A SCIENTIST WITH GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION AND ABSOLUTE SAFETY PROTECTION OF PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH’S BODY
Colonel LAI VAN HOA
Director of Institute 69
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
Iury Alexeyevich Romanov was born on September 13, 1921. He participated in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against Nazi Germany from the very beginning until the end of the war on the Leningrad front. In 1952, he started working in the laboratory of Lenin's Mausoleum after graduating from the School of Hygiene at Moscow Medical University No. 1. Under the direct guidance of Academician Madaxop and Debop, he quickly became acquainted with and mastered the specialized knowledge of embalming and preserving bodies. In 1959, he successfully defended his dissertation for the candidate of medical sciences. In 1967, he became the Deputy Director of the Laboratory (later the Moscow Biomedical Research Center). He participated directly in the preservation of the body of Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Along with colleagues in the laboratory, he directly participated in the embalming of Stalin (1953), Gottwald (Czechoslovakia, 1953), Neto (Angola, 1979), Bonkhen (Guyana, 1985), and Kim Il Sung (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1994). With the accumulated knowledge and experience, he became one of the leading experts in the Soviet Union and later in Russia, as well as globally, in the field of long-term preservation of bodies for visitation. Colleagues in the laboratory of Lenin's Mausoleum highly appreciated his contributions not only in the field of body preservation but also in the field of biochemical cabinets and training a new generation of young scientists. With his assistance, dozens of laboratory staff successfully defended scientific projects and candidate dissertations.
Iu.A. Romanov also made significant contributions to the embalming and long-term preservation of the body of President Ho Chi Minh. On December 18, 1968, he became the first Soviet scientist to visit Vietnam to inspect and evaluate the preparation and preservation work for President Ho Chi Minh. With the approval of the leadership comrades, on December 22, 1968, he participated in the celebration of the founding day of the Vietnam People's Army to directly observe the appearance of President Ho Chi Minh during his lifetime. In the following years, he frequently visited Vietnam, even during the intense war, to maintain the President’s body in secret bases, as well as after the reunification of the country when President Ho's body was brought back to the historical Ba Dinh Square Mausoleum. In total, he visited Vietnam 24 times to carry out medical work in preserving the body of President Ho Chi Minh.
He directly participated in preserving President Ho Chi Minh's body with a high sense of responsibility and extensive expertise in the embalming field. He stood side by side with Vietnamese doctors devotedly, meticulously, seriously, and accurately, paying attention to every small detail to maintain the integrity and safety of President Ho Chi Minh's body. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he actively collaborated with the leadership of the center and the Vietnamese side to find new methods of cooperation. According to Soviet experts, he took the initiative to propose enhancing the training of Vietnamese medical officials in the field of embalming and carrying out collaborative research projects in a systematic manner. Through these forms of collaboration, towards the basic goals, in 2003 both sides agreed to prepare the embalming solution for President Ho Chi Minh’s body in Vietnam in 2004 and the following years. This is one of the significant achievements with the substantial contribution of Professor Iu.A. Romakov.
The more I come into contact, the more I work, the more I realize his great personality - a calm and reserved scientist, less talkative but decisive in actions, carrying out tasks thoroughly and not just stopping at theory but proving it with specific experiments and data. He often reminded Soviet colleagues as well as Vietnamese doctors to be very cautious and meticulous, allowing conclusions only based on accurate data and experiments.
For his significant contributions during the war and in the scientific field, Iu.A. Romakov was awarded the Second Class War Veterans Medal, the October Revolution Medal, 2 Red Labor Medals, the State Prize, and the Award of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia awarded him the "For Brave Labor" Medal. The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam awarded him the First and Second Class Labor Medals.
On November 15, 2005, he departed to the eternal realm, leaving us with deep condolences and admiration for his scientific contributions and personal qualities as a colleague and a respected mentor.
I write these lines as a tribute to him - Professor, Associate Doctor Iu.A. Romakov - former Deputy Director of the Moscow Biomedical Research Center.
