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The Blue Iodine: Elixir That Saved Lives

Vladimir Onufrievich Mokhnach, a brilliant physician and highly educated individual proficient in several foreign languages, including ancient ones, a candidate of chemical sciences and a doctor of biological sciences, holding the position of Director of the Far Eastern Branch of the Institute of Chemistry of the USSR Academy of Sciences, was arrested in 1937 in Vladivostok and sentenced for "counter-revolutionary activities" under Article 58: 15 years of imprisonment followed by 5 years of exile without the right to leave.

Vladimir Onufrievich Mokhnach found himself in corrective labor camps under the administration of the Northeastern Labor Camps Directorate of the USSR Gulag. The work was extremely hard, mainly in logging and mining, leading to complete exhaustion of physical and moral strength, with no hope for the future. Inhumane conditions prevailed, with humiliated, powerless, and hungry individuals, mostly convicted on false charges, working 14-16 hours a day, not even considering the possibility of better times ahead.

Transitions into the taiga in wraps during 60-degree frost, compulsory fulfillment of quotas by each prisoner, barracks, barbed wire, guard towers, dogs, surveillance... Severe overcrowding in the barracks - each housed 150-250 prisoners who were punished for the slightest transgression or without cause (for example, for accidentally swapping caps with numbers). Losing any production tool (saws, axes, picks) was considered a crime. Vladimir Onufrievich was repeatedly beaten for defending the weak, suffering rib fractures several times, leaving deep scars on his body for life. Sick prisoners were common, yet neither the ill nor the weak were exempt from work. Before going to work, everyone had to pass a medical inspection by the guard, who deemed them all healthy.

Prisoners were frequently afflicted by infectious diseases. However, in 1940-1941, another terrible calamity struck - an epidemic of dysentery. The disease manifested severely, with bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and a comatose state. Bodies were carried out of the barracks in droves, making room for new arrivals. The dysentery epidemic took on a menacing character, spreading to the civilian population. A separate camp infirmary housed the sick, dragged there by fellow prisoners and arranged in rows of 25-30 people. The medical rounds were conducted by a paramedic, often approaching corpses. As the epidemic grew, ordinary barracks turned into infirmaries staffed by doctors, also prisoners, convicted under the same Article 58.

Vladimir Onufrievich remembered many of these doctors, but most often he recalled Josef Dominikovich Barkan. A kind, courageous, handsome man, formerly a colonel in the medical service, chief of the medical department of the torpedo boat division of the Baltic Fleet, he could not get used to the death of people in the barracks: in the mornings, there were 10-15 cold bodies lying next to the living. Once, entering the barracks, Barkan shouted, "People! Don't die, live! When will you stop dying?!..."

There was no way to treat the sick. Although the prisoner-doctors were experienced, qualified professionals, without necessary medications, they were powerless, often falling ill and dying themselves. The entire camp regime was designed for the extinction of the prisoners. A prisoner could live as long as they worked and met their quota. Their death didn't scare anyone; replenishing the ranks was regular. However, the epidemic disrupted the established order and the usual system, as incoming batches were infected and perished faster than the native prisoners.

The head of Dalstroy, Lieutenant General I.F. Nikishev, received a reprimand for failing to meet the plan. What plan could be established for logging, coal, and other mines by hungry, sick, barely mobile prisoners... Vladimir Onufrievich Mokhnach was in one of the hospital barracks in the village of Yagodnoye, and there were no dysentery patients here. Infecting himself, Vladimir Onufrievich himself suffered from the severe form of dysentery and for the first time applied the iodine-starch complex on himself. In its pristine form, it was a mixture of potato peels, which Mokhnach collected, and iodine, which he begged from the paramedic. The resulting medicine was called "black porridge" by the prisoners.

Vladimir Onufrievich Mokhnach

To everyone in the barracks, both the sick and the healthy, Vladimir Onufrievich provided a tablespoon of "black porridge" 5-6 times a day. The results were remarkable: not only did the sick not die, but they also recovered, and the healthy contacts did not get infected. The news of the "black porridge" quickly spread among the prisoners and the camp guards. Often, not only during the day but also at night, prisoners from other barracks crawled to Vladimir Onufrievich, specifically crawled, and asked for "black porridge."

Once, something unusual happened: N.V. Savoyeva, the head of the sanitary unit of the Northern Administration of the camps, came to Yagodny for a meeting and conversation with Mokhnach. "I looked terrible," recalled Vladimir Onufrievich, "my face was swollen, frostbitten, and my hands were blue, wrapped in dirty rags; I was wearing a huge, torn, burnt wadded jacket." Nina Vladimirovna knew who Vladimir Onufrievich was before his arrest. She talked to him for a long time, inspected his barracks, and tried his medicine. Immediately, using her authority, Savoyeva allowed Vladimir Onufrievich to move around the zone (25-50 barracks at a distance of 10-15 m from each other). It was an incredible freedom: to enter all barracks, examine and treat the sick. Doctor Savoyeva ordered that Vladimir Onufrievich be given starch and iodine. Later, in her reports, Nina Vladimirovna referred to the iodine-starch method as the Mokhnach method.

From 5 a.m. until late at night, Vladimir Onufrievich visited severely ill patients, adjusting the dosage of iodine in starch for some and reducing it for others. And the dysentery epidemic was extinguished first in the zone and then throughout the Yagodny settlement.

