Shatunovskii's doctoral thesis, which became the algebra textbook 'Algebra as the Study of Congruence of Functional Values' (1917), introduced the question of the 'Law of Excluded Middle' as a foundational question outside the context of non-classical, especially paraconsistent and many-valued logics. His students also included Moishe Isai'evich Sheinfinkel' (better known in the West as Moses Schönfinkel; 1889 - 1942).

Samuil Osipovich Shatunovskii was a brilliant lecturer and a talented mathematician who often left time behind in his lectures and works. As early as at the end of the 19th century, i.e., before the appearance of Gilbert's book "Foundations of Geometry," Shatunovskii gave, in his course of lectures, "Introduction to Analysis," an axiomatic definition of the notion "magnitude" and verified the independence of these axioms by using models. Later, this course was published. He also gave a definition of the limit of a function given on a semiordered set. (The Moore-Shatunovskii limit.) Shatunovskii often criticized in his lectures the unlimited use of the law of excluded middle and not only criticized but also gave in his doctoral thesis (in 1917) a constructive, i.e., without the law of excluded middle, presentation of the Galois theory. N G Chebotaryov specially emphasized in his book "Galois Theory" that the presentation is based on Shatunovskii's ideas.

We must mention the active participation of the Odessa scientists and especially of V F Kagan and S O Shatunovskii in the work of the Odessa press "Matezis" which published both Russian and foreign physics and mathematics literature, (monographs text books, popular books and pamphlets). These publications were, as a rule, of high scientific and literary quality and attractively presented. They undoubtedly attracted many people towards mathematics and assisted in raising the level of its teaching both in secondary schools and in universities.

Samuil Osipovich was a brilliant teacher. Never sacrificing rigour, Samuil Osipovich was able to make his lectures containing challenging and profound ideas available to students. His lectures were always beautifully constructed and at the same time were extremely animated and infused with enthusiasm.

The number of mathematicians who know the work of S O Shatunovsky is small, since he produced few "facts" in the narrow sense of the word. But those who are familiar with his work cannot but admire the elegance of its findings and, most importantly, the depth of his logical analysis. And in life, as in mathematics, Shatunovsky was a brilliant thinker, sometimes paradoxical, but always using invincible logic. ... In mathematics, as in any other spheres of thought, Shatunovsky was striking in his originality, poignancy and unshakable logic. Only those who knew him personally can appreciate the depth of thought with which he defended, it would seem, the most paradoxical views.