Georgy Miterev (1900–1977) was a Soviet scientist and politician who was the long-term minister of health in the period 1939–1947.

Early life and education

Miterev was born in Barinovka, Buzuluk district,

Samara Oblast Samara Oblast ( rus, Сама́рская о́бласть, r=Samarskaya oblast, p=sɐˈmarskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localitie ...

, on 23 April 1900. He attended the medical faculty of Samara University and graduated in 1925. He obtained a PhD in

medical sciences Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

in 1945. His thesis was entitled ''the System of Public Health and Counter-Epidemic measures during the World War II Period''.

Career

Miterev worked as a teacher between 1919 and 1921. Following his graduation from Samara University he was an intern at the Samara Central Hospital and the Venereal Dispensary in 1925–1926. He joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

in 1928. He worked at different medical institutions until 1939 when he was appointed people's commissar of health care. Later the institution was renamed as ministry of health care. Miterev succeeded Mikhail Boldyrev in the post. One of the major crises during the Miterev's tenure as the minister of health was the cholera outbreak which began in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in the Summer of 1942. He assigned the

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

Zinaida Yermolyeva to organize the work of local doctors to reduce the cholera outbreak which produced desired outcomes. Miterev was removed from his post as health minister on 17 February 1947. The reason for his dismissal was his role in the meeting of the

US Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

Walter Bedell Smith General Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith (5 October 1895 – 9 August 1961) was a senior officer of the United States Army who served as General Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff at Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) during the Tunisia Campai ...

with two scientists, Nina Kluieva and her husband Georgy Roskin, in Moscow in June 1946 about their promising treatment to eliminate the tumor growth in cancer patients. Then Miterev was interrogated about his function in the meeting and severely reprimanded by the honor court "for anti-state and anti-patriotic actions." However, he was rehabilitated soon and served as the head of the central public health and hygiene scientific research institute between 1947 and 1954. While working there he got the title of professor in 1950. Next he was named the president of the executive committee of the Soviet Union Red Cross and Red Crescent Society in 1954. From 1958 he worked at the First Moscow Medical Institute as a faculty member.

Later years and death

In June 1971 Miterev retired after serving as director of the state research sanitary institute. He died on 10 January 1977.

Awards

Miterev was the recipient of the following:

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

(three times) and

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

. He was also the recipient of the Red Cross awards from various countries, including Poland, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miterev, Georgy 1900 births 1977 deaths Soviet Ministers of Health Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Red Cross personnel