The village of Seimchan, 1950s, with a red dot marking the hospital-polyclinic where V.O. Mokhnach worked (photo from Ivan Panikarov's archive).

N.V. Savoyeva reported the results of treatment using the Mokhnach method to the head of the Northern Administration of Labor Camps and the head of the city health department in Magadan, Dr. Popov. Immediately after that, Vladimir Onufrievich was transferred to the village of Seimchan (Southwest Mining Administration), where the hospital was located. Following this, an exceptionally rare order for those times and places was issued: "Allow the use of the Mokhnach method on the territory of all camps of Dalstroy USSR, and allow Mokhnach himself to enter infection hotspots." Vladimir Onufrievich was enrolled as a paramedic at the hospital, whose staff was composed of highly qualified clinicians, a biochemist, and a microbiologist, all of whom were also prisoners. Moreover, he was allowed to openly treat non-prisoner workers in the camps: engineers, geologists, their families, and others (previously, Mokhnach, like all doctors convicted under Article 58, had no right not only to treat non-prisoners but also to communicate with them).

N.V. Savoyeva, Susuman, 1947.

I apologize for the confusion. Here's the original text with paragraph breaks in English:

In his monograph "Iodine and Life Issues," Vladimir Onufrievich writes about this period of his life: "Iodized starch was first applied by me during my stay in the Far North under very harsh conditions, to severely weakened patients with dysentery (stool with mucus and blood up to 10-15 times a day, vomiting, dehydration, and other symptoms). Iodized starch - amyliodine - I applied in the form of powder or colloidal solution in such an amount that the daily dose contained 0.5 g of crystalline iodine. This dose was divided into 5-6 doses per day for several days. Usually, by the 3rd-4th day, clinical symptoms subsided even in severely ill patients."

Thus, a new class of medicinal preparations - haloid polymers - was discovered and tested. Once, while sorting through Vladimir Onufrievich's papers, I found a manuscript printed on rough paper, on a poor typewriter, entitled "On the Etiopathogenesis of Bacterial Dysentery." The chief physician of the Seimchan Hospital in the Magadan Region, E.M. Lysenkov, sent this article to the editor of the journal "Soviet Medicine," along with two notes: one from the prisoner Mokhnach and the other from himself, in which he requested the publication of this valuable data. The proposed publication was based on a huge clinical material collected by the convict in incredibly harsh conditions and contained the discovery of a new class of medicinal preparations. However, the editor-in-chief, E. Astafyeva, did not understand this, as evidenced by her response to V.O. Mokhnach on February 7, 1953: "Reading your article is not easy. However, having done so as a duty of a reviewer, one can and should save readers from useless waste of time... Since the article, unfortunately, cannot help the reader understand the complex issues of dysentery, it is not suitable for publication in the journal's pages" (the style and spelling of the letter are preserved). However, six years passed, and the same article by V.O. Mokhnach on dysentery treatment, which represented significant value, was published in the collection "Key Infectious Diseases" edited by Prof. V.G. Kosmachevsky.

Then came 1956, and an unexpected release followed. Upon gaining freedom, V.O. Mokhnach immersed himself in scientific research. In Moscow, while preparing rehabilitation documents, he immediately began joint work with M.N. Meisel (Director of the Institute of Microbiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences) on studying the bactericidal action of the iodine-starch complex on pathogenic flora with various iodine dosages. In the same year, the minimum bactericidal concentration of molecular iodine (from 0.02 to 0.2%) was worked out by V.O. Mokhnach, at which iodine is in a positively monovalent form, forming a blue-colored complex.

In December 1957, Vladimir Onufrievich presented a report on the "Bactericidal Properties of the Starch-Iodine Complex" at a meeting of the general chemistry section of the board of the Mendeleev All-Union Chemical Society. The blue coloring of starch with iodine has long been known. However, no one had ever thought not only of eating this mixture but also of treating with it. In common understanding, this is the "blue porridge" (or "black porridge," as it was called in Kolyma). But it is precisely this complex chemical compound with an absolutely precise iodine dosage, in which iodine is in a biologically active and non-toxic form. Iodine in the oxidation state of 1+ with a blue color is an essential trace element for living organisms. It is this form of iodine that can be present and accumulate in tissues and organs of higher animals and humans. As Vladimir Onufrievich showed, iodine compounds in the 1+ oxidation state (iodostarch complex) are not only non-toxic but also have antibacterial, antiviral, and antimiotic effects. This regularity applies to the entire halogen group: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. This is the discovery of V.O. Mokhnach, which allows for targeted search for biologically active substances and simplifies their synthesis. Summarizing the obtained data, in his monograph "Iodine and Life Issues" (p.72), Vladimir Onufrievich writes: "In fact, the action of the preparation was investigated in the same prescription that I proposed for the treatment of dysentery patients during my stay in the North: tincture iodi - 2.0-3.0, amuli tritici - 10.0, sacchari albi - 10.0, acidi citrici - 0.4, aquae destillatae - 200.0 (I added sugar and citric acid only in Leningrad)."

Since 1956, V.O. Mokhnach has been working in Leningrad and continues his research at the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Here, a new medicinal form of iodine was obtained, which the Pharmacological Committee of the Ministry of Health of the USSR in 1960 named "iodinol" and on May 18, 1962, allowed its use in medical practice. V.O. Mokhnach studied the general biological action of iodinol on the body as a whole, as well as on tissues and cells both in normal and pathological conditions. Cytological studies and the antibacterial spectrum of action were conducted by Mokhnach using fluorescent, phase-contrast, and electron microscopy in collaboration with microbiologists (Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences M.N. Meisel, Prof. L.B. Borisov, and others).

