[en] It is shown that the method of elastoviscosimetry gives a possibility to record the formation of DNA double-strand breaks in Escherichia coli cells induced by γ irradiation at doses close to D₃₇. The dependence of changes of elastoviscosity parameter on the dose (tau₀) passes through the maximum. It is shown that the ascending section of this curve (at minimum γ irradiation doses) characterizes the relaxation process of the superspiralised chromosome in nucleotide of the E. coli. This relaxation is observed due to γ induced damages which are not double-strand breaks. By the maximum position one can judge on a dose yield of the first DNA double-strand break, the descending part of the dose curve describes the kinetics of accumulation of breaks with the dose increase. The analysis of the data obtained gives the possibility to come to the conclusion that when applying a usual technique of irradiation and lysis of cells not providing for special measures on inhibition of endo-and exonuclease activity in γ irradiated cells, the dose yield of double-strand breaks noticeably increases (by 4.2 times). In the case of an essential, though incomplete, inhibition of nuclease activities in γ irradiated cells the dose yield of breaks approximately corresponds to the dose curve of inactivation of these cells (D₃₇12.5+-3.0 krad, the first double-strand break -at 14.5+-2.4 krad)