Pavlov Ivan Petrovich: life, scientific discoveries and merits! Ivan Pavlov: world discoveries of the great Russian physiologist.

A brilliant scientist, scientific figure who made many discoveries in the field of physiology and medicine, I.P. Pavlov. born in Ryazan in 1849. He was the son and grandson of church ministers.

Having received his primary education at a church institution, he continued his studies at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. Subsequently, he was enrolled in the Military Surgical Academy, from which he graduated with a gold medal. For his exceptional research, Academician Pavlov I.P. received the Nobel Prize.

Hobbies

Since childhood, Ivan Petrovich was inspired by collecting insects and plants. He asked Ryazan children to bring him caterpillars and then watched the development of butterflies. Once they brought him an unusually colored butterfly from the island of Madagascar, which he pinned in the very center of his collection.

Later he developed a passion for philately. Everyone who knew about his hobby sent him new stamps. The Siamese prince himself, who once visited the Institute of Experimental Medicine, replenished the collection with stamps of his state.

Collecting books is another hobby. On the birthday of any member of his large family, the works of some writer were presented.

Pavlov began collecting paintings with the purchase of a portrait of his son Volodya, painted by the famous portrait painter N.A. Yaroshenko. One day he was given a painting of the sea at sunset in Sillamäe, and he developed a real interest in painting. He understood the content of the paintings in his own way, imagining not what he himself saw, but how the artist might think.

Character traits

Ivan Pavlov inherited from his father such character traits as persistence in achieving goals and the desire for excellence, which came in handy in his later life and work.

During his years at the seminary, Ivan was the best listener and gave private lessons to those who were behind. He enjoyed teaching his classmates. Ivan Petrovich was a demanding person who did not tolerate mistakes, sometimes harsh, but easy-going.

According to eyewitnesses, Pavlov was left-handed, which, despite his dexterity and professionalism, did not prevent him from carrying out complex operations and experiments. But with his characteristic passion and will, he trained his right hand.

Pavlov had poor eyesight and could not see anything without glasses. Despite this, he read a lot. I got used to reading each book twice, and then could quote large fragments from it.

The scientist knew how to conduct long and interesting discussions, had the title of an ardent debater, firmly defended his point of view, and did not like it when his opponent left the conversation.

Pavlov is responsible for an ingenious research solution called “imaginary feeding.” This method made it possible to obtain gastric juice without food entering the stomach. The “chronic” experiment made it possible to observe the processes of the body without violating its integrity. All experiments were carried out on dogs. The professor was very kind to animals and loved them.

Pavlov and rest

In life, Pavlov was a tall, well-built man. He had energy, agility and strength. The Pavlov family rented a dacha in the town of Sillamäe. In the morning he watered the plants and took care of the flower beds, then everyone went into the forest together to pick mushrooms. And in the evenings we rode bicycles. Gorodosh competitions were often held at the dacha site. In addition to his neighbors, his colleagues, sons, friends - writers and artists - took part in them. There was a kind of discussion club there for young people.

Pavlov constantly practiced gymnastics. He created a society of lovers of physical education and cycling, becoming its chairman.

Curious episodes from life

His best student and follower L.A. Orbeli assisted the academician during operations. During one of them, Pavlov, working quickly and harmoniously, began to swear. The offended assistant decided to leave the assistantship, which surprised the teacher. And then he admitted that you need to get used to his swearing, like the smell of a “dog.”

While spending the winter holidays with his future wife Serafima Karchevskaya, Pavlov, being a student himself, went with her to buy warm boots. Christmas was spent merry and happy. Returning to the village where his fiancée worked after women’s courses, one boot was discovered missing. It ended up with the groom: the lover kept it as a souvenir.

Attitude to the revolution

The scientist met the revolution at the age of 70 and did not hide his negative attitude towards it. Lenin and his comrades were afraid that a world-recognized scientist would make statements against the Soviet regime if he were abroad, so they created all the conditions for him to conduct research in his homeland.

His laboratory always had light, firewood, equipment, and excellent food for animals. Many employees, at the insistence of the academician, were returned from the army ahead of schedule.

He sent angry letters to the Council of People's Commissars, where he condemned the policies of communism. He protested against the inclusion of outsiders who were not knowledgeable in science into the academy. He sharply criticized the Bolsheviks and urged not to be afraid of them. No one could follow the example of the scientist for fear of the authorities. Subsequently, he stopped attending meetings that interfered with his work.

The memory of the great Russian scientist will remain for centuries. Streets in cities in Russia and abroad, metro stations in Prague and Kharkov, a square in Prague, higher educational institutions and other medical institutions, a village in the Leningrad region, an Aeroflot airliner, a crater on the far side of the Moon and an asteroid are named after him.

For the 150th anniversary in 1999, 2 coins of the Bank of Russia were issued with his image. His image is immortalized in 16 monuments and on two stamps. Biographical films were created, books were published describing his many years of work. Several awards have been established for the continuation of Pavlov’s work and the development of medicine and psychology.

None of the Russian scientists of the 19th-20th centuries, not even D.I. Mendeleev, did not receive such fame abroad as academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936). “This is the star that illuminates the world, shedding light on paths not yet explored,” Herbert Wells said about him. He was called a “romantic, almost legendary figure”, “citizen of the world.” He was a member of 130 academies, universities and international societies. He is considered the recognized leader of world physiological science, a favorite teacher of doctors, and a true hero of creative work.

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born in Ryazan on September 26, 1849 in the family of a priest. At the request of his parents, Pavlov graduated from theological school, and in 1864 he entered the Ryazan Theological Seminary.

However, a different fate was destined for him. In his father's extensive library, he once found a book by G.G. Levy “Physiology of Everyday Life” with colorful illustrations that captured his imagination. Another strong impression on Ivan Petrovich in his youth was made by the book, which he later remembered with gratitude all his life. This was the study of the father of Russian physiology, Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov, “Reflexes of the Brain.” Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that the theme of this book formed the leitmotif of Pavlov’s entire creative activity.

In 1869, he left the seminary and first entered the Faculty of Law, and then transferred to the natural sciences department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. Here, under the influence of the famous Russian physiologist Professor I.F. Zion, he forever connected his life with physiology. After graduating from university I.P. Pavlov decided to expand his knowledge of physiology, in particular human physiology and pathology. For this purpose, in 1874 he entered the Medical-Surgical Academy. Having completed it brilliantly, Pavlov received a two-year business trip abroad. Upon his arrival from abroad, he devoted himself entirely to science.

All works on physiology carried out by I.P. Pavlov for almost 65 years, mainly grouped around three sections of physiology: circulatory physiology, digestive physiology and brain physiology. Pavlov introduced a chronic experiment into practice, which made it possible to study the activity of a practically healthy organism. Using the developed method of conditioned reflexes, he established that the basis of mental activity is the physiological processes occurring in the cerebral cortex. Pavlov's research into the physiology of higher nervous activity had a great influence on the development of physiology, psychology and pedagogy.

Works by I.P. Pavlov’s blood circulation problems are associated mainly with his activities in the laboratory at the clinic of the famous Russian doctor Sergei Petrovich Botkin from 1874 to 1885. The passion for research completely absorbed him during this period. He abandoned his house, forgot about his material needs, his suit and even his young wife. His comrades more than once took part in the fate of Ivan Petrovich, wanting to help him in some way. One day they collected some money for I.P. Pavlova, wanting to support him financially. I.P. Pavlov accepted friendly help, but with this money he bought a whole pack of dogs to carry out the experiment that interested him.

The first serious discovery that made him famous was the discovery of the so-called amplifying nerve of the heart. This discovery served as the initial impetus for the creation of the scientific doctrine of nervous trophism. The entire series of works on this topic was formalized in the form of a doctoral dissertation entitled “Centrifugal Nerves of the Heart,” which he defended in 1883.

Already during this period, one fundamental feature of I.P.’s scientific creativity was revealed. Pavlova - to study a living organism in its holistic, natural behavior. Work by I.P. Pavlova in the Botkin laboratory brought him great creative satisfaction, but the laboratory itself was not convenient enough. That's why I.P. In 1890, Pavlov happily accepted the offer to take over the department of physiology at the newly organized Institute of Experimental Medicine. In 1901 he was elected a corresponding member, and in 1907 a full member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In 1904, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov received the Nobel Prize for his work on digestion.

Pavlov's teaching on conditioned reflexes was the logical conclusion of all those physiological experiments that he performed on blood circulation and digestion.

I.P. Pavlov looked into the deepest and most mysterious processes of the human brain. He explained the mechanism of sleep, which turned out to be a type of special nervous process of inhibition that spreads throughout the cerebral cortex.

In 1925 I.P. Pavlov headed the Institute of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences and opened two clinics at his laboratory: nervous and psychiatric, where he successfully applied the experimental results he obtained in the laboratory to treat nervous and mental illnesses. A particularly important achievement in recent years of work by I.P. Pavlov was the study of the hereditary properties of certain types of nervous activity. To resolve this issue, I.P. Pavlov significantly expanded his biological station in Koltushi near Leningrad - a real city of science - for which the Soviet government allocated more than 12 million rubles.

Teaching of I.P. Pavlova became the foundation for the development of world science. Special Pavlovian laboratories were created in America, England, France and other countries. On February 27, 1936, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov passed away. After a short illness, he died at the age of 87. The funeral service according to the Orthodox rite, according to his will, was performed in the church in Koltushi, after which a farewell ceremony took place in the Tauride Palace. An honor guard of scientists from universities, technical colleges, scientific institutes, and members of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences was installed at the coffin.

An outstanding doctor, physiologist and scientist who laid the foundation for the development of higher nervous activity as an independent branch of science. Over the years of his life, he became the author of many scientific articles, and achieved universal recognition, becoming a Nobel Prize laureate in the field of medicine, but the most important achievement in his entire life, of course, can be considered the discovery of the conditioned reflex, as well as several theories of the functioning of the human cerebral cortex , based on many years of clinical trials.

With his scientific research, Ivan Petrovich was many years ahead of the development of medicine, and achieved amazing results that made it possible to significantly expand people's knowledge about the work of the whole organism and, in particular, all the processes occurring in the cerebral cortex. Pavlov came seriously closer to understanding the meaning and immediate necessity of sleep as a physiological process, understood the structure and influence of individual parts of the brain on certain types of activity, and took many more important steps in understanding the work of all internal systems of humans and animals. Of course, some of Pavlov’s works were subsequently adjusted and corrected in accordance with the receipt of new data, and even the concept of a conditioned reflex is now used in a much narrower meaning than at the time of its discovery, but Ivan Petrovich’s contribution to physiology simply cannot be ignored by dignity.

Training and start of research

Dr. Pavlov became keenly interested in the processes occurring in the human brain directly and reflexes in 1869, while studying at the Ryazan Theological Seminary, after reading Professor Sechenov’s book “Reflexes of the Brain.” It was thanks to her that he dropped out of law school and began studying animal physiology at St. Petersburg University under the guidance of Professor Zion, who taught the young and promising student his professional surgical technique, which was legendary at that time. Then Pavlov’s career quickly took off. During his studies, he worked in the physiological laboratory of Ustimovich, and then received the position of head of his own physiological laboratory at the Botkin clinic.

During this period, he actively began to engage in his research, and one of the most important goals for Ivan Petrovich was the creation of a fistula - a special opening in the stomach. He dedicated more than 10 years of his life to this, because this operation is very difficult due to gastric juice that eats away at the walls. However, in the end, Pavlov was able to achieve positive results, and soon he could carry out a similar operation on any animals. In parallel with this, Pavlov defended his dissertation “On the centrifugal nerves of the heart,” and also studied abroad in Leipzeg, working together with outstanding physiologists of that time. A little later, he was also awarded the title of member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

The concept of a conditioned reflex and animal experiments

Around the same time, he achieved success in his main specialized research, and formed the concept of a conditioned reflex. In his experiments, he achieved the production of gastric juice in dogs under the influence of certain conditioned stimuli, such as a flashing light or a certain sound signal. To study the effects of acquired reflexes, he equipped a laboratory completely isolated from external influences, in which he could fully regulate all types of stimuli. Through a simple operation, he removed the dog's salivary gland outside its body, and thus measured the amount of saliva secreted during the demonstration of certain conditioned or absolute stimuli.

