A Scientist from Bodbe who Made an Important Contribution to the Development of Georgian Psychiatry

Avlip Zurabashvili, a Georgian psychiatrist, scientist, and educator whose name is closely associated with the development of Georgian psychiatry, was born on 15 February 1902 in the village of Bodbe, Sighnaghi Municipality.

He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Tbilisi State University and continued his professional career in psychiatry. Over the years, he worked at Tbilisi State University, scientific and medical institutions in Leningrad, the Institute of Physiology of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry at Tbilisi Medical Institute. From 1938, he served as the director of the M. Asatiani Scientific Research Institute of Psychiatry.

Avlip Zurabashvili’s scientific work was mainly related to clinical psychiatry and neuromorphology. He published more than 400 scientific papers and more than 20 monographs. A significant part of his research focused on the structure of the central nervous system in humans and animals, the psychology of children and adolescents, and various aspects of psychiatry.

His life story is particularly interesting because he initially studied at the Faculty of Mathematics, where his classmates included the renowned mathematicians Andria Razmadze and Niko Muskhelishvili. Two years later, he decided to change his profession and dedicate his life to medicine. Later, while studying at the medical institute, he began working as an orderly at a psychiatric hospital. As his son recalled, Avlip Zurabashvili began his professional career from the very lowest position and achieved success through hard work and dedication.

Alongside his scientific work, Avlip Zurabashvili was also known for his distinctive sense of humor. His colleagues affectionately called him “Papa" (Grandpa), while patients especially looked forward to his rounds on Mondays. Many of his jokes and sayings have survived over the years.

Toward the end of his life, Avlip Zurabashvili became particularly interested in moral and ethical issues and introduced the concept of “Homo Moralis.” In his view, a person’s moral qualities do not deteriorate even when they have mental or intellectual difficulties.

Avlip Zurabashvili died in 1994 and was buried at the Didube Pantheon. His name remains closely associated with the history of Georgian psychiatry and brain research, while his native Bodbe is the village in Sighnaghi Municipality that gave Georgia one of its distinguished scientists and psychiatrists.