Four years were spent on experimental and clinical confirmation of the effectiveness of the new antiseptic. In 1960, V.O. Mokhnach applied for a patent for the "Medicinal Preparation Amyliodine (Iodostarch Complex)." However, he was denied the issuance of the patent for this application. In May 1969, V.O. Mokhnach submitted another application to the Committee for Inventions and Discoveries for a new original preparation - "amyliodine," which could be used in medicine and veterinary medicine. But once again, he was denied the issuance of the patent. Of particular interest was the possibility of combining high polymers, which are the basis of blood substitutes and shock solutions, with such a total antiseptic as iodine. The general toxicity and blood reaction were studied upon the introduction of iodinol experimentally and clinically at the Leningrad Blood Transfusion Institute. Studying the action of antibiotics on dysentery pathogens, Japanese scientist Yamanaka observed the appearance of resistant strains within an hour. And this resistance was maintained during reseeding, while the virulence of the flora increased.

In 1965, V.O. Mokhnach applied for the discovery of the "Positively Monovalent Form of Halogens as the Cause of the Biological and Chemical Activity and Color of Their Compounds" (Registration No. 32-OT-4781). The Committee for Inventions and Discoveries of the USSR denied the author's alleged discovery. Due to the increased demand and requests for iodinol, its production was expanded throughout the country. Iodinol was produced at the Leningrad, Tomsk, Yerevanvitamin (in Armenia), Borschagovsky (in Ukraine), Borisovsky (in Belarus) chemical and pharmaceutical plants, and at the Experimental Production Association of the All-Union Institute of Agricultural Microbiology (Kolpino). Iodized confectionery products began to be produced at the Donetsk Confectionery Factory. The works of V.O. Mokhnach received wide recognition, and in 1970, the All-Union Chemical Society nominated him for the Lenin Prize. Mokhnach's research was recognized as outstanding scientific work in the field of chemistry and biochemistry.

All printed works of V.R. Mokhnach, reviews from individual scientists and entire scientific teams, reports on the use of iodinol in medicine and veterinary medicine, the drug itself, and iodized confectionery products (sets of dragees, marshmallows, marmalade - patent No. 197385 jointly with E.R. Popova and F.Kh. Yakina) were submitted to the Committee for Lenin Prizes. However, due to the "efforts" of Academician N.N. Blokhin, V.O. Mokhnach's candidacy was withdrawn. Nikolai Nikolaevich assured Vladimir Onufrievich for a long time that his "works are of immense value but, unfortunately, submitted for the Lenin Prize at an inopportune time." "You see, Vladimir Onufrievich," Blokhin said confidentially, "this is the year 1970, the centenary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. We are selecting works with a special theme." Of course, the reason is "very serious." Sadly, at such a high level, they did not want to understand the significance of V.O. Mokhnach's work, but life and time have shown their relevance not only then but also now.

In 1970, Vladimir Onufrievich requested the opportunity for a nationwide discussion of the work on iodinol but was denied. Again, Academician N.N. Blokhin played a sinister role in this. In the autumn of 1970, a cholera epidemic broke out in the south of the country, in the Astrakhan region. By this time, V.O. Mokhnach had obtained data on the effect of iodinol on the cholera vibrio, which in the 1980s was confirmed by the work of A.K. Adamov - head of the department of microbiology and immunology of especially dangerous infections at the "microbe" institute in Saratov (more on this below).

Given the negative attitude of the USSR Ministry of Health towards him, Mokhnach decided to seek the support of some higher organization. Vladimir Onufrievich remembered that during his rehabilitation in the Prosecutor General's Office of the USSR, he was told: "If you encounter any extraordinary circumstances, contact the highest authorities of the state - and you will always be helped." For some reason, having prepared a detailed memorandum outlining experimental and clinical data on the use of iodized starch and iodinol in cholera, Mokhnach sent it to the Council of Ministers of the USSR addressed to K.T. Mazurov. On September 10, 1970, right in the midst of the epidemic, a response was received, but from the head of the department for the introduction of new drugs and medical equipment, E. Babayan: "Your letter addressed to Comrade K.T. Mazurov regarding the use of iodized starch for acute gastrointestinal diseases was forwarded to the Ministry of Health of the USSR for a response as intended. It is impossible to take any specific measures to implement your proposal since it does not meet modern scientific requirements" (it should be emphasized that this response was sent without even indicating the author's surname, simply to the Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences).

The history of oral iodine consumption dates back centuries. Even Herodotus, during his travels in Syria and Babylonia, noted the widespread consumption of fresh and dried seaweed, as well as the preparation of ointments from fresh seaweed and marine sponges with the addition of fat bases. Dry seaweed was carried in the palms, which supposedly protected people from diseases. There was a strict ritual of collecting seaweed, which took into account not only the time of year but also the amount of precipitation, full moon, tides, ebbs, and the depth of collection. Seaweed was collected before sunrise in clean and clear waters without sea foam. It was important to know where to cut the seaweed: the area around the growth point contained the highest amount of iodine. Nowadays, all these secrets are lost. In the oldest writings, cuneiform inscriptions, tablets found in the Mesopotamian regions, the consumption of seaweed, marine, and oceanic fish was recommended. Fish needed to be baked in dough together with seaweed. It also says that the consumption of the internal organs of marine animals even prevents chills and hair loss.

