Babukhin, Aleksandr

Born Mar. 16 (28), 1827 or, according to other sources, Aug. 5 (17), 1835; died May 23 (June 4), 1891. Russian histologist and physiologist. Founder of the Moscow school of his-tophysiologists and bacteriologists.

In 1859, Babukhin graduated from the department of medicine of Moscow University, where he subsequently taught, becoming a professor in 1865, chairman of the sub-department of physiology (1865–69), and chairman of the subdepartment of histology, embryology, and comparative anatomy in 1869. In 1888 he organized Moscow’s first bacteriological laboratory under the subdepartment of histology, embryology, and comparative anatomy. Babukhin was one of the first to describe neurofibrils in peripheral nerve fibers (1868). He discovered that the axis cylinders of nerve fibers are processes of nerve cells (1869–76). He showed that the electrical organs of fish develop from embryonic striated muscle fibers (1869). He was the first to demonstrate the phenomenon of bilateral conduction of excitation along nerves (1877), as well as other phenomena.