Dame Olga Nikolaevna Uvarov (9 July 1910 – 29 August 2001) was a veterinary surgeon and clinical researcher. She was the first woman president of the
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the ...
. She was a distinguished member of the veterinary profession in every sense, spanning general practice and animal health research as well as veterinary politics and high-level contributions to enlightened legislation affecting animal welfare.
Early life
Olga Nikolaevna Uvarov was born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
on 9 July 1910.
Her father, Nikola Uvarov, was a prosperous lawyer who could trace his ancestry to a
Tartar count;
although his father was a minor bank clerk. When the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
began in 1917, Uvarov's father sent her, along with her three brothers and their mother, Elena, to his parents to
Ouralsk.
On the way there, Uvarov's mother died of typhoid fever.
Uvarov's father was executed by a revolutionary tribunal in 1920. Orphaned, she and her brothers lived together with their grandfather, witnessing horrors they would never forget.
Uvarov's uncle, the entomologist
Boris Uvarov
Sir Boris Petrovitch Uvarov (3 November 1886 – 18 March 1970) was a Russian-British entomologist best known for his work on the biology and ecology of locusts. He has been called the father of acridology.
Biography
Boris Petrovitch Uvarov was ...
(later Sir Boris Uvarov, ), who emigrated to London in 1920, helped his father, niece and nephews sending money, food and clothing. By 1922 with the assistance of the
American Red Cross,
Boris Uvarov tried to transport the kids out of Soviet Russia, but he could afford only to pay the costs for one child.
He selected Olga; she was escorted to
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
and put on a ship for England.
By the time she arrived in England in 1923,
she was underweight, had lost her hair and fingernails, and had
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
.
Career
Uvarov studied at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
Royal Veterinary College, where she won the college's bronze medals for
Physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
and
Histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vi ...
and qualified in 1934.
Following graduation, Uvarov worked first in general mixed practice as an assistant veterinary surgeon,
before establishing her own practice in 1944 in Surrey.
In 1953, Uvarov joined the Veterinary Department of
Glaxo Laboratories Ltd, where she was involved in product development and training sales representatives. While at Glaxo, Uvarov published her research on the development of
antimicrobial
An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals ar ...
s, and their use in animals.
From 1967 until her retirement in 1970, Uvarov was head of Glaxo's veterinary advisory department.
In her retirement, from 1970 to 1976, Uvarov headed the
British Veterinary Association
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is the national body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom and is a not-for-profit organisation. Its purpose is that of knowledge dissemination, and not professional validation or academic compete ...
(BVA)'s technical information department, continuing until 1978 as the BVA's adviser on technical information.
Uvarov served as president of the Society of Women Veterinary Surgeons from 1947 to 1949.
From 1951 to 1952, she was president of the Central Veterinary Society, and was awarded the Victory Gold Medal by that society in 1965.
She was elected to the council of the
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the ...
in 1968, and became a fellow in 1973. She took over as the first woman president of the RCVS in 1976. She was also Vice-President of the Institute of Animal Technicians.
Legacy
In 2005, the ''Dame Olga Uvarov Research Award'' was established, based on a legacy which Uvarov had left to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
The award, given annually to veterinary researchers, consists of a medal and a prize of £1000.
Uvarov's papers are held by the RCVS Knowledge archive.
Death
Never married, Uvarov's last years were spent in a nursing home at
Hatch End
Hatch End is an area of North West London, situated within the London Borough of Harrow. It is located north west of Charing Cross.
Attractions
Hatch End is home to Harrow Arts Centre, a complex which centres on the 404-seat Elliott Hall and a ...
until her death at age 91 on 29 August 2001.
Works
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References
External links
Portrait image of Dame Olga Uvarov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uvarov, Olga
1910 births
2001 deaths
Alumni of the Royal Veterinary College
British veterinarians
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
Women veterinarians
20th-century British philanthropists
Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Fellows of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons