Ivan Petrovich Pavlov is a Nobel Prize winner and a world-renowned scientific authority. Being a talented scientist, he made a significant contribution to the development of psychology and physiology. It is he who is considered the founder of such a scientific direction as higher nervous activity. He made a number of major discoveries in the field of digestion regulation, and also founded a physiological school in Russia.
Parents
The biography of Pavlov Ivan Petrovich begins in 1849. It was then that the future academician was born in the city of Ryazan. His father, Pyotr Dmitrievich, came from a peasant family and worked as a priest in one of the small parishes. Independent and truthful, he constantly clashed with his superiors, and therefore did not live well. Pyotr Dmitrievich loved life, had good he alth and loved to work in the garden and garden.
Varvara Ivanovna, Ivan's mother, came from a spiritual family. In her younger years, she was cheerful, cheerful and he althy. But frequent childbirth (there were 10 children in the family) greatly undermined her well-being. Varvara Ivanovna had no education, but hard work and natural intelligence turned her into a skilled educator of her own children.
Childhood
The future academician Pavlov Ivan was the firstborn in the family. Childhood years left an indelible mark on his memory. As he matured, he recalled: “I remember very clearly my first visit to the house. Surprisingly, I was only a year old, and the nanny carried me in her arms. Another vivid recollection speaks for the fact that I remember myself early. When my mother's brother was buried, I was carried out in my arms to say goodbye to him. That scene is still in front of my eyes.”
Ivan grew up fervent and he althy. He enjoyed playing with his sisters and younger brothers. He also helped his mother (in household chores) and his father (when building a house and in a garden). His sister L. P. Andreeva spoke about this period of her life as follows: “Ivan always remembered dad with gratitude. He was able to instill in him the habit of work, accuracy, accuracy and order in everything. Our mother had tenants. Being a hard worker, she tried to do everything herself. But all the children idolized her and tried to help: bring water, heat the stove, chop wood. Little Ivan had to deal with all this.”
School and trauma
He began to study literacy at the age of 8, but he got to school only at 11. It was all the fault of the case: once a boy laid out apples on a platform to dry. He stumbled, fell off the stairs and fell straight onto the stone floor. The bruise was quite strong, and Ivan fell ill. The boy turned pale, lost weight, lost his appetite and began to sleep badly. His parents tried to treat him at home, but nothing helped. Once the abbot of the Trinity Monastery came to visit the Pavlovs. Seeing the sick boy, hetook him with him. Enhanced nutrition, clean air and regular gymnastics returned Ivan strength and he alth. The guardian turned out to be a smart, kind and highly educated person. He led an ascetic life and read a lot. These qualities made a strong impression on the boy. The first book that Academician Pavlov received in his youth from the hegumen was the fables of I. A. Krylov. The boy learned it by heart and carried his love for the fabulist through his whole life. This book has always been on the scientist's desk.
Seminary education
In 1864, under the influence of his guardian, Ivan entered the seminary. There he immediately became the best student, and even helped his comrades as a tutor. Years of study introduced Ivan to the works of such Russian thinkers as D. I. Pisarev, N. A. Dobrolyubov, V. G. Belinsky, A. I. Herzen, N. G. Chernyshevsky, etc. The young man liked their desire to fight for freedom and progressive changes in society. But over time, his interests switched to natural science. And here a monograph by I. M. Sechenov "Reflexes of the brain" had a huge influence on the formation of Pavlov's scientific interests. After graduating from the sixth grade of the seminary, the young man realized that he did not want to pursue a spiritual career, and began preparing for the entrance exams to the university.
University studies
In 1870, Pavlov moved to St. Petersburg with the desire to enter the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. But it turned out to pass on legal. The reason for this is the limitation of seminarians in terms of the choice of professions. Ivan petitionedto the rector, and two weeks later he was transferred to the physics and mathematics department. The young man studied very successfully and received the highest scholarship (imperial).
Over time, Ivan became more and more interested in physiology and from the third year he devoted himself completely to this science. He made his final choice under the influence of Professor I. F. Zion, a talented scientist, brilliant lecturer and skilled experimenter. Here is how Academician Pavlov himself recalled that period of his biography: “I chose animal physiology as my main speci alty, and chemistry as an additional one. At that time, Ilya Fadeevich made a huge impression on everyone. We were struck by his masterfully simple presentation of the most complex physiological issues and his artistic talent in conducting experiments. I will remember this teacher all my life.”
Research activities
Pavlov's first research works date back to 1873. Then, under the guidance of F. V. Ovsyannikov, Ivan examined the nerves in the lungs of a frog. In the same year, together with a classmate, he wrote the first scientific work. Naturally, I. F. Zion was the leader. In this work, students studied the influence of the laryngeal nerves on blood circulation. At the end of 1874, the results were discussed at a meeting of the Society of Naturalists. Pavlov regularly attended these meetings and communicated with Tarkhanov, Ovsyannikov and Sechenov.