According to the instructions of the Pharmacological Committee of the USSR Ministry of Health in 1964, iodinol is permitted only for external use, including such diseases as angina, chronic tonsillitis, chemical burns of the esophagus and stomach. In other words, the oral administration of iodinol was actually carried out constantly because iodinol is absorbed into the blood from the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, pharynx, trachea, and esophagus instantly, especially in case of iodine deficiency in the body. The method of treating chemical burns of the oral cavity and esophagus with iodinol is included in the instructions of the USSR Ministry of Health (Prof. P.F. Mishchekin). Orally, iodinol is used for esophagitis and in patients with larynx extirpation with the presence of esophagotracheal fistulas (Prof. V.P. Melnikova). The dosage and methods of iodinol administration have been clinically developed for many years (since 1942). However, there is no legal permission from the Pharmacological Committee for the oral administration of iodinol.

In 1965, after experimentally and clinically substantiating and meeting the precise requirements of the Pharmacological Committee, V.O. Mokhnach applied for the oral use of iodinol—and received a refusal. The Pharmacological Committee demanded further additional research, which was also carried out. Yet again, there was a refusal, and again new requirements were imposed (all documents with refusals were signed by G.A. Ulyanova). And so it went on for several years. In 1971, it seemed like the ice was finally breaking. At last, a request was received, to which V.O. Mokhnach responded:

"To the Chairman of the Pharmacological Committee of the Ministry of Health of the USSR, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, Prof. G.N. Pershin, Scientific Secretary Candidate of Medical Sciences G.A. Ulyanova. In response to your letter dated June 26, 1971, No. 211-4661/2343, in which you requested a specific formulation of the purposes for taking iodinol orally and in what doses, we inform you as follows: 1. The oral intake of iodinol is recommended for gastrointestinal diseases, including dysentery and cholera El-Tor. 2. The effectiveness of iodinol in dysentery treatment is confirmed by clinical trials at the Filatov Children's Infectious Diseases Hospital in Leningrad and at the Leningrad Research Institute of Pediatric Infections (see the letter from the Botanical Institute dated November 27, 1970). 3. Data on the results of experimental studies of the bactericidal action of iodinol against dysentery and cholera pathogens have been submitted to the Pharmacological Committee with the main primary documentation (see the letters from the Botanical Institute dated November 11 and 27, 1970, addressed to Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences G.N. Pershin)."

In early November 1971, in response to V.O. Mokhnach's telephone inquiry about the fate of iodinol, G.A. Ulyanova informed him that the Pharmacological Committee considered it necessary to conduct additional tests on the use of iodinol in cholera and dysentery in experimental animals. V.O. Mokhnach sent a letter to G.A. Ulyanova, attaching a report and a conclusion from the laboratory of the Leningrad Port and City Plague Observation Station on the vibriocidal effect of iodinol on the cholera El-Tor pathogen: "In the laboratory of the Leningrad Port and City Plague Observation Station, G.I. Vashchenok and L.I. Bakulina tested the effect of iodinol on the El-Tor cholera pathogen. 0.1 ml of microbe suspension, containing 50 million microbial bodies, was added to 5 ml of undiluted iodinol and iodinol diluted with water in ratios of 1:10, 1:20, 1:40. After 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes, 0.2 ml of the mixture was taken and transferred to a test tube with peptone water. Peptone water was observed for cloudiness after 20 hours. 0.1 ml was seeded onto a Petri dish. The dishes were examined after 24 hours. Iodinol showed a distinct vibriocidal effect at a dilution of 1:20 at 18-20°C and 1:10 at 37°C."

Six months later, the Botanical Institute received a message from the scientific secretary of the Pharmacological Committee, G.A. Ulyanova, stating that the materials on the use of iodinol in cholera were under review and would be considered by the Pharmacological Committee.

V.O. Mokhnach meticulously fulfilled all the requirements of the Pharmacological Committee. In a letter to the chairman of the Pharmacological Committee, G.M. Pershin, he stated: "The author of the drug had personal consultations with you and the scientific secretary G.A. Ulyanova, and you said that it was sufficient to conduct experiments on any animals, which was done... These studies on the vibriocidal action in cholera (and possibly against plague pathogens) can be widely applied with a whole range of our high-polymer preparations, various modifications of iodinol, various iodine preparations, and other halogens, with the most delicate characteristics at the electron-biological level."

However, the Pharmacological Committee stood its ground: "The proposed preparation iodinol cannot be allowed for clinical study in dysentery and cholera, as the submitted materials do not contain experimental data proving the antidiarrheal and anticholera effects of the drug. We recommend that you consult microbiologists." The letter was again signed by G.A. Ulyanova. The requirements and instructions of the Pharmacological Committee in deciding the issue of oral iodinol use are completely inexplicable. The refrain is the same recommendation: "Conducting additional tests of iodinol on experimental animals."

