Krasnogvardeets, Catalog of the Medical Devices, Apparatus and Instruments, 1968Krasnogvardeets, Cat
Catalogue of Medical Devices, Apparatus and Instruments
Medical Devices, Apparatus and Instruments (Медицинские приборы, аппараты и инструменты) is an illustrated catalogue of medical equipment manufactured by the Krasnogvardeets (Красногвардеец) Production Association in Leningrad, Soviet Union. Published in 1968 by Vneshtorgizdat, the Soviet publishing house specializing in foreign-trade literature, the catalogue presents a comprehensive range of surgical instruments, diagnostic devices, laboratory equipment, and other medical technologies produced by one of the country's oldest manufacturers of medical instruments.
The publication provides an interesting historical record of the Soviet medical technology industry during the 1960s, documenting both the range of equipment available to healthcare institutions and the increasing industrial specialization of medical instrument manufacturing.
History of Krasnogvardeets
The origins of Krasnogvardeets date back to the early eighteenth century, when Peter the Great ordered the establishment of a workshop for the manufacture of medical instruments for the military medical service of the newly organized Russian regular army.
Initially located on Aptekarsky Island in Saint Petersburg, the small workshop gradually developed into a factory and subsequently into a major manufacturer of surgical instruments.
Throughout its history, the enterprise maintained close connections with Russian medical science and surgery. According to the catalogue's introduction, prominent surgeons and professors of the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy supervised the work of its craftsmen. Under their guidance, the factory produced high-quality surgical instruments that received recognition at Russian and international exhibitions.
One of the most distinguished figures associated with the enterprise was Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov (1810–1881), the Russian surgeon and pioneer of military field surgery. Pirogov directed the Saint Petersburg surgical instrument factory from 1841 to 1856. In his assessment of the enterprise, quoted in the catalogue, he described it as the only institution of its kind not merely in Europe but throughout the world.
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the factory continued operating within the Soviet state industrial system. Its activities expanded substantially during the Soviet period, combining traditional surgical instrument manufacturing with the development of modern medical apparatus and diagnostic equipment.
In 1946, on the occasion of its 225th anniversary, Krasnogvardeets was awarded the Order of Lenin in recognition of its achievements in manufacturing surgical instruments.
By the 1960s, Krasnogvardeets had become a major Soviet production association specializing in medical technology. It incorporated several Leningrad enterprises, including the Electromedical Equipment Plant (EMO), the Leningrad Optical-Mechanical Plant (LOMZ), and the medical instrument factory in Staraya Russa.
Medical Technology in the 1960s
The catalogue's introduction provides an overview of the industrial achievements of Krasnogvardeets during the postwar decades.
According to the publication, the association accounted for more than 15% of the Soviet Union's medical instrument industry's total production. Its product range included approximately 600 different types of equipment for medicine and healthcare.
During the seven-year economic development period preceding publication, approximately 184 new or technically improved medical devices, apparatus, and instruments were developed and introduced into production.
Among the technological achievements highlighted in the catalogue were mechanical semi-automatic instruments for suturing blood vessels, tissues, and hollow organs. These devices, sometimes described internationally as "Soviet satellites in surgery," represented an important stage in the development of mechanical surgical anastomosis.
Other notable products included artificial heart and artificial kidney apparatus, multichannel electrocardiographs, biochemical laboratory instruments, and equipment for ophthalmological diagnosis and treatment.
The introduction also emphasizes international recognition. Krasnogvardeets products were exported to 66 countries, while the association's equipment had received nine gold medals at international exhibitions and trade fairs during the postwar period.
The catalogue reflects the priorities of the Soviet industrial development plan for 1966–1970, which emphasized further specialization in diagnostic apparatus, anaesthesia and artificial respiration equipment, endoscopy, surgical technology, sterilization, and laboratory instrumentation.
Contents of the Catalogue
The catalogue is organized into fourteen principal sections, reflecting the broad spectrum of equipment manufactured by the association.
The first sections cover laboratory and pharmacy equipment, including instruments for physiological and pathophysiological research, clinical biochemistry, physicochemical analysis, microbiology, and sanitary-hygienic investigations.
