A characteristic feature of modern science is the constantly growing experimentation with human beings as test objects. The development of experiments involving human beings goes hand in hand with the establishment and application of ethical norms aimed at their regulation. This article attempts to trace the evolution of ethical norms in the field of biomedical studies by analyzing the famous work of a Russian author Vikcntii Veresaev (1867-1945), entitled “Notes of a Doctor.” Published in 1901, this book immediately attracted a wide attention among the men and women of learning in both Russia and many Western countries for the earnest consideration of a number of issues central to medical ethics. Decades later, some of the ethical principles formulated in its pages came to be viewed as the cornerstones of conventional norms addressing the moral aspects of medical experiments.