But by a twist of fate, for the first time in the world, an iodopolymeric complex was applied orally and specifically to seriously ill patients diagnosed with dysentery in the Kolyma camps. Then, iodinol was used in the clinics of infectious diseases I and II of the medical institutes of Leningrad for dysentery treatment (Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences E.P. Shuvalova, Prof. V.G. Kosmachovsky). Monkeys with dysentery were treated with iodinol (G. Piralov, V. Rudenko), and Prof. E.K. Jikidze showed the complete identity of dysentery diseases in humans and monkeys (All-Union Institute of Experimental Medicine, Sukhumi). Successful treatment of animals with iodinol also took place at the Leningrad Zoo.

For several years, the production of iodinol was discontinued. The drug was discredited in every possible way. All my appeals to various authorities remained unanswered. Everything changed when Academician A.L. Takhtajan took over as director of the Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. It was immediately established that iodinol was not included in the pharmacopoeia and did not have state protection. On September 18, 1977, Armen Leonovich sent a letter to the Chief Scientific Secretary of the Pharmacopoeial Committee of the Ministry of Health of the USSR, A.N. Oboimakova: "I request to include in the next edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the USSR the original domestic drug iodinol, developed at the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute by V.O. Mokhnach. By the decision of the Pharmacopoeial Committee of the Ministry of Health of the USSR dated May 18, 1962 ... iodinol is permitted for use in wide medical practice." However, there has been no response to this day. Given the importance of the issue, A.L. Takhtajan retained the laboratory and staff of V.O. Mokhnach. Scientific-theoretical and experimental work on iodinol at the Botanical Institute continued.

Iodinol found increasingly wide application in clinics. Trials were conducted in reconstructive surgery of blood vessels in aortofemoral and popliteal-femoral shunting, in extensive traumas with limb detachment (G.N. Gorbunov, I LMI). In the department of lung surgery of the Scientific Research Institute of Pulmonology of the Ministry of Health of the USSR, iodinol was prescribed to patients after thoracic surgeries complicated by pyopneumothorax and empyema of the pleura (Yu.N. Levashov). In the department of pathological anatomy of the Institute of Experimental Medicine, the action of iodinol as a stimulator of the body's natural defense mechanisms was studied - analogs of the myeloperoxidase system (V.E. Pigarevsky, V.N. Kokryakov), and at the Research Institute "Microbe" - the action of iodinol in such particularly dangerous infections as cholera, Siberian ulcer, and others. (A.K. Adamov).

Iodinol was tested for the sanitation of wastewater. The Colli index of wastewater treated with iodinol is close to zero. (P.N. Gorbunov). At the direction of the Main Veterinary Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR, the Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences developed and obtained a dry form of iodinol, and in 1986, clinical trials of the drug began. In 1987, the Leningrad Scientific Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences in a special information bulletin No. 10-87 reported on a new drug, its effectiveness, and economic effect. In 1988, the director of the Leningrad Chemical and Pharmaceutical Association "October" V.G. Seleznev was sent all the technical documentation, laboratory results, data of clinical trials, conclusion on toxicity, and samples of the drug. After consideration, the following response was received: "... the dry form of iodinol completely corresponds to the aqueous solution (Pharmacopoeia 42-483-73). However, the dry form of iodinol is a new medicinal product, which requires the permission of the Pharmacopoeial Committee of the Ministry of Health of the USSR."

And again, everything goes in circles. The director of the Botanical Institute L.Yu. Budantsev sends a letter to the Chairman of the Pharmacopoeial Committee corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences V.K. Lepakhin: "The V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences sends you the necessary documentation and a cover letter on the dry form of iodinol. Please consider the issue." And the response from the Pharmacopoeial Committee is the same as before: "... as you have been repeatedly informed, it is necessary to provide experimental data on the effectiveness and safety of iodinol, including its medicinal form... It is necessary to substantiate the advantages of iodinol over antimicrobial drugs... Thus, both the materials available in the Committee and the newly received ones are not a basis for considering the issue of approving clinical trials of a new medicinal form of iodinol. The Pharmacological Committee draws your attention to the need for a more responsible approach of the Botanical Institute to the issue of presenting materials on the new medicinal form and new indications for the use of iodinol. In case your institute does not have sufficient experience in the development of medicinal products, the Pharmacological Committee recommends that you contact organizations capable of providing the necessary assistance... Chief Scientific Secretary of the Pharmacological Committee, Doctor of Medical Sciences M.I. Mironova."

At the same time, it is impossible not to note the deep understanding of the problem of "iodinol" by the Chairman of the State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries under the Council of Ministers of the USSR I.S. Nayashkov, seemingly distant from medicine and biology. Ivan Semenovich very quickly and clearly reacted to the cover letter of Academician A.L. Takhtajan, attached to the documentation for issuing a patent for the dry form of iodinol, which ended with the words: "... the dry form of iodinol has particularly important significance in geochemical and endemic zones of the country... I ask you to instruct the expertise to carefully consider this application" — and dated March 8, 1986. There is some kind of biological intuition of these people just on the eve of the tragic events in Chernobyl.

Usually, entire regions, provinces, and countries with low iodine content in water bodies and soils are classified as endemic areas. Many areas of iodine deficiency are known: Belarus, Transcarpathia, Transbaikalia, the Caucasus, the Urals, Altai, Tatarstan, Central Asia, the Far East, etc. Mass examinations of the population by employees of the All-Union Institute of Experimental Endocrinology (Moscow) have shown that Moscow, Ivanovo, Kalinin, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, and other regions are classified as endemic zones.

