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in “ rejuvenation ” during the International Surgical Congress in London .
WORLD FAME AND CROWDS OF FANS
The first official transplantation of monkey glands to humans was carried out on June 12 , 1920 , and by the mid-1920s , Samuel Abramovich had become a world celebrity . The Russian surgeon , successfully worked not only in France , but all over the world , including the USA and Latin America . The doctor , passionately carried away by his idea , worked tirelessly and put the operations on stream , so that the number of satisfied patients grew rapidly and the number of those wishing to turn back the clock swelled . Senescent politicians , celebrities , and just the rich lined up for the operations and were ready to shell out any money ...
In Soviet Russia , where the idea of creating a superman was already gaining momentum , the operations carried out by Serge Voronoff also aroused great interest . The doctor regularly published scientific articles in one of the most popular magazines and even had followers from among Soviet scientists .
REJUVENATION FACTORY ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA AT THE GRIMALDI CASTLE
To meet the ever-growing demand for material for operations , Voronoff decided to open his own monkey nursery . The French government allowed the famous scientist to use primates to conduct experiments . To house the farm with monkeys , a building called “ Castle of Grimaldi ” was chosen in a huge park near Menton .
In 1925 Serge Voronoff bought a castlelike Villa with stunning sea views . He lived at the Grimaldi castle for fourteen years . It has windows that look out onto Italy on one side , and France on the other . The territory of the garden had cages where 30 monkeys were placed ( the doctor was planning to increase the number of donor primates to at least a hundred ), and a former circus worker was entrusted with caring for the animals .
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The Grimaldi castle ( the future Villa Voronoff ) in 1904 Замок Гримальди ( будущая вилла Воронофф ) в 1904 году
Many famous people in those years were looking for acquaintance with the doctor and they too started to circulate in the village of Grimaldi . Sergei Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky , Josephine Baker and Sarah Bernhardt , Turkish President Ataturk , French Prime Minister Clemenceau and the King of Romania Carol I visited his monkey farm . Voronoff was familiar with the composer Saint- Saëns and the writer Maeterlinck . After the death of his second wife , Evelyn Bostwick , the doctor inherited a huge fortune and could devote himself entirely to science , without worrying about his daily bread .
In 1939 , fearing persecution of Jews , Voro noff was forced to flee overseas . Returning to Europe after the end of World War II , he found the castle where he spent 14 years completely destroyed by bombing and he left for Switzerland forever .
In 1925 Serge Voronoff bought a castle-like Villa with stunning sea views . He lived at the Grimaldi Castle for fourteen years .
The former castle-like Villa of the doctor was restored and passed into private ownership . Despite the fact that on the walls of the villa there is no information about the previous owner , not even a me- morial plaque , it is still called Castello Voronoff-Grimaldi and is considered one of the main historical and architectural landmarks of the town .
A MAIN POP CULTURE INFLUENCER OF THE 1920s
In the 1920s and 30s , Dr . Voronoff became extremely popular not only in professional circles . Some worshipped him , though others mocked him . Although the technique brought him a great deal of money , the downside was he also quickly went from being a highly respected individual to a controversial one — even in some circles a laughing stock and a subject of ridicule and fear .
In any case , such a bright personality did not leave anyone indifferent . The radio was constantly playing the fiery song “ Monkey Doodle-Doo ” with such words : “ If you are too old to dance , put yourself a monkey gland .” In Paris , ashtrays in form of monkeys defending their genitals with the inscription “ No , Voronoff , you can ’ t catch me !” were selling like hotcakes .
Even Arthur Conan Doyle himself could not resist the charisma of the brave experimenter . In 1923 , he wrote the story “ The Adventure of the Creeping Man ” about the strange behavior of Professor Presbury : under cover of night he goes out to climb trees and tease a dog . Sherlock
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