Nicolay Ivanovich Pirogov was born on the 13-th of November 1810 in Moscow. He was the thirteenth child in his family. His father was a treasurer. He was from peasant family, but his mother was from merchants. All the family was religious. They often went to the church.

Nicolay Pirogov learnt to read himself. Sometimes his elder brother helped him to do it. Soon a book became the most interesting and necessary present for young Nicolay. When the brothers of his was ill he watched the doctor to treat him. Nicolay was interested in doctors actions. Then his famous game was a doctor play. The Pirogovs were visited by their friends-doctors. Doctor Claus taught the boy to watch bacterias in the microscope. Doctor Beryozkin showed him a lot of medicinal plants. The boy student in one of the best Moscow private boarding-school. He was an excellent student. He was good at Latin, history, and Russian literature.

Later he entered the University. His favorite subjects were anatomy and physiology. A young man used to go to the anatomical theatre when he had free time. He tried to do a lot of experiments. And as one of the best student he was sent for training in Berlin. There he learnt practical surgery. He saw how professor Langenbeck operated very quickly. It was important because there was no anesthesia. N.I.Pirogov used his advice and secrets all his life.

In 1835 he worked un hospital in Derpth. He made some operations with great skills. And soon he was proposed to deliver lectures at Derpth University. Young professor continued researching work. He published a lot of books on surgery.

In 1841 he started working at Petersburg University and became the chief doctor of the surgical department in the military hospital. He worked hard

When he was at the age 32 he got married to Ekaterina Berezina. But in few years after the second childbirth she suddenly died. N.I.Pirogov greatly suffered bud his work saved him.

In June 1847 Pirogov went to the Caucasus where there was the war. The great doctor saw a lot wounded and sick. He operated of the patient using the ester. Later during the Crimean war Nicolay Ivanovich organized the work of the military hospital. But a lot of soldiers were sick with infectious diseases such as typhoid, fever and scurvy. Doctors and nurses provided preventive measures.

In his book Beginning of general war surgery was published first in German language. N.I.Pirogov spent his last years of the life writing his book Old doctors diary. Reading the book we can see N.I.Pirogov was not only a great doctor and a teacher from bad also a thinker and a philosopher.

Nicolay Ivanovich was ill with severe disease-cancer. He suffered from bad pains. On the 23-d of November 1881 N.I.Pirogov died.

Russian outstanding surgeon N.I.Pirogov had a lot of talented pupils. One of them was Sklifosovsky. He became the continuer of Pirogovs ideas and actions. Due to doctor Sklifosovsky the monument to N.I.Pirogov was opened in Moscow in August 1897.