N.S. Korotkov is a lonely and extraordinary star in the firmament of the great names of world science (on the 120th anniversary of the creation of the sound detection method blood pressure by Russian surgeon N.S. Korotkov)

It has been 120 years since the Russian surgeon N.S. Korotkov, during the war (the war with Japan), in the field conditions, created a sound method for determining blood pressure in humans. The method later brought worldwide fame to its creator, through him to the entire Russian science, and still remains the "golden" standard for non-invasive measurement of blood pressure in humans. The process of creating the method itself (from the point of view of some scientists, being ambiguous: random – not random?) It is undoubtedly of great interest as an example of a fruitful combination of intelligence, hard work, perseverance, luck and timely help from a senior mentor. Korotkov's method began to be used abroad after the article by J. Erlander was born in the USA (in 1916) and then he conquered the whole world, but in Russia, for unknown reasons, the name of N.S. Korotkov was hushed up for many years. After being informed about the creation of the method, i.e. after 1905, N.S. Korotkov never used his method again, he did not create a new field of medicine based on his method, did not establish scientific schools in either surgery or therapy, did not obtain patents, and did not have any students, monographs, or articles, either in Russia or abroad. He died at the age of 46 from a massive pulmonary hemorrhage, having suffered from bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, N.S. Korotkov's «star» is «lonely» and «extraordinary». The «extraordinary» nature of N.S. Korotkov's phenomenon lies in the social paradox that if there had been no war, the method itself would not have been created. The article suggests understanding N.S. Korotkov's phenomenon by delving into the events of 120 years ago. Korotkov's «path», which is unusual in many ways, can serve as an example for scientific endeavors even today.