ENThe aim of the article is to introduce the figure of Józef Mianowski, professor at the Imperial University of Vilnius, and the Vilnius Academy of Medicine and Surgery, and later, from 1862 to 1869, the only rector of the Warsaw Main School. The article discusses Mianowskis fate during his studies in Vilnius and after he started his academic career. His seemingly perfect career was interrupted by his arrest in connection with the court case of Szymon Konarski and personal tragedy - the death of his wife and newborn son. The key question is: could an academically trained scientist and medical practitioner have continued his scientific career and achieved success in Tsarist Russia, despite personal tragedies and serious political accusations? How did politics influence his scientific activity and what were the implications? Keywords: Józef Mianowski, Imperial University of Vilnius, Vilnius Academy of Medicine and Surgery, history of medical sciences in Poland and Lithuania.