Professor Alexander Alexandrovich Maximov, who died suddenly on December 4, 1928, in Chicago, was born in St. Petersburg in 1874. When he was seventeen years old he was graduated from one of the German high schools that existed in St. Petersburg. In 1896 he was graduated from the Imperial Military Medical Academy, his name was inscribed on a marble tablet on the wall of the hall of the Academy, and he was awarded the prize of the academician Busch. Later he distinguished himself in a contest and was allowed to remain at the medical academy in order to perfect himself in the sciences of anatomy and histology of which he had made a special study.

In 1899 A. Maximov was elected assistant professor of pathological 2anatomy; and in 1903 he was appointed professor of histology and embryology at the Medical Academy and held this chair until he went abroad. Besides, from the beginning of the year 1919 he was also occupying the chair of histology and embryology at the St. Petersburg University. From 1920 he was a regular corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Because of unfavorable circumstances that had arisen towards the end of the year 1921 which made it impossible for Professor Maximov to continue his scientific work, he, being at that time professor emeritus of the academy, was forced to expatriate himself and to accept an invitation from the Chicago University.

In February, 1922, Professor Maximov left Russia.

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In a comparatively short period of time (somewhat less than six years) Professor Maximov accomplished in Chicago a tremendous work. He organized in the University of Chicago, where he participated in the teaching activities, the first experimental histological laboratory for experimenting on cultures of cells of various tissues.

Besides lecturing to students, the professor was also conducting a practical course in histology as well as some special courses of lectures. Among the latter we shall mention such a unique course as the one "On Blood from the Connective Tissue."

The Americans were willing to help our compatriot in all his undertakings, as he was for them a real treasure; and they hardly ever refused to provide him with anything that was necessary for his work.

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Besides, Professor Maximov, being a very modest man, never claimed too much attention for his personality.

But the professor would often tell me: "It is all very well, yet, of course, we have not got here all that could be had at the Petrograd Medical Academy in days gone by."

Professor Maximov was in contact with all learned institutions in Russia (which had to do with the realm of science he was investigating) as well as with those of Europe and America.

He was indefatigably working on a series of interesting investigations. While still living in Russia he succeeded in sending from St. Petersburg to Germany (at that time the only country which did not participate in the blockade of Russia) several manuscripts which were published there in German. We may mention here that the late 5professor possessed a perfect knowledge of the English, German, French and Italian languages.

While residing in America Professor Maximov published a series of investigations of which some contained most important discoveries in the realm of science. I shall mention only the following (which are known to me - and how many there are which he never spoke about to anybody, or which have not been published yet!): "Concerning the Action of the Roentgen Rays on Inflammatory Processes" (published in one of the American reviews devoted to medical science), and "On the Culture of Tissues of the Embryos of Mammals." Professor Maximov read a report on this last investigation of his in 1923 at the convention of anatomists in Chicago; the work itself was published by the celebrated Cornell Institute.

One of the important works of the professor that appeared during 6the last years of his life was an investigation entitled "Experimental Tuberculosis Outside the Organism." An extract from that investigation was read at one of the sessions of the Biological Society connected with the University of Chicago. The whole Chicago press, not only the special magazines, but also the general press, paid a great attention to this report. On the pages of the Chicago Tribune there appeared a fairly large and enlightening article on this subject under the title: "Achievements of a Russian Scientist. Experimental Tuberculosis Outside the Human Organism."

At the last convention of the American pathologists and bacteriologists at Buffalo, N. Y., Chicago was represented by the professors A. A. Maximov and Harvey. Our world renowned compatriot read at the convention a report about one of his last investigations, "Concerning the Cultures of Tissues of the Mammary Gland"(the problem of the development of cancer), with demonstration of microscopical preparations and beautiful photopictures.

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I had the privilege of talking not only to Professor Harvey, who attended the convention, but also to Prof. A. A. Maximov himself, who had just returned from this convention.

Professor Harvey praised highly the report read by Professor Maximov. His opinion was that the latter had succeeded in achieving that which had for a long time been the aim of many eminent biologists. Namely, Professor Maximov had succeeded, by treating with certain extracts from tissues a normal tissue of the mammary gland of a rabbit, kept alive outside of the organism of that animal, to get in this culture an exact histological picture of a cancer in its first stage of formation.

Let us not forget that cancer is one of the most obscure problems of medical science. And may be, if Professor Maximov was still living he would have succeeded in adding to his wonderful series 8of experiments the discovery of the first cause of cancer, that worst scourge of modern humanity.

The late professor was always occupied with a whole series of projects. He was always planning many things for the future, all in his favorite realm of experimental biology and histology. Often when I would visit Professor Maximov in his laboratory and have a talk with him I was told that he was endeavoring to solve all the dark problems of pathological histology exclusively by the method of producing cultures of cells of different tissues (the only logical method). It is really for this purpose that he had organized his special laboratory.

Often the professor would bitterly complain about the complete lack of young workers who would be able to become his assistants in his scientific investigations.

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He was wondering why among the great number of representatives of Russian science, living now in Europe, there could not be found young scientists who would devote themselves entirely to scientific work and who would carry on such work here in Chicago under his guidance.

Professor Maximov was most lonely, without any Russian companions; he was working with foreigners. Very seldom some young Russian scientist (Dr. Pleshkov from Serbia and a few others) would visit America; but, for some reason or other, such visitors would not remain here for a long time.

The late professor's only real helper was his sister, Clavdia Alexandrovna, who zealously assisted him in all his scientific labors.

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Professor Maximov's sick heart, which had stood so many troubles during the revolution and his life abroad as a refugee, could not stand it all and gave way. We have lost not merely one of our compatriots, but a great world renowned scientist who had succeeded in conquering in a foreign land the same position which he had been holding in his native country.

Let us keep the remembrance of him always fresh in our memory. Let us always remember the good he has done not only to Russia but also to all humanity.

Dr. L. G. Percy.

Note: Professor Maximov is recognized by all Russians as one of the most eminent Russian scientists who have ever occupied a chair in an American University; America has derived a great benefit from his scientific discoveries.