Uncle saved her from starvation. She herself dedicated her life to saving other people's lives. In her noble deed, this woman met with both honor and respect, and hatred.
Our compatriot was forced to move to London. Her further fate proves that talent knows no state borders, but no country in the world has created ideal conditions for the self-realization of a gifted person. Only a strong character and extraordinary abilities allow you to achieve heights in the profession and recognition in society.
Childhood
Olya was born in July 1910 in Moscow. Her father Nikolai was a lawyer. A good income allowed him to provide a comfortable existence for his wife, daughter and three sons. After the revolution, the life of the family changed, its head lost his job, the children were starving. It was decided to move to Uralsk. There, in 1920, a former rich man was arrested and shot on false charges. Having lost her husband, Mrs. Uvarova with her children moved to Saratov, she soon died. Four orphans fell ill with typhus and their lives hung in the balance.
The uncle of these unfortunate entomologist Boris lived in England. He was approached by the Red Cross staff with an unusual proposal. They were ready to deliver his nephews to him if he paid them. The vultures valued the life of each child so dearly that the scientist could not save all the kids at once. He chose Olga, who was soon brought to him.
Youth
The girl arrived at her new place of residence exhausted. She hardly remembered what happened to her, she even forgot her date of birth. Uncle tried to immediately send her to school so that the terrible memories would go away under the onslaught of new positive impressions. Olya turned out to be a talented student and a daring dreamer. She stated that she wanted to heal the animals. The relative did not dissuade the young lady. Uvarova entered the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London.
The teachers noted the successes of the young person with a bronze medal in physiology and histology. It seemed that a brilliant career lay ahead of her. In 1934, the college graduate began work. She was taken as an assistant to one of the veterinary clinics. She worked at this place for 10 years. An excellent education did not help her advance in her professional career. There were not many women specialists in those days, and they were skeptical about them. The fair sex was trusted to work with pets, doubting that they would cope with farm livestock. Olga was not upset by this, she decided to bet on the prevailing stereotypes.
Specialist
World War II changed a lot in the foundations of English society. Many traditionally male professions began to be mastered by the fair sex. In 1944, Uvarova went into private practice in Surrey. She oversaw the dog racing stadium and collaborated with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Animals. Extensive experience in the field of veterinary medicine allowed our heroine to do science. In 1947 she was elected President of the Society of Women Veterinary Surgeons.
Pharmaceuticals soon attracted Uvarova's attention. In this area, she has proven herself well and in 1951 she became the head of the Central Veterinary Society. In 1965 Olga Nikolaevna's colleagues awarded her a gold medal for her contribution to science. This recognition put an end to the gossip about whether the lady is capable of mastering the profession of a veterinarian. The biography of this Russian emigrant helped many Englishwomen to get rid of an inferiority complex and save the lives of our smaller brothers.
Delight and indignation
Olga Uvarova became the author of several dozen scientific works devoted to the treatment of animals. When in 1968 she became a board member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgery. The kind woman supported excellent students, taught them to take care of patients, and often gave lectures in England and abroad. In 1976, the patroness of the future luminaries of science was elected president of the educational institution. They appreciated the achievements of Olga Uvarova and us at the state level - in 1983 she became a Lady Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
It sounds strange, but animal defenders became the enemies of our heroine. They did not like the fact that the scientist was collaborating with doctors and trying to find common ground in the therapy of humans and animals. Paranoid persons organized a raid on the laboratory of the famous veterinarian. They burned down the house where Olga Uvarova worked. The woman was forced to move in order to hide from the maniac activists.
last years of life
Uvarova did not bring her personal life to the court of the crowd. She never got married, she had no children. Our heroine spent her free time in the theater, or reading fiction. Creativity was no stranger to this lady. Floriculture was on the list of her hobbies, however, she did not succeed in creating something new. Knowing about this passion Olga, one of her friends, a variety of orchids, which he himself bred, gave her a name.
In her old age, Olga Nikolaevna was forced to move to a nursing home in Middlesex County. there she learned that a medal and a prize had been instituted in her honor. They were going to be presented to veterinary students. In 2000, fundraising for the implementation of this initiative began. Unfortunately, the inspirer of the noble plan was not able to personally attend one of the awards ceremony. In August 2001 Olga Uvarova died.
