After the death of Burak S.M., from 1938 to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the head of the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases was Associate Professor Yaroslavsky E.I. In 1940 he defended his dissertation on the topic: “Otitis in early childhood.” He has published 104 printed articles.
The State Medical Institute and the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases were evacuated to Yaroslavl in 1941 to 1944 due to the 2nd World War. A month after the liberation of Minsk (June 1944), the re-evacuation of the Minsk State Medical Institute from Yaroslavl began. The clinic was located in the 2nd clinical hospital in Minsk.
Professor G.Kh. Karpilov was the third head of the department. The staff of the department continued their scientific work on the diagnosis and treatment of scleroma, as well as on the analysis of the experience of providing medical care to patients with gunshot wounds of the upper respiratory tract and ear.
After the death of Professor G.K. Karpilov (1949), the clinic was headed by Professor S.M. Aluker. In 1944 Aluker S.M. defended his dissertation on the topic: “Clinical, biochemical, bacteriological and experimental studies on the etiology of scleroma of the upper respiratory tract.”
He has published 42 scientific articles, most of which are devoted to the scleroma problem.
After retirement of Aluker S.M. (1952) the department was headed by Professor Kniga N.P. (1952-1972). During this period, the scientific and practical activities of the department staff are aimed at finding and developing a rational therapy for scleroma disease. For the first time, streptomycin was used as the most effective antibiotic affecting Klebsiella scleroma. The doctoral dissertation of Kniga N.P. “Streptomycin therapy of scleroma” (1955).
In 1954 Myakinnikova M.V. defended her Ph.D. thesis “Comparative assessment of surgical, conservative and combined methods of treatment of scleroma lesions of the nose, nasopharynx and pharynx”. Kostrova K.M. successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on “Scleroma in childhood and adolescence” (1956). Konovalchikov G.D. defended his Ph.D. thesis on “Chronic allergic diseases of the paranasal sinuses” in 1964. The topics of scientific research of the staff of the department receive a wide range. Gapanovich V.Ya. was the first in the world to develop a method of using of a biological autologous material – fibrin. The clinic begins the implementation and development of hearing-improving operations. Chernukho V.L. successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis “Operations on stirrups in patients with otosclerosis and adhesive (non-perforated) otitis media using an autogenous fibrin film” in 1970.
Scleroma remains the dominant scientific topic for the staff of the clinic and the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases of the Minsk State Medical Institute. Myakinnikova M.V. defended her doctoral dissertation “Clinical and laboratory parallels in the study of scleroma” in 1967; Kuchereva (Baltsevich) L.N. defended her Ph.D. thesis “Scleroma based on the materials of long-term clinical observation in the outbreak” (1970); Ovcharenko T.M. - Ph.D. thesis “Clinical and functional studies of external respiration in patients with scleroma” (1972); Ananich I.M. in 1970 defended his thesis on the topic “On the effectiveness of adenotomy in the treatment of chronic tonsillitis.”
After the sudden death of Professor Kniga N.P. (December 1972) the department was headed by Professor Myakinnikova M.V. Together with the Department of Microbiology of the Belarusian State Medical University, a lot of work was done for study of the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features and treatment of ozena. As a result of this work the monograph "Ozena" was published in 1974 and in 1980. V.A. Petryakov. defended hi Ph.D. thesis: "Clinical and laboratory studies in ozena patients and the effectiveness of complex conservative treatment" (1978).
Professor V.Ya. Gapanovich was elected to head the department in 1973.
His scientific and practical activity was aimed at finding sparing methods of treatment in otorhinolaryngology, which was the subject of his dissertations: “The clinic and bacteriology of mastoids” (1955), and “Application of autogenous fibrin films in otorhinolaryngology” (1969). The results of his work were very important for practical otorhinolaryngology not only in our country, but also abroad. Viktor Yakovlevich was the first in Belarus who developed equipment, instruments and applied cryogenic methods of treatment in otorhinolaryngology.
Under the leadership of Gapanovich V.Ya. the second (1984) congress of otorhinolaryngologists of Belarus was held in the republic. Gapanovich V.Ya. has 195 publications, including 5 monographs. He published a color otorhinolaryngological atlas (1989) - a textbook for students and doctors.
Since 1989, the Department of Ear, Throat, Nose Diseases, BSMU was headed by Professor P.A. Timoshenko.
With the help of Timoshenko P.A., the scientific topics of the department were expanded and devoted to the development of new surgical methods for the treatment of hearing loss and deafness, the improvement of rehabilitation methods in the postoperative period after general cavity surgery and pathology of the nose and larynx. Under P.A. Timoshenko leadership, III (1992), IV (1996), V (2002) and VI (2008) congresses of otorhinolaryngologists, numerous scientific and practical conferences were successfully held in the republic. Among his many students: A.V. Bystrenin. (1992), Sakovich A.R. (1993), Bystrenina L.V. (1998), Sadovsky V.I. (1994), Shlyaga I.D. (1995), Romanova J.G. (1998), D.A. Zatoloka. (2003), Zatoloka P.A. (2006), Makarina-Kibak L.E. (2006), Eremenko Yu.E. (2008) defended candidate dissertations under Timoshenko guidance; Khorov O.G. (2001) and Melnik V.F. (2005) defended doctoral dissertations.
Since 2005, the head of the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases was Associate Professor A.Ch. Buzel. A.Ch. Buzel, together with all the staff, not only supported the old traditions but also stimulated development of the new scientific and practical potential of the department.
Scientific activity of Buzel A.Ch. associated with prophylaxis and treatment of paratonsillar abscesses. Ph.D. thesis (Dolina I.V.) was defended under her supervision.
Since 2016, the head of the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases has been an associate professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences. Zatoloka P.A. He supports the traditions of the department and contributes to the development of the scientific, clinical potential of the staff of the department.
Scientific activity of P.A. Zatoloki associated with the research of etiology, course, prevention and treatment of the pathology of ENT organs in immunodeficiencies.
Nowadays in the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases of the Belarusian State Medical University work not only experienced specialists (professor Sakovich A.R., associate professor Rodionova O.I., laboratory assistant of the 1st category Korzun O.A., laboratory assistant of the 1st category Galuza A.G.) but also younger staff (Ustinovich K.N., Rybak P.R., Zagurskaya M.S., Kochina E.V., graduate students and clinical residents of the department)
Over the entire period of work, the staff of the Department of Ear, Throat, Nose Diseases of the Belarusian State Medical University and their students defended about 60 dissertations, including 10 doctoral dissertations.