Soon, students M. M. Afanasiev and I. P. Pavlov began to study the nerves of the pancreas. The university council awarded this work a gold medal. True, Ivan spent onstudy a lot of time and did not pass the final exams, forfeiting his scholarship. This forced him to stay at the university for another year. And in 1875 he brilliantly graduated from it. He was only 26 (the photo of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov at this age, unfortunately, has not been preserved), and the future was seen as very promising.
Physiology of blood circulation
In 1876, a young man got a job as an assistant to Professor K. N. Ustimovich, head of the laboratory at the Medical-Surgical Academy. In the next two years, Ivan conducted a series of studies on the physiology of blood circulation. Pavlov's work was highly appreciated by Professor S. P. Botkin and invited him to his clinic. Formally, Ivan took the position of a laboratory assistant, but in fact he became the head of the laboratory. Despite the poor premises, lack of equipment and meager funding, Pavlov achieved serious results in the field of studying the physiology of digestion and blood circulation. In scientific circles, his name was gaining more and more fame.
First love
In the late seventies, he met Serafima Karchevskaya, a student at the pedagogical department. The young people were united by closeness of views, common interests, loy alty to the ideals of serving society and fighting for progress. In general, they fell in love with each other. And the surviving photo of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov and Serafima Vasilievna Karchevskaya shows that they were a very beautiful couple. It was the support of his wife that allowed the young man to achieve such success in the scientific field.
Searching for a new job
For 12 years of work in the clinic of S. P. Botkin, the biography of Pavlov Ivan Petrovich was replenished with many scientific events, and he became famous both at home and abroad. Improving the working and living conditions of a talented scientist has become a necessity not only for his personal interests, but also for the development of Russian science.
But in the days of Tsarist Russia, it was extremely difficult for a simple, honest, democratic-minded, impractical, shy and unsophisticated person, which was Pavlov, to achieve any changes. In addition, the life of the scientist was complicated by prominent physiologists, with whom Ivan Petrovich, while still young, publicly entered into heated discussions and often emerged victorious. So, thanks to the negative review of Professor I. R. Tarkhanov about Pavlov’s work on blood circulation, the latter was not awarded the prize.
Ivan Petrovich could not find a good laboratory to continue his research. In 1887, he addressed a letter to the Minister of Education, in which he asked for a place in the department of some experimental university. Then he sent several more letters to various institutes and was refused everywhere. But soon luck smiled at the scientist.
Nobel Prize
In April 1890, Pavlov was elected professor of pharmacology at two universities at once: Warsaw and Tomsk. And in 1891 he was invited to organize a department of physiology at the newly opened University of Experimental Medicine. Pavlov headed it until the end of his days. It was here that he performed severalclassic works on the physiology of the digestive glands, which were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1904. The entire scientific community remembers the speech delivered by Academician Pavlov “On the Russian Mind” at the award ceremony. It should be noted that this was the first prize awarded for experiments in the field of medicine.
Relations with Soviet power
Despite the famine and devastation during the formation of Soviet power, V. I. Lenin issued a special decree in which Pavlov's work was highly appreciated, which testified to the exceptionally warm and caring attitude of the Bolsheviks. In the shortest possible time, the most favorable conditions for conducting scientific work were created for the academician and his staff. Ivan Petrovich's laboratory was reorganized into the Physiological Institute. And on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the academician, a scientific institute-city was opened near Leningrad.
Many dreams that academician Pavlov Ivan Petrovich had been nurturing for a long time have come true. The scientific works of the professor were regularly published. Clinics for mental and nervous diseases appeared at his institutes. All scientific institutions headed by him received new equipment. The number of employees increased tenfold. In addition to budgetary funds, the scientist received amounts every month to spend at his own discretion.
Ivan Petrovich was excited and touched by such an attentive and warm attitude of the Bolsheviks to his scientific work. After all, under the tsarist regime, he constantly needed money. And now the academician was even worried about whether he couldwhether he justify the trust and care of the government. He spoke about this more than once both in his environment and publicly.
Death
Academician Pavlov died at the age of 87. Nothing foreshadowed the death of the scientist, because Ivan Petrovich had excellent he alth and rarely fell ill. True, he was prone to colds and had pneumonia several times. Pneumonia was the cause of death. On February 27, 1936, the scientist left this world.
The entire Soviet people mourned when Academician Pavlov died (the description of Ivan Petrovich's death immediately appeared in the newspapers). A great man and a great scientist, who made a huge contribution to the development of physiological science, left. Ivan Petrovich was buried at the Volkovsky cemetery, not far from the grave of D. I. Mendeleev.
