Konstantin Ivanovich Skryabin was born on December 7, 1878 in St. Petersburg to the family of railway engineers. His father wanted his son to be an engineer, but young Konstantin was fond of nature, not technology.
In 1900 Konstantin Skryabin entered Veterinary Institute in Yuriev, where he studied various biological subjects. Future scientist also attended lectures of natural department of the faculty of physics and mathematics. At that time Skryabin began his scientific work – an atlas, called “Muscles of Dog and Horse”, was published in 1903. Apart from veterinary topics, Skryabin also performed research in general biology. First papers on helminthology appeared in 1903, and that was the time, which predetermined further scientific activity, to which Konstantin Skryabin dedicated his whole life.
In 1905 Konstantin Skryabin finished his institute and got diploma with honours. Same year was notable for an appointment as a district veterinarian in little town of Chimkent, and in two years Konstantin Skryabin moved to even smaller town, where started his research activities. In 1911 Konstantin Skryabin was sent to St. Petersburg to improve his skills of a veterinary. Together with attending lectures the scientist did his best to process previously collected samples, read lectures and made reports on helminthology issues. Then Skryabin went to Europe (Germany and France) to continue his work in field of helminthology.

Parasitic worm
However, Konstantin Ivanovich didn’t find job according his profession and had to stay in St. Petersburg as a non-staff worker of the Central Veterinary Laboratory. Between 1917 and 1920 Konstantin Ivanovich headed first Russian department of parasitology in Donskoy Veterinary Institute. At that time the scientist developed a technique of full helminthological dissections, which is still in use nowadays. In 1919 Skryabin’s department organized first helminthological expedition.
In 1920 Konstantin Ivanovich moved to Moscow and founded helminthological department in State Institute of Experimental Veterinary, which later headed. That was the beginning of Russian helminthology. In 1931 that department became All-Soviet Institute of Helminthology, and was named after Skryabin, who headed in till 1957 in 1939. Konstantin Ivanovich had other activities, except his scientific institute. The scientist helped other institutions to open helminthology departments and to train staff for them. In 1922 Skryabin organized Commission on studying helminths of Russia, and in 1940 founded All-Soviet Helminthological Society.

Trematode
Since 1949 Konstantin Skryabin was the editor of team work “Key to parasitic nematodes”. Between 1919 and 1957 the scientist organized over 300 helminthological expeditions, in most of which he took part. These expeditions resulted in full helminthological study of the country. Skryabin contributed a lot to systematics of helminths and development of general helminthology. The scientist and his colleagues revised and reorganized classification of all classes of parasitic worms. Konstantin Ivanovich was the only professional helminthologist in the world, who became world famous for his studies of morphology and systematics of helminths.
The scientist developed technique of dehelminthization and devastation for fighting worms. Eminent scientist was the full member of many scientific academies and societies.
Konstantin Ivanovich Skryabin died on October 17, 1972 in Moscow.
Source: Skryabin’s biography
Kizilova Anna