Renowned heart surgeon Nikolai Amosov dies in Kiev

Outstanding heart surgeon Nikolai Amosov died in his own home on the night of December 12-13 in Kiev, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has told RIA Novosti.

Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences Amosov, Nikolai Mikhailovich, was born on December 6, 1913 in the village of Olkhovo, the Vologda Region, into a peasant family. In 1939 he graduated with honours from the Arkhangelsk medical institute and during the years of the Great Patriotic War worked as the leading surgeon at a mobile field hospital.

In 1955 he organised a heart surgery clinic, which was transformed in 1983 into the institute of cardio-vascular surgery.

In the last few years of his life Amosov had written much and published five books: "Thoughts and the Heart," "Notes from the Future," "PPG-22-66," "The Book on Happiness and Misfortunes." Amosov's last book "The Voices of Time" was published by his 85th jubilee and translated into 30 languages of the world.

In 1986 a heart stimulator was implanted into Amosov and in 1998 an artificial mitral valve was inserted in him and two shunts were put in his coronary arteries.

The renowned surgeon devised at the age of 80 his own recipe of overcoming old age - he decided that with time it is possible to struggle against it with the help of a sharp increase in loads. His exercises included 2,500-3,000 movements and half of them involved the use of 5-kg weights. The scientist told about his system of restrictions and loads in his book "Thoughts about the Health." Its circulation reached 7 million copies.

In 2002, 89-year-old Amosov suffered a stroke.