What is a vivarium and does it exist today? Looking through the archival chronicles of the newspaper “For Medical Personnel” in 1947, we can say with confidence that the vivarium at the medical institute was back in the 40s of the last century. It was an auxiliary department for educational and scientific work, which provided animals to clinical and theoretical departments.
Vivariums can be very different both in appearance and in the number of animals in them, which is determined by the peculiarities of scientific research.
In the archival documents of the state archive of the Tomsk region for the Tomsk Medical Institute, from order No. 254 of December 9, 1937, it is clear that the staff of working feeders was increased, in connection with the increase in the number of rabbits by 400 pcs. In 1947, there were not only rabbits in the vivarium, but also guinea pigs, white mice, pigeons, dogs, frogs. The vivarium had its own territories for growing root crops, which were used for animal feed.
Today, the SibSMU Vivarium is part of the Center for Preclinical Research. The center conducts fundamental research aimed at identifying new methods of therapy, prevention and rehabilitation of socially significant diseases, as well as the development and validation of experimental models of various pathological conditions. The center is equipped with:
- Laboratory for assessing the physiological state of experimental animals;
- Multifunctional surgical platform for mice/rats SurgiSuite;
- Ventilator for laboratory rodents R-415 RED Life Science;
The digital anhydrous plethysmometer “PH1901” is an equipment for assessing the volume of limbs of laboratory animals in the study of tumor models and anti-inflammatory drugs and much more.
Sources of information:
- TMI story of 1937. / Gato. F.R 561. – Op 2. – D. 19
- Filatova, E. Vivarium/ E. Filatova. – Text: direct // For medical personnel. – 1947. – August 25 (No. 9). – p. 1.
- Center for Preclinical Research // SSMU.ru : official website. URL: https://ssmu.ru/nauka/cnil/cdi/index.php?sphrase_id=36315 (дата обращения 24.07.2024).Center for Preclinical Research // SSMU.ru : official website. URL: https://ssmu.ru/nauka/cnil/cdi/index.php?sphrase_id=36315 (accessed 07/24/2024).
*The material was prepared by Isaenkova O.A.
