Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov is an important person in Russian science. A talented person is talented in everything. By his example, he proved the authenticity of this expression. Honored Academician and Professor Sechenov, the father of Russian physiology, worked in various fields - physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, was engaged in instrument making, educational activities and many others. The biography of Sechenov is briefly described in this article. Not deprived of attention and his scientific achievements.
Sechenov's childhood
The biography of Ivan Sechenov originates in a small village in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Then, back in 1829, it was called Teply Stan, today the homeland of the scientist bears his name - Sechenovo.
On August 13, 1829, our hero was born in the family of Mikhail and Anisya Sechenov. As was customary then, many children were born in the family. So Mikhail Ivanovich Sechenov, whose biography is presented in the article, was the ninthbaby.
The father of the future genius was from a noble family, and Anisya Yegorovna was the daughter of serfs. The Yegorovs did not live richly, but amicably. There was enough bread for everyone, and nanny Nastasya helped the family in raising the children. It is her in his biography that Sechenov remembers with special warmth. The nanny knew many interesting stories and was very kind to the children.
In 1839, a tragedy happened in the biography of I. M. Sechenov - his father died. Life has become much more difficult. The older brothers took on the care of the household. Despite the social status of the family, everyone worked in it - from young to old, but money was becoming less and less. That is why Ivan was not sent to school. However, the boy received good schooling at home.
The older brothers noticed Ivan's outstanding abilities and decided to study him at an engineering school. Until the age of fourteen, Sechenov's biography is connected with his home and his native village. His mother taught him natural sciences, grammar and mathematics. Ivan is the only one in the family who has learned foreign languages. Even then, a bright future was predicted for the young genius.
Education of a future genius
At the age of fourteen, Ivan Sechenov, whose brief biography you are familiar with, moved to St. Petersburg to study at the Main Engineering School. This institution had the status of a military university, all its students took an oath.
Training lasted 6 years: four junior classes and two officers. Sechenov studied trigonometry, mathematics, drawing, analytical mechanics and even French literature at the school. But most of all he was fascinated by physics. A little later toChemistry has also been added to the list of favorite subjects.
At the same time, teachers noted Sechenov's outstanding abilities in mathematics.
First Achievements
In 1848, Ivan Sechenov graduated from the school with the rank of ensign and was sent to Kyiv. Here for two years he served in the second reserve sapper battalion. The future luminary of medicine understood that he did not feel much love for military affairs. Just at that time, in the biography of I. M. Sechenov, an acquaintance with the beautiful widow Olga Alexandrovna occurred. The lady was educated and was in love with medicine.
In his biography, Sechenov briefly recalls this girl and her influence on his life:
I entered her house as a young man, floating so inertly along the channel into which fate threw me, without a clear consciousness where it might lead me, and I left her house with a ready life plan, knowing where to go and what to do. Who, if not she, led me out of a situation that could become a dead loop for me, indicating the possibility of a way out. To what, if not her suggestions, I owe the fact that I went to the university - and it was the one that she considered advanced! – to learn medicine and help others. It is possible, finally, that some of her influence was reflected in my later service to the interests of women who made their way to an independent path.
In 1950, our hero entered the medical faculty of Moscow University and attended lectures as a free listener. The medical theory that was taught at the university quickly disappointed Sechenov,but he mastered biology to perfection. In addition to specialized lectures, Ivan Mikhailovich, who was eager to learn, listened to lectures on theology, philosophy, deontology, and history. Soon the range of his interests expanded. He became seriously interested in psychology and physiology.
Ivan Sechenov studied very willingly and diligently. He independently studied many times more than what the teachers asked. The professors noticed the outstanding abilities of Ivan Mikhailovich and suggested that he take a full course of training at the Faculty of Physiology and Anatomy. Such zeal and diligence allowed our hero to graduate from the university with honors and receive a degree in medicine.
When our hero was in his fourth year, another tragedy happened in Sechenov's biography. His mother died. After her death, Ivan received a good inheritance and firmly decided to realize his mother's dream. Anisya Yegorovna dreamed that her son would become an outstanding scientist, professor.
Moving abroad
In 1856, after graduating from the university, Ivan Sechenov left for Berlin, where he continued his studies. In Germany, a certified doctor studies specialized subjects for a year. During this time, he managed to work in the laboratories of such famous scientists as Ernst Weber, Johann Müller, K. Ludwig.
Then our hero went to Paris, where he worked in the laboratory of the outstanding endocrinologist Claude Bernard. It was there that Sechenov made the discovery of the mechanisms that are present in the brain of a frog, which the scientist called the mechanisms of central inhibition.
A little later, he introduced the society to the term "reflex" by publishing hiswork "Reflexes of the brain".
By the way, with the beginning of his career and scientific work, the scientist published many scientific articles and made a lot of important discoveries.
Homecoming and career blossoming
In 1860, Ivan Sechenov, whose biography we are considering, returned to St. Petersburg, where he received a doctorate in medical sciences. He worked at the Academy for ten years, then moved to the laboratory of his friend Mendeleev.
After 1871, Sechenov changed many laboratories and institutes. He worked as the head of the department of physiology in Odessa, was a professor at St. Petersburg University. And then he organized his own laboratory, in which he developed questions of physiology.
In 1889, Ivan Mikhailovich was awarded the title of president of the 1st International Psychological Congress, which was held in the capital of France. In the same year, he became a Privatdozent at the University of Moscow.
In 1907, Ivan Sechenev officially retired with the rank of professor of physiology. Nevertheless, he continued to engage in scientific development and teach students for a long time.
Outstanding Achievements of a Scientist
This scientist is rightfully considered the father of Russian physiology. He owns many discoveries, including:
- Invention of the "blood pump" (used to study the effects of alcohol on the blood).
- Creation of the First Patrioticphysiological laboratory.
- Great influence on the development of Darwin's theory and its spread in Russia.
- The phenomenon of Sechenov's inhibition.
It is thanks to Ivan Sechenov, whose brief biography is reviewed today, that physiology has become a separate science, a clinical discipline.
Professor's personal life
Sechenov's wife was a young and ambitious girl, Maria Alexandrovna Bokova, whom he met after returning to Russia. Maria dreamed of doing scientific work in the field of medicine. In those days, it was almost impossible for a woman. Sechenov fought against discrimination against the beautiful half of humanity and helped his chosen one write and defend a dissertation. Subsequently, the scientists created a strong alliance.
His native village, streets, educational institutions are named after him.
After retiring, Ivan Sechenov lived for another four years. The luminary of medicine died in 1905, leaving behind many scientific works and discoveries.
