On August 31, the Scientific Library of the V. P. Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy received a special gift — a collection of unique antiquarian editions that will enrich the Institute’s historical and scientific holdings.

The valuable books were ceremonially presented to the library by the Acting Director of the Institute, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor and Deputy of the Odesa City Council, Levon Rubenovich Nikogosyan, and Deputy Director for Research, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Senior Researcher Oleh Serhiiovych Zadorozhnyi.

It is thanks to such initiatives that the scientific legacy does not remain merely a thing of the past, but continues to live on, contributing to modern science and becoming accessible to future generations of ophthalmologists.

The donated editions were received by Dmytro Volodymyrovych Horshkov, Head of the Scientific Library and Researcher.

Among the Donated Editions Is a True Ophthalmological Rarity

The highlight of the new collection is the 18th revised edition of Lehrbuch der Augenheilkunde (Textbook of Ophthalmology) by the distinguished Austrian ophthalmologist Ernst Fuchs, published in Vienna in 1945 by Franz Deuticke.

This fundamental 925-page volume is the latest, 18th German edition of the renowned textbook, revised by the author’s son, Adalbert Fuchs. The book contains 362 illustrations and colour plates and reflects the state of clinical ophthalmology, diagnostics, and ophthalmic surgery of its time.

The work of Ernst Fuchs (1851–1930) holds a special place in the history of global ophthalmology and represents a valuable source for studying the development of ophthalmic science.

Pages of History Connected with Academician Filatov

Another important addition is Volume 32 of the pre-revolutionary journal Vestnik Oftalmologii (Bulletin of Ophthalmology), published in 1915.

This set of 12 issues holds particular commemorative value for the Institute, as Professor Volodymyr Petrovych Filatov is listed among the members of the publication’s editorial board.

The volume includes, among other materials, articles addressing military trauma of the eye during the First World War, preserving for contemporary researchers valuable evidence of the development of ophthalmology in this region more than a century ago.

A Gift That Becomes Part of the Institute’s History

These editions are not simply old books. They are scientific artifacts that connect generations of ophthalmologists, preserve the memory of the development of science, and enable contemporary researchers to turn to original historical sources.

Each book donated to the library is an investment in memory, science, and the future.

📚 The Filatov Institute’s Scientific Library invites staff to explore the new rare acquisitions and experience the history of global and Ukrainian ophthalmology.