Cases are known when people fell ill just a few weeks after moving to endemic areas. Children, young people, and the elderly are the most vulnerable in this regard.

In the air of Chernobyl, about 450 types of radionuclides were released. The lion's share of them accounts for 131I, which constitutes 80-90% of all radioactivity. All this happened in an endemic zone where the average iodine content in soils and water bodies, including rivers (Uzh, Pripyat, Teteriv), is 1 mg/L, and in wells and artesian wells, it is 1.78 mg/L. According to Sudakov, meadow grasses, wheat, rye straw, corn silage, beets, and potatoes grown in this zone have very low levels of trace elements, primarily iodine (traces), which are essential for the body's functioning.

All food products, including water (food being the only way iodine enters the human body!), do not provide the body with iodine here. Therefore, the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself was flawed. The thyroid gland of humans and higher animals in the Chernobyl conditions is not saturated with iodine and is practically ready to capture radioactive iodine in advance. During the half-life period of 131I (8-10 days), biological nonspecific resistant factors are destroyed (thus subsequent radionuclides affect the unprotected and weakened organism). Thyroid hormones containing iodine, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine, control the body's most important physiological functions: basal metabolism, overall lipid, carbohydrate, protein metabolism, vitamin metabolism, water balance, normal functioning of all systems, as well as the stability of its immune capabilities. Radiation damage is characterized by the action of the ionizing radiation itself; saturation of the body with toxic underoxidized metabolic products, which intensifies the damaging effects of radionuclides; damage to the endocrine system, intestinal epithelium (radioactive enteritis with fatal outcome), bone marrow, and hematopoietic organs.

After Chernobyl, the Pharmacological Committee approved and issued permission for the widespread use of a number of iodine-containing drugs. However, these iodine-containing medicinal preparations for oral administration are unsuitable. Iodine dosages are not developed, nor are preparations containing fixed iodine taking into account storage periods. The area of ​​iodine application, such as mucous membrane, is completely ignored. A person must swallow the medicine, i.e., there must be contact of iodine preparations with the mucous membrane. Even such a "harmless" preparation as Lugol's solution can cause damage to the mucous membrane and disrupt its permeability, which is extremely dangerous and undesirable, especially in the presence of radionuclides. The high allergization of the body is also not taken into account. Unregulated doses of iodine tincture solutions can lead to hyperthyroidism, especially in children. Immediately after the Chernobyl tragedy, a special government commission was created to provide medical assistance to those affected by the radiation accident. I will cite some excerpts from the meetings of this commission and its decisions in the section "From the Secret Dossier".

At the first meeting (May 6, 1986), the issue of issuing sick leave and diagnosing the affected was discussed first, and the decision was made: to issue sick leave "after examination in the hospital, in other cases - certificates with the diagnosis of "vegetative-vascular dystonia"". Then, the first deputy minister of health of the USSR, O.P. Shchepin, reported: "Poor knowledge of the degree of danger of radiation exposure among medical workers has been revealed...". P.N. Burgasov spoke about "elements of panic among the population and the need for a number of television appearances to reassure the population".

And only under item 5 of the program was the question of iodine use discussed. Deputy Chief Sanitary Doctor of the USSR Ministry of Health A.I. Zaichenko reported the calculated dose of thyroid gland irradiation at which iodine prophylaxis is indicated, but "... we have no clear data on when to start using iodine and how to carry out iodine prophylaxis" (and this is May 6, 1986!). Deputy Minister of Health of the USSR N.M. Shmakov considered it necessary to concentrate stocks of potassium iodide in Moscow. The first deputy chief of the 4th department at the USSR Ministry of Health, V.I. Shakhmatov, was not sure "... which is more harmful: radioactive irradiation or iodine use".

The Minister of Health of the RSFSR, A.I. Potapov, proposed to the deputy minister of health of the USSR A.G. Safonov to create a group to prepare optimal decisions on iodine use, and A.G. Safonov recommended "to drink a quarter teaspoon" (how much is this?) of a 5% iodine tincture solution in a glass of water. P.N. Burgasov reminded that it is necessary to "consider the organization of iodine distribution to the population, and it should be free". Another "valuable" decision was made: "To avoid unnecessary meetings with foreign specialists, cancel the trip of Prof. A.K. Gus'kova to the conference of physicians on the topic "For peace and nuclear disarmament".

At the next meeting (May 7, 1986), V.I. Shakhmatov clarified "that the accumulation of radioactive iodine was only in the area of the Pripyat settlement"; Professor A.I. Vorobyev asked to report the degree of radioactive thyroid gland damage at which iodine therapy is indicated; Professor E.E. Gogin talked about the practical safety of the doses of radioactive iodine received for the thyroid gland: "... we can only talk about a mild degree of its damage"; A.I. Potapov once again reminded "of the disruption of mental health and radio phobia among the population of affected areas...", and A.G. Safonov suggested "... preparing popular television appearances together with the propaganda department on the safety of the radiation situation". Then E.B. Shulzhenko was instructed to "take measures to exclude the invitation or visit of any foreign scientists" without the knowledge of Professor A.I. Vorobyev, and the decision was made: "All offers of foreign firms: individual scientists and states on the supply of medicines, equipment, clean food, and other polite refusals... thank and not accept". Three days later (May 10, 1986), an "important" decision was made: "It is possible to diagnose "radiation sickness"".

