Yulia S.Kurshakova: Scientific heritage

Abstract

Introduction. The article deals with the science achievements of talanted biometrician of the second half of the XX century, the employee of the Institute and Museum of Moscow State University, doctor of biology Yuliya Sergeevna Kurshakova, wnich science activity has never been regarded comprehensively.

Material and methods. The source of constructing the article is archive documents of the Institute and Museum of Anthropologty, science articles by Yu.S.Kurshakova and literary data.

Results and discussion. Yu.S.Kurshakova was the head of the laboratory of applied studies of the Institue and Nuseum of anthropology for two decedes.She was engaged in developing the problems of anthropological standardization, the research of fundamental conformities and factors of somatic variability, age variability of children, ethnoterritorial, social and professional variability of adult males and females.

In 1962 Yu.S.Kurshakova defended PhD thesis «Statistical correlations as the means of expression of morphological integrity during the process of growth and development», in 1987 — Doctor of Biology thesis in the form of science report «Theoretical and methodological basis of construction of anthropometric standards of wide and prolonged action».

From the end of 1950s and on to solve State problems of development of size typology of construction of products of Light Industry for child’ and adult population of the country and compilation of size scales, the employees of the Institute of anthropology of MSU conducted wide research of population of the USSR, embracing 120 000 persons, and further analysis of conformities of age/sex and territorial variability of anthropometric traits and their correlations. The research culminated in developing and practical implementation of a number of State Standards, Yu.Kurshakova was one of the authors.

In 1964 the team of the Institute of Anthropology started one more State task — the development of combined size standards for countries-member of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. This task demanded theoretical investigations in the field of anthropo;ogical stardardization, which became the basis of the principles of construction of CoMEA standard and are in fact the exceptional merit of Yuliya Sergeevna Kurshakova.

Conclusion. Works on standardization in 1960s-1980s in the Institute of Anthropology of MSU, which most important «engine» was Yu.S.Kurshakova, are no exaggeration the era of anthropological standardization in the history of Moscow school of anthropology. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license