On March 1, 1953, Joseph Stalin was at his country house in Kuntsevo, Moscow region. On the same day, he was found by the security guard Lozgachyov, lying on the ground in the small dining room. The next day, on the morning of March 2, doctors arrived at the summer house.

On March 4, Stalin’s illness was officially announced. Information about his health was regularly broadcast on the radio.

The information mentioned the symptoms of Stalin’s illness: loss of consciousness, stroke, paralysis of the body and other complications. In the same period, newspapers throughout the Soviet Union began reporting details of Stalin’s illness, health, and treatment on a daily basis. Even local newspapers in Soviet Armenia, regardless of their content, were flooded with news about Stalin’s health. The Soviet Armenian press reported all the details related to Stalin.

“In 1953 On the night of March 2, I. V. “Stalin suffered a sudden hemorrhage in the brain, which involved vital parts of the brain, resulting in paralysis of the right leg and right arm, with loss of consciousness and the ability to speak.” (“Soviet studentship”, 1953, N 10).

After the event that took place on March 2, Stalin’s health condition as of March 4 was already mentioned in detail. Newspapers literally wrote all the details.

“During March 4, medical measures were taken to introduce oxygen, give camphor preparations, caffeine, strophantin and glucose. A second time, blood was taken using leeches. In connection with high temperature and high leukocytosis, penicillin treatment is intensified. On the night of March 5, I. V. Stalin’s health condition remains critical. The patient is in a state of soporosis (deep anesthesia). Her nervous regulation of breathing as well as her heart remain severely impaired.” (Ibid.).

“At around 2 o’clock in the night of March 4, I. V. Stalin’s health condition remains critical. There are significant breathing disorders, the rate of breathing is up to 36 per minute, the rhythm of breathing is irregular with regular long pauses. There is an increased pulse rate up to 120 beats per minute, complete arrhythmia, the maximum blood pressure is 220, the minimum is 120.” (Ibid.).

After all these details, newspapers are already writing about Stalin’s death. Apart from that, full articles are already being published about how Stalin’s health began to deteriorate, how he was during those few days. The preliminary, official version of death and the complete medical conclusion are also written.

“Medical conclusion of I. V. About Stalin’s illness and death

On the night of March 2nd, I. V. Stalin suffered a cerebral hemorrhage (in his left hemisphere) due to hypertension and arteriosclerosis. This resulted in paralysis of the right half of the body and permanent loss of consciousness.

On the very first day of the disease, signs of breathing disorders due to the disturbance of the function of the nervous centers were found. These violations increased day by day, they had the character of so-called periodic breathing with long pauses (Cheyne-Stokes breathing). On the night of March 3rd, respiratory disturbances began to take on a threatening character from time to time.

Significant changes in the cardiovascular system were also detected from the very beginning of the disease, namely, high blood pressure, frequent and irregular pulse rhythm (radiating arrhythmia) and heart enlargement. In connection with the growing disorders of breathing and blood circulation, signs of oxygen deficiency appeared already on March 3. From the first day of the illness, the temperature increased and high leukocytosis began to be observed, which could indicate the development of foci of inflammation in the lungs.

On the last day of the illness, along with a severe deterioration of the general condition, repeated attacks of severe acute cardiovascular failure (collapse) began. The electrocardiographic examination revealed an acute blood circulation disorder in the coronary vessels of the heart with the formation of focal lesions of the myocardium.

In the second half of the afternoon on March 5, the patient’s condition began to deteriorate particularly quickly, breathing became shallow and very frequent, the pulse rate reached 140-150 beats per minute, the bleeding of the pulse dropped. 50 minutes after 21:00, as a result of increasing cardiovascular and respiratory failure phenomena, I.V. Stalin is dead.” (“Soviet studentship”, 1953, N 10).

Stalin’s death was officially announced on the radio on the morning of March 6, 1953. March 6-9 is declared mourning. The funeral takes place on March 9. Stalin is buried in the Kremlin Wall Pantheon.

Z. I hesitated

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