The history of the development of the Department of Forensic Medicine and law, Pavlov First Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) State Medical University is outlined. The history is presented in the form of the scientific contribution of the heads of the Department of Forensic Medicine to the development of scientific activities of national forensic medicine. The stated period covers 120 years, starting from 1901. The main scientific works, the development of the educational process and expert activity are presented.