Subsequent sections describe diagnostic devices and instruments for puncture, injection, and aspiration.
A substantial part of the catalogue is dedicated to general surgery. It includes instruments for tissue dissection and suturing, haemostatic instruments, bone surgery equipment, and various specialized surgical tools. Separate chapters address neurosurgical instruments and ophthalmological equipment.
Further sections describe otorhinolaryngological, urological, radiological, physiotherapeutic, obstetric, gynecological, and dental instruments. The final part presents sterilization equipment, a product index, and instruments scheduled for future production.
The catalogue's table of contents provides the following organization:
| Section | Subject | Page |
|---|---|---|
| I | Laboratory and pharmacy equipment | 5 |
| II | Diagnostic instruments | 19 |
| III | Instruments for puncture, injection, and aspiration | 29 |
| IV | General surgical instruments and apparatus | 31 |
| V | Neurosurgical instruments | 53 |
| VI | Ophthalmological instruments and devices | 55 |
| VII | Otorhinolaryngological instruments and devices | 65 |
| VIII | Urological instruments and devices | 73 |
| IX | X-ray and physiotherapy equipment | 79 |
| X | Obstetric and gynecological instruments and apparatus | 81 |
| XI | Dental instruments | 83 |
| XII | Sterilization equipment | 85 |
| XIII | Index of products included in the catalogue | 89 |
| XIV | Products planned for manufacture | 97 |
Publication and Printing Details
The catalogue was published in 1968 by Vneshtorgizdat (Внешторгиздат), the Soviet publishing house responsible for foreign-trade publications, including industrial catalogues, product brochures, technical documentation, and promotional materials intended for domestic and international distribution.
The publication contains 96 numbered pages and four unnumbered pages. The original printing information reads:
Внешторгиздат ЛО-1423. ЦЛТ 4 Главполиграфпрома. Зак. 4402.
The imprint identifies Vneshtorgizdat's Leningrad branch (ЛО), followed by the publication or production reference number 1423. The printing establishment, designated ЦЛТ 4 Главполиграфпрома, was Colour Lithography Printing House No. 4 in Leningrad, operating under the Soviet Main Administration of the Printing Industry (Glavpoligrafprom). The designation Зак. 4402 indicates the printer's production order number.
The exact print run is not established from the available bibliographical information.
Historical Significance
The 1968 Krasnogvardeets catalogue is a valuable example of Soviet technical and industrial publishing and an important documentary source for the history of medical instrumentation.
Beyond its function as a commercial and technical catalogue, the publication illustrates the transformation of a small eighteenth-century surgical instrument workshop into a large industrial association producing hundreds of types of medical devices.
Particularly noteworthy is the combination of traditional surgical instruments with increasingly sophisticated medical technologies, including mechanical surgical suturing systems, extracorporeal circulation and artificial organ apparatus, electronic diagnostic devices, and specialized clinical laboratory equipment.
The catalogue also documents the international ambitions of Soviet medical technology manufacturing during the Cold War. Its publication by a foreign-trade publishing house, together with the reported export of Krasnogvardeets products to 66 countries, demonstrates the importance attached to presenting Soviet medical equipment in international markets.
Today, the catalogue offers historians of medicine, biomedical engineers, and collectors of historical medical instruments an opportunity to study the technological development, industrial organization, and manufacturing priorities of Soviet healthcare during the second half of the twentieth century.
Bibliographical Description
Title: Медицинские приборы, аппараты и инструменты СССР (Medical Devices, Apparatus and Instruments of the USSR)
Manufacturer: Производственное объединение «Красногвардеец» (Krasnogvardeets Production Association)
Publisher: Внешторгиздат (Vneshtorgizdat)
Year: 1968
Country: USSR
City: Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg)
Language: Russian
Pagination: 96 numbered pages + 4 unnumbered pages
Printing house: ЦЛТ № 4 Главполиграфпрома (Colour Lithography Printing House No. 4, Glavpoligrafprom)
Publisher's reference: ЛО-1423
Printing order: Зак. 4402
Subject: History of medical technology, surgical instruments, medical equipment, biomedical engineering, Soviet medicine.
