This article represents the first part of a historical and biographical study analyzing the life, research, and social activity of Mikhail Davydovich Mashkovsky (1908–2002), an outstanding Soviet and Russian scientist and Academician of the USSR and Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The early life of Mashkovsky MD has been described. The period when the Academician studied at the Faculty of Medicine of the 2nd Moscow State University (2nd MSU) is covered in detail. The effect of the fundamental Russian scientific and pedagogical schools, headed by professors Stern LS, Bogomolets AA, Zelenin VF and Spasokukotsky SI, produced on the scientific interests and clinical thinking of Mashkovsky MD has been thoroughly analyzed. This paper describes the research of Mashkovsky at the pharmaceutical department of the All-Russian Research Chemical-Pharmaceutical Institute prior to World War II and his subsequent military service as a lead front-line toxicologist. The evolution of his earliest publications and the scientific and practical impact of his original analeptic drug have been highlighted. This innovative medication significantly improved drug safety and surgical care across both front-line and rear-line hospitals.