Joseph N. Shapiro

Joseph N. Shapiro (Russian: Иосиф Наумович Шапиро; 1887, Minsk – 1961, Leningrad) was urologist, one of the founders of the urologic oncology in Russia.

Joseph N. Shapiro was born in Minsk, Belarus (1887). In the light of the prescribed quota for Jewish students in Russian universities, in 1908 he entered the Medical Faculty of the University of Munich, and graduated in 1918 with honors as a Doctor of Medicine. In 1915 he also passed the state examination for the title of Physician at the medical faculty of Moscow University.

From 1914 to 1917 he worked at the same time as an intern the Urology Department of the "Union of Cities" Infirmary 144; as a head of surgical department of 36th hospital; and as the urological department intern in Obukhov Hospital in Saint Petersburg, under Professor B .N. Holtz. Professor B.N. Holtz drew him to the teaching of urology as a freelance assistant (1925), and further (1930) as a Privatdozent.

In 1928, Shapiro has created the urology department with 60 beds in the Mechnikov Hospital in Saint Petersburg.

In 1934, under his leadership, was created a Department of Urology in 2nd Medical Institute in Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad). Since 1935 Shapiro was Head of the Department of Urology at the LenGIDUV ( Leningrad Institute for Advanced Medical Education). In the pre-war years (1936–1939) the number of patients in his clinic in LenGIDUV reached 120. It was the largest urology department in the Russia. In 1938 he produced a monograph "Tumors of the urinary bladder", which was a handbook for surgeons, oncologists and urologists.

During Winter War (1939–1940) Shapiro was Senior Consultant Urologist for evacuation hospitals of Leningrad. Upon the German invasion of Soviet Union (1941) he became a consultant urologist at the Northern Front, and from 1942 to 1945 a chief urologist for evacuation hospitals of the People's Commissariat for Health. His report "Gunshot wounds of the urinary and genital System" on 1941 All-Union conference of surgeons was a breaking news. Thanks to his work as the organizer of the stage treatment of urological wounds, 61% of the victims were able to restore health and returned to duty.

In 1946 J. N. Shapiro opened the urology department with 50 beds in the Uricky Hospital in Leningrad, and worked during the first year as head of department.

From 1958 till his last days in 1961: Head of Urologic Oncology Department in the Uricky Hospital in Leningrad.

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