IN MEMORY OF PLATON KOSTYUK

On May 10, 2010, the outstanding world-famous Ukrainian physiologist, academician of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine Platon Kostyuk, left the world forever. Th e news of his death quickly spread around the scientifi c community of the world. O.O. Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where Platon Grygorovych was a permanent director for 44 years, began to receive numerous letters in which there was a real pain concerning irreparable loss for world physiological science. In addition to the offi cial condolences of statesmen and institutions ( President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament), scientifi c societies, and others), many dozens of letters from the scientifi c community arrived. One can cite words from one of the letters refl ecting their general meaning: "Th e news of the death of Platon Gryhorovych responded with real pain. Surprisingly, although we all understood that Platon Grygorovych was in a respectable age and saw that he had notably passed recently, the news of his death was taken with surprise. As the saying goes, the head understands, but the heart does not believe. Unfortunately, the thought comes that with the departure of Platon Grygorovych, an entire era ended — the era in which intellect, professionalism, decency, intelligence were the main characteristics of a scientist" (from the letter of RAS Member Evgeny Nikolsky, Member of the Bureau of the Department of Biological Sciences of the RAS, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of Kazan Science Center RAS)