"Irrecoverable loss": the famous Russian scientist Ivan Pigarev died as a result of an accident  

An outstanding scientist, Doctor of Biological Sciences and one of the world's leading experts in the field of sleep studies Ivan Pigarev died tragically in Moscow.

According to the Investigative Committee, "an electric bike driven by Ivan Pigarev collided with a scooter driven by a man born in 1983 on the sidewalk near Vorobyovskoye Shosse."

Both men were hospitalized with injuries at the city's medical facility, according to the department, where Pigarev later died.

As the son of Pigarev told RT, the 80-year-old scientist rode a bicycle to work at the Institute for Information Transmission Problems.

Kharkevich RAS, where he worked all his life.

"For 60 years, dad traveled to work on this route. In the west of Moscow, he collided with a scooter," Nikolai Pigarev's son told RT. 

During the fall, Ivan Nikolaevich hit his head on the asphalt and received a serious head injury.

The scientist was taken to the intensive care unit and operated on.

“The operation is over.

The hematoma was removed.

The condition is very serious, on ventilator in intensive care, ”his daughter Tatiana wrote in social networks.

Unfortunately, the doctors did not manage to save Pigarev.

The relatives of Ivan Nikolaevich learned about the incident when he was already in intensive care.

“They called from the hospital on the last number on the phone,” says Nikolai.

Unique theory

For Ivan Pigarev's colleagues at the institute, his death was a shock.

“We learned about everything from his daughter’s social networks in the evening, when he was already in the hospital,” says the press secretary of the institute Kirill Ivanov.

“In 1991, after defending his doctorate in the study of visual zones, he began to work on his own theory, to investigate the physiology of sleep.

And he developed the visceral theory of sleep, according to which, when the body falls asleep, the brain switches from processing information that comes from external receptors to information from internal receptors.

That is, the brain begins, as it were, to diagnose the body, receiving information about which organs something is wrong, "- explains RT Kirill Ivanov.

“Ivan Nikolaevich began to actively develop this theory, made experiments, mainly on cats.

He carried out this work in recent years, continued research, actively published the results in professional scientific journals, ”continues Ivanov.

According to scientists who worked with Pigarev, the theory aroused great interest and heated discussion in scientific circles.

“It was received positively by the medical community and with some criticism by the professional somnologist community.

Because, according to Pigarev himself, his theory somewhat violated the existing sleep patterns, ”explains Kirill Ivanov.

“This is a rather controversial concept, not all physiologists agree with it.

But Ivan Nikolayevich defended it in his scientific publications, set up experiments, tried to show on cats that parts of the brain really respond to different impulses during wakefulness and sleep, ”adds Andrei Sobolevsky, director of the Institute for Information Transmission Problems, where Pigarev worked.

The laboratory is museumified

According to Sobolevsky, Pigarev was a very bright, active and kind person.

"His cats, having worked in the laboratory, then lived quietly with his wife in the country, did not suffer from experiments, he took special care of this," continues the director of the institute. 

“He is a descendant of the poet Tyutchev.

In Kazan there is a house-museum of the poet Yevgeny Baratynsky, who was well acquainted with Tyutchev.

And Ivan Nikolaevich's mother once presented this museum with Baratynsky's writing desk, which they kept in their family through their acquaintance with Tyutchev, ”Sobolevsky says.

Ivan Nikolaevich still has students and colleagues at the institute.

“I think there will be someone to continue his work.

But since he is the author of the concept, this is undoubtedly an irreparable loss, ”says the director of the institute.

Pigarev's laboratory animals will also not be left without help, he continues.

“My colleagues and I will certainly preserve his case as much as possible.

And his laboratory is so well equipped and so interesting in itself that we are thinking of making it a museum.

Ivan Nikolaevich worked there with his animals for several decades, other physiologists and experimenters would be interested to come in to see how their colleague equipped everything for himself so well, ”says Andrei Sobolevsky.

Fraudster from Belarus

According to media reports, the scooter that the scientist collided with was driven by a 38-year-old native of Belarus, Peter Voroshen.

In his homeland, journalists report, a man several years ago deceived a dozen people, borrowing money from them for a total of $ 100 thousand and not returning it.

“During the audit, it was found that the citizen Petr Vladimirovich Voroshen in the period from 2010 to 2011 entered into loan agreements with citizens, namely, he borrowed money, promising a good interest upon return, which, as he explained, he earned by carrying out trading on stock exchanges on the Internet. After the expiration of the terms under the loan agreements, Voroshen, for currently unknown reasons, did not return the borrowed funds and disappeared. In the course of repeated checks on the statements of the victims, it was not possible to establish the specific whereabouts of the aforementioned citizen, ”the Belarusian media wrote with reference to local law enforcement officers.

“A criminal case was never opened, he fled to the territory of Ukraine, his relatives covered his departure.

Some victims nevertheless filed claims in court in civil proceedings, "one of the victims of Voroshen, Dmitry Narivonchik, told RT.

“Parents also avoided contact, although many were ready to be satisfied with the return of part of the amount.

But, apparently, he decided to throw everyone together, ”he continues.

According to him, Dmitry "is surprised that he (Peter - RT) surfaced in this way."

“Still, fraud and road accidents are a little different things, but it is clear that fate decreed it.

I would be ready to close this story for a symbolic compensation, like many, but apparently he sleeps peacefully, debts and a blackened name in his homeland does not bother him, ”says Narivonchik.

At the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center, where, according to preliminary data, both men were taken after the collision, they confirmed to RT that yesterday a patient named Pyotr Vladimirovich Voroshen, born in 1983, was admitted to them.

"He has already been discharged from the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery," the institution said.

The Investigative Committee of Moscow has begun checking on the fact of an accident that led to the death of a scientist.

“The Nikulinsky Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigation Department for the Western Administrative District of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee for the city of Moscow has organized a pre-investigation check. Currently, investigators are carrying out a set of verification measures aimed at establishing all the circumstances and reasons for what happened. Eyewitnesses are established and interviewed. As part of the check, the investigators will give a legal assessment of the incident for the presence of signs of a crime under Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence), ”the agency's website says.