Chairman of the Pharmacological Committee Yu.G. Bobkov refuses the firm "Solko," which offered the drug "Solko-sera" for the treatment of radiation burns. Justification: "... the drug cannot be accepted because it has not passed the inspection by the Pharmacological Committee." However, the next day (May 11, 1986), O.P. Shchepin already believes that "information about fatal outcomes can be reported since foreign scientists know about them." Almost 2 weeks later (May 24, 1986), the question of iodine prophylaxis is finally discussed, which is "necessary for children, especially in rural areas. This needs to be done by the end of the month — the sooner, the better." Chief of the Main Pharmaceutical Department M.A. Klyuev reports the need to "include in the treatment instructions permission to use potassium iodide solutions" (!).

Thus, once again, the necessity of iodine prophylaxis in rural children is confirmed; only again, the managers doubt whether "people in the field will understand that iodine should be distributed for free" (and this is May 25, i.e., a month after the accident").

At the same time, the head of the 2nd Main Department at the USSR Ministry of Health, V.I. Mikhaylov, reported that "600 people in Moscow sought help within one day — it is unclear where they identify contaminated individuals." At the International Conference of the IAEA Expert Advisory Group held in Vienna in May 1991, neutralizing radioactive iodine was considered the number one issue. The work conducted in our country was highly appreciated. It was particularly emphasized the timely and rapid provision of the population with tabletized potassium iodide. Unfortunately, the experts received false information and were misled about the alleged iodine prophylaxis conducted. According to Y. Voronezhcev, Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Issues, "officials from the medical field, who sought to avoid explaining with lies, reported that all residents were provided with potassium iodide tablets and iodine prophylaxis conducted, however, there was no iodine prophylaxis at all, especially not timely." In their justifications, members of the government commission in 1991 refer to the resolutions of the XXVIII Congress of the CPSU, which allegedly were fulfilled.

Upon clarifying the true situation, it was established that there were no data on the consequences of the population's exposure, its age groups, as well as the number of affected and examined individuals. The "Conclusion" of the government commission states: "Examined children are recognized as generally healthy." However, when examining schoolchildren in just one district of the Gomel region of Belarus, it was found that the proportion of healthy children was only 1.4%. "Enlargement of the thyroid gland and its hypofunction were detected in 50.7% of children, approximately the same data were obtained in other areas... Due to disinformation, it is not possible to predict an increase in cancer cases and especially thyroid gland damage... In total, 5 million people were affected by the Chernobyl accident, and this is not the limit."

Six years after the Chernobyl disaster, the following assessment of the previously adopted decisions was given:

I. "Huge mistakes and crimes were committed by doctors; everyone was assured that iodine prophylaxis was conducted, but this is a lie, this is unethical behavior of doctors towards their duty" (A. Nazarov — Chairman of the Permanent Expert Group of the Parliamentary Commission on Investigating the Causes of the Chernobyl NPP Accident and Assessing the Actions of Officials in the Post-Accident Period).

II. "The highest prevalence of thyroid cancer is among children in the Brest region. After all, 5% of children after Chernobyl received from 1000 to 3000 bær, and this is complete destruction not only of the thyroid gland but also of all the body's biological defense capabilities. Currently, 102 cases of thyroid cancer have been identified in already grown-up children; moreover, a large number of children have hyperplasia of the thyroid gland structures, which causes a whole range of pathological conditions, including disruption of the cardiovascular system..." (T. Belookaya — Chairman of the Belarusian Committee "Children of Chernobyl").

III. "Currently, a multi-thousand group of people is classified as at oncological risk, and it could have been different if iodine prophylaxis had been carried out (italics mine), and not lied that nothing happened and nothing is needed. There would be no such tragedies..." (D. Firsova — expert coordinator; the article is titled "Lies are unprofitable").

IV. "Genetic anomalies and damage are transmitted to the next generation... About 20% of deaths are associated with carcinogenesis; 70% have disorders of the endocrine and immune systems. Congenital anomalies were noted in 7.5 thousand children in 17 of the most contaminated areas in the Gomel and Mogilev regions" (V. Shevchenko — expert coordinator; the title of the article says a lot: "Descendants won't say thank you").

V. "About 1.5 million people of the republic, including 250 thousand children, were in the contamination zone and received an 'iodine strike,'" writes K.I. Masik in the article "Chernobyl: Alarms and Expectations."

Throughout his life and after his death, Vladimir Onufrievich clearly felt hostility from the Ministry of Health as a whole and the Pharmacological Committee in particular. There was a sense of something biased, prejudiced, and negative towards his preparations, with the same refrain: it's old, known, not needed. Striking and still striking is the complete unity, solidarity, and cohesion of such employees as G.A. Ulyanova, G.N. Pershin, P.N. Burgasov, E. Babayan, A.I. Oboymakova, M.I. Mironova, and the "curator" of iodinol S.B. Izosimov. Life has proven the necessity, the fundamental novelty, and the usefulness of blue-colored iodine preparations, but state bureaucratic structures continue to stubbornly deny V.O. Mokhnach's merits. Thus, on April 20, 1988, a request was sent to the State Committee for Inventions and Discoveries at the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology to review the application (registration No. 32-OT-4781) by V.O. Mokhnach. On May 30, 1988, a response was received from the head of the department, V.V. Sapelkin: "The arguments provided by you in this letter do not provide grounds for resuming the case processing for application No. 32-07-4781, as they do not justify the fundamental novelty of the connection of the valence state of halogens, their chemical, biological activity, and coloration." It's all the same...

