Confrontation of Vavilov and Lysenko scientists

Geniuses and villains

It is impossible to imagine the development of science today without genetics. Yet at one time, it had been seriously stigmatized. In the thirties in the Soviet Union, it was even dubbed "fascist science". It can be said that the black stripe for Soviet genetics began precisely after the confrontation between two academicians, agronomist scientists Trofim Lysenko and Nikolai Vavilov. The confrontation of these two personalities had the most dramatic consequences not only for one of them - Nikolai Vavilov, but also for the whole agricultural science. Nikolai Vavilov, world-renowned scientist-biologist, who dreamed of feeding humanity, was one of the founders of modern genetics. Trofim Lysenko, a man of the people, he was also called the "people's academician", an agronomist who took on pseudoscientific ideas - Michurinskaya agrobiology.

Trofim Lysenko and Nikolai Vavilov

Photo by bolshoyvopros.ru

In those years, Soviet agricultural scientists had to solve the main problem - to revive the agriculture destroyed by the Civil War, to feed the people who remembered the terrible famine of the 20s and 30s. Each of these scientists offered their options for solving problems in the agricultural sector. Often, however, they weren't always realistic. For example, Trofim Denisovich promised Stalin in the shortest possible time to significantly increase the yield of grain crops, moreover, to develop a new variety in two and a half years instead of 10 - 12 years. Perhaps most importantly, he acted in line with the party's political ideology. He divided genetics into our native, that is, "communist" and hostile to all progressive mankind - "bourgeois". Most surprisingly, Lysenko's ideas found ardent supporters in power. And Chief among them was Stalin himself. Thus the methods of Trofim Lysenko, which were not always tested to the fullest extent, began to be introduced everywhere. For example, he offered methods of grain treatment before sowing, which quickly showed their ineffectiveness, moreover, they were harmful because of damaged seeds and reduced germination. However, in these years, Nikolai Vavilov was the direct supervisor of Trofim Lysenko. In 1929, Nikolai Ivanovich headed the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences named after Lenin (VASKhNIL). His scientific achievements were recognized by the international scientific community. In 1923 Nikolai became a member of the English Royal Society, the Czechoslovak, Scottish, Indian, German Academy of Sciences, the Linnean Society in London and other authoritative international organizations. While in prison, he was elected a member of the Royal Society of London on 23 April 1942. He travelled almost all over the world in search of different plants that would help to improve the gene pool of crops. Of course, there were expeditions and studies in the Soviet Union as well. For example, at the All-Union Institute of Plant Industry headed by Vavilov 2500 species from the domestic wild flora were studied in search of plants containing rubber. And as a result, in 1928 in the mountains of Karatau South Kazakhstan was found a new species from the composite plants - Tau-Sagyz, which in Kazakh means "mountain gum", the content of rubber in which was up to 40%, and with high agricultural technology rubber is formed in the roots of this plant more than in the wild.

Harassment

In 1935, Vavilov was removed from the post of head of VASKhNIL. It can be said that from that moment on systematic harassment of the academician began. Everything he did was used against him. Foreign expeditions, participation in international conferences, and support of Western methods of agriculture. However, arrest has not been considered yet. In 1938, Trofim Lysenko became the president of VASKhNIL. He did not hesitate to openly attack the geneticists and Nikolai Vavilov personally and his colleagues of geneticists and breeders. Especially in the presence of senior party leaders, including Stalin. The accusations were, as they were, in the spirit of the era: sabotage, espionage and counter-revolutionary activity. Even under such conditions, Nikolai Vavilov continued to engage in science. Thus, he proved that 15% of all arable land in the USSR was given to varieties of cultivated plants collected by him and his staff around the world. This is about 20 million hectares, the "overseas" varieties were proved to be much more fruitful than domestic ones.

Court and death sentence.

He was arrested on 6 August 1940. The investigation of his case lasted for 11 months. On 9 July 1941 Nikolai Vavilov was sentenced to death. All appeals for clemency were rejected. Already in prison, the internationally recognized scientist was interrogated more than 400 times or 1700 hours. They did not shy away from torture as well.

Photo by topwar.ru

On 26 January 1943 academician Nikolai Ivanovich died of dystrophy in prison. This is the irony of all. The great scientist wanted to feed all mankind, and he died of hunger.

The fate of Trofim Lysenko...

His opponent's career continued to move upwards. It was at this time that he headed the Institute of Genetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, also founded by Vavilov. In 1948, another blow to genetics was struck. In 1956, authoritative Soviet biologists, physicists, chemists and mathematicians, unable to tolerate another "scientific ideas" of Trofim Lysenko, removed him from the post of President VASKhNIL. At the same time, he became Nikita Khrushchev's personal advisor on agriculture. And largely thanks to the protection of the Party Secretary General, from 1962 to 1963 he again assumed the post of head of VASKhNIL. However, after Khrushchev's dismissal, Lysenko also lost everything, and his scientific methods, by decision of a specially created commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences, were recognized as pseudoscientific. Trofim Denisovich was gone in 1976.

P.S. In France, there is even an award "Trofim Lysenko", but it is rather a anti-award. It is awarded with the following wording: "to an author or a person who, through his works or activities, has made an exemplary contribution to misinformation in science or history, using ideological methods and arguments".