I. I. Mechnikoff's contribution to immunology

I. I. Mechnikoff's contribution to various aspects of immunology is evaluated. The 25 years' struggle of this scientist for the existence of phagocytosis theory is briefly described. Works of I. I. Mechnikoff dealing with several factors of humoral immunity and cytotoxins are reviewed. The significance of I. I. Mechnikoff's studies providing analysis of immune processes in the phylogenetic sense as well as his ideas about the nervous system role in immunity processes is stressed.     

I. I. Shmal'gauzen's concept of the evolution of ontogeny

The concept of evolution of ontogenesis by I. I. Shmal'gauzen is presented as a result of reviewing some of his theoretical works. This concept appears to be the most consistent development of classical darwinism on the basis of a basically new (as compared with synthetic theory of evolution) evolutionary-synthetic approach. This latter has been based on the idea of the organism integrity in onto- and phylogenesis and the involvement of the organismic level (ontogenesis), together with the population and biocoenotic ones, in the evolutionary process as a whole.