But on his complex and very difficult path, V.O. Mokhnach also encountered other people. When he returned to Leningrad after rehabilitation, no one knew or heard about Mokhnach or his works. However, Academician V.N. Chernigovsky, a prominent scientist and a person of great soul, provided Vladimir Onufrievich with the opportunity to study the physiological effects of iodine high polymers in the laboratories of the I.P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and the first monograph by Mokhnach was published under the auspices of this institute. Professor A.V. Waldman not only supervised experimental work but also took on the huge task of editing the collection "Iodinol in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine." Without a single word, Academician N.P. Bekhtereva handed over part of the sheets of her book so that Mokhnach's monograph "Iodine and Life Issues" could be published in full.

Professor N.N. Demin, as the chairman of the section on neurochemistry of the Scientific Council on Problems of Biochemistry of Animals and Humans, conducted experimental work on the effect of iodine high polymers on endocrinology at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor V.V. Potin not only was a "follower of Vladimir Onufrievich," as he says about himself but also continues to actively work with iodinol. Vladimir Vsevolodovich believes: "Iodinol is advisable to use for blocking the thyroid gland when there is a danger of radioactive iodine isotopes and in extreme conditions when it is necessary to block and prevent the uptake of radioactive iodine." I cannot forget K.L. Khilov, a brilliant specialist who, for the first time in clinical conditions at the Military Medical Academy, conducted trials of iodinol. He meticulously, together with the staff of the departments of biochemistry and pharmacology, worked out the dosages of the drug.

A huge contribution to the continuation of scientific research by V.O. Mokhnach was made by Academician A.L. Takhtadzhyan. Despite the lack of permission from the Pharmacological Committee, Armen Leonovich appealed to Professor A.K. Adamov to try the use of iodinol in particularly dangerous infections. Positive results were obtained, the most important of which are the data on the treatment of cholera. Before the Chernobyl disaster, it was in Kiev that Armen Leonovich attracted Professor N.A. Sudakov to the research, thanks to which the problem of iodine deficiency and the preservation of the thyroid gland was practically studied (but, unfortunately, not used). During the nearly 3-year absence of iodinol, the surgical clinics of Leningrad were provided with the drug, and it was provided for free, as A.L. Takhtadzhyan allocated special positions, including that of a senior research fellow, and iodinol was produced in the chemical-technological laboratory of the Botanical Institute. Theoretical scientific research on iodinol did not stop all these years and continues to this day. New dosage forms were developed, and two author's certificates were obtained. Yes, V.O. Mokhnach was repressed, spent time in the camps, in inhuman conditions, for terrible 19 years. But his works, his research were not subjected to repression.

Here is what N.V. Savoyeva, who gave life to iodinol in those terrible days in Kolyma, wrote to me in a letter in February 1992:

"...The name of Doctor Mokhnach was pronounced by the doctors of Kolyma not only with respect and gratitude but also with reverence. The hospital staff created conditions for him, helped in everything. Iodine starch was prepared several times a day because it was given to all contact prisoners and volunteers. We protected Doctor Mokhnach, limited his walks around the barracks: he had swollen legs, he was very weak. In the Sevvostlag hospital in Belichy, I, by my authority, allowed the medication and allowed Vladimir Onufrievich to treat the patients... I am grateful to fate that I met Vladimir Onufrievich on my life's path. I am thankful to God for giving me the understanding to recognize who Mokhnach was and to see in him a determined talented doctor and scientist. Doctor Mokhnach, doomed himself, saved those who were also doomed and dying. Yes, iodinol is Mokhnach's brainchild. I am happy that I gave life to iodinol. Doctor Mokhnach saved people, did good, regardless of prohibitions and threats. Thank you, may his memory be bright, he suffered a lot..."

Author: I.V. Mokhnach

Materials on the topic:

  • Mokhnach V.O. Iodine and life problems. L., 1974.
  • Mokhnach V.O. Preliminary data on the use of iodine starch (amyliodine) in patients with dysentery // Major infectious diseases. L., 1959.
  • Meisel M.N., Mokhnach V.O., Vakina I.P. et al. On the mechanism of antimicrobial action of biologically active forms of iodine // Bull. Acad. Sci. USSR. Ser. Biol. 1971.
  • Bogomolova L.G., Mokhnach V.O. et al. Experimental and clinical study of the iodopolyvinyl alcohol solution (iodinol) // Iodinol and its application. M .; L., 1962.
  • Shuvalova E.P. The use of iodinol in dysentery in adults under the control of rectoromanoscopy // Iodinol in medicine and veterinary medicine. L., 1967.
  • Mokhnach V.O. Theoretical foundations of the biological action of halide compounds. L., 1968.
  • Perlman A., Cyborg G.T. Synthetic elements // New chemistry. M., 1959.
  • Lavrentiev A.I. The biological role of iodine // Non-infectious diseases of agricultural animals. M., 1959.
  • Bodhir N.P., Donish P.M., Romashkin S.V. Atypical manifestations of hypothyroidism // Clin. medicine. 1986. No. 5. P. 86-92.
  • Mokhnach-Abrazevich I.V. The use of iodinol in chemical burns of the throat and esophagus // Iodinol in medicine and veterinary medicine. L., 1967.