Constantin Toumanoff (1903-1967)

Russian-born French physician and biologist, born on Oct. 8, 1903 in St. Petersburg (Russia). He spent his childhood in Irkutsk (Siberia), where his father was a lawyer at the Court of Appeal.
1917-1919 He entered the governmental high school of Irkutsk where he completed his secondary education.
1919-1922 He enrolled in medical training at the Medical School of Irkutsk for three years. At the same time, he trained at the laboratory of medical zoology and parasitology under the supervison of Professor Schewiaskoff.
1922-1923 He fled Russia to study in Manchuria due to persecutions against students from non-proletarian origin. There, he enrolled in the Harbin Medical School. At the end of the year, he decided to leave for France.
1923-1926 He entered the Institut Pasteur as a full-worker and joined the F. Mesnil's service, where he worked as an assistant of S. Metalnikov. He attended M. Caullery's teaching at the Chair for the Evolution of Organized Beings, at Sorbonne University, in Paris. His early works included immunity, pathology and biology in insects, particularly bees. Then, he enrolled at the Faculty of Sciences of Paris, and graduated (BSC).
1925-1926 He worked in E. Roubaud's laboratory, at the Institut Pasteur.
1926 As a grant-holder from the Rockefeller Foundation and from the University of Paris, he travelled to the zoological station in Naples.
1927-1930 Took part in the research group on the European corn borer, led by E. Roubaud.
1929-1930 At the request of the French Institute of Agricultural Research (Ministry of Agriculture), he conducted research work on bee diseases, at the experimental apiary of the Veterinary School, in Maisons-Alfort. He travelled to Germany. His aim was to gather suitable data for the French Institute. This led the government to institute a decree mandating the fight against bee diseases.
1930 Published The bee disease and participated in the beekeeping London Congress.
1930-1946 Appointed as head of the laboratory for medical entomology, then as head of service at the Pasteur institutes in Indochina; he actively worked in centers at Anti- Malaria Service.
1932-1933 Gave lectures on insects transmitters of diseases at the medical school of Hanoi.
1933 Acquired the French nationality.
1934-1935 Travelled to China and to the Philippines to study anophelism commissionned by the Pasteur Institutes in Indochina.
1935 Became an active member of the French Society of Exotic Pathology (Société de Pathologie Exotique, SPE).
1936 At the Sorbonne University, his PhD in Natural Sciences was Anophelism in the Far-East ; the French Ministry of Agriculture entrusted him with the study of the apiary epidemic in the South-West of France.
1938-1939 Lecturer in beekeeping at the special school of agriculture, in Hanoi.
1947 At the request of the Ministry of Public Health, he conducted a survey on malaria and anophelism in Corsica.
1948 Invited by the Rockefeller Foundation, he travelled to the United States, so as to learn about the modern methods for struggling against insect pests.
1949 At the request of WHO, he participated in malariology teaching in Zagreb, then in a mission which aimed at inspecting antimalarial sections in workplaces in Yugoslavia.
1953 Appointed as head of the service for medical entomology and insect diseases; he focused on the study of biological control against pests, using spores, as well as on the study of many insect diseases; commenced research on fish diseases.
1956-1958 Travelled to French Guinea to study malaria and filariasis.
He died in Paris in 1967.

Collaborators : M. Abellos, J. Canet, Chang, Chassignet, Chaussinand, M. Chorine, J. Colas-Belcour, W. Chu, J. Durand, Farinaud, A. François, H. S. Fuller, H. Gaschen, J. Genevray, Gladiline, Grison, Hérivaux, Hong-T-Ba, S. M. K. Hu, M. Huong, H. Jacotot, Jaujou, Mlle Lapied, J. Mesnard, P. Menu, S. Métalnikov, Nanta, Rageau, J. Rombaut, E. Roubaud, F. G. A. Smit, M. Treillard, H. T. Try, Vago, Vallée, Van Phung, B. Virat, G. Zarifopoulos.

Biographical reference tools :
- Marneffe (Hubert), Constantin Toumanoff (1903-1967), Annales de l'Institut Pasteur, t. 116, mars 1969, pp 273-275.
- Toumanoff (Constantin), Curriculum Vitae, 1948, 2 dact. (Archives Pasteur, TRE.DS.122).
- Toumanoff (Constantin), Notice sur l'ensemble des travaux scientifiques, 1928-1948, 57 p. dact. (Archives Pasteur, TRE.DS.122).
- Toumanoff (Constantin), Liste chronologique des publications scientifiques de Constantin Toumanoff, 1967, 14 p. (archives Pasteur, TRE.DS.122).

CeRIS' Archives Division (Institut Pasteur)