Bets, Volodymyr

Bets, Volodymyr [Бец, Володимир; Bec], b 26 April 1834 in Oster, Chernihiv gubernia, d 12 October 1894 in Kyiv. Anatomist, histologist, pedagogue, and community figure. From 1868 to 1889 he was a professor at Kyiv University. Bets wrote more than 50 scientific works, including Atlas chelovecheskogo mozga (Atlas of the Human Brain, 1890). His studies concern the structure of the cerebrum, particularly variations in the detailed structure of its various parts. He discovered the motor area of the cortex and, in 1874, described the large, pyramidal nerve cells that bear his name. Together with Volodymyr Antonovych he wrote Istoricheskie deiateli Iugo-zapadnoi Rossii (Historical Figures of Southwestern Russia, 1883), which was regarded in official circles as a protest against Russian policies. Because of this, Bets was obliged to leave Kyiv University.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]