Also, in the course of his research, he formed the concept of weak and strong impulses that can be shifted in the necessary direction in order, for example, to achieve the release of gastric juice even without direct feeding or demonstration of food. He also introduced the concept of the trace reflex, which actively manifests itself in children aged two years and older, and significantly contributes to the development of brain activity and the acquisition of various habits in the first stages of human and animal life.

Pavlov presented the results of his many years of research in his report in 1093 in Madrid, for which a year later he received worldwide recognition and the Nobel Prize in biology. However, he did not stop his research, and over the next 35 years he was engaged in various studies, almost completely remaking scientists’ ideas about the functioning of the brain and reflex processes.

He actively collaborated with foreign colleagues, regularly conducted various international seminars, willingly shared the results of his work with colleagues, and over the last fifteen years of his life he actively trained young specialists, many of whom became his direct followers and were able to penetrate even deeper into the secrets of humanity. brain and behavioral characteristics.

Consequences of Dr. Pavlov's activities

It is worth noting that Ivan Petrovich Pavlov conducted various studies until the very last day of his life, and it is largely thanks to this outstanding scientist in all respects that in our time medicine is at such a high level. His work helped to understand not only the peculiarities of brain activity, but also in terms of the general principles of physiology, and it was Pavlov’s followers who, on the basis of his work, discovered the patterns of hereditary transmission of certain diseases. It is especially worth noting the contribution he made to veterinary medicine, and in particular to animal surgery, which reached a fundamentally new level during his lifetime.

Ivan Petrovich left a huge mark on world science, and was remembered by his contemporaries as an outstanding personality, ready to sacrifice his own benefits and conveniences for the sake of science. This great man stopped at nothing, and was able to achieve amazing results that no progressive scientific researcher has yet been able to achieve.

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov is a Nobel Prize laureate and a scientific authority recognized throughout the world. 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 He made a number of major discoveries in the field of regulation of digestion, and also founded a physiological school in Russia.

Parents

The biography of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov begins in 1849. It was then that the future academician was born in the city of Ryazan. His 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, which is why he lived poorly. Pyotr Dmitrievich loved life, had good health and loved working in the garden.

Varvara Ivanovna, Ivan’s mother, came from a spiritual family. In her younger years she was cheerful, cheerful and healthy. But frequent childbirth (there were 10 children in the family) greatly undermined her well-being. Varvara Ivanovna had no education, but her hard work and natural intelligence turned her into a skilled teacher of her own children.

Childhood

The future academician Ivan Pavlov was the first-born in the family. His childhood years left an indelible mark on his memory. In his mature years, he recalled: “I remember very clearly my first visit to the house. The surprising thing is that I was only a year old, and the nanny carried me in her arms. Another vivid memory speaks for the fact that I remember myself early. When they buried my mother’s brother, they carried me out in their arms to say goodbye to him. This scene still stands before my eyes.”

Ivan grew up cheerful and healthy. He willingly played with his sisters and younger brothers. He also helped his mother (in household chores) and father (when building a house and in the garden). His sister L.P. Andreeva spoke about this period of her life like this: “Ivan always remembered his dad with gratitude. He was able to instill in him the habit of work, accuracy, precision and order in everything. Our mother had lodgers. Being a big worker, she tried to do everything herself. But all the children idolized her and tried to help: bring water, light the stove, chop wood. Little Ivan had to do all this.”

School and trauma

He began studying literacy at the age of 8, but only got to school when he was 11. It was all due to an accident: one day a boy was laying out apples to dry on a platform. Having stumbled, he fell down the stairs and fell straight onto the stone floor. The bruise was quite severe, and Ivan fell ill. The boy turned pale, lost weight, lost his appetite and began to sleep poorly. His parents tried to cure him at home, but nothing helped. Once the abbot of the Trinity Monastery came to visit the Pavlovs. Seeing the sickly boy, he took him home. Increased nutrition, clean air and regular exercises returned Ivan’s strength and health. The guardian turned out to be an intelligent, kind and highly educated person. He led 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 abbot was the fables of I. A. Krylov. The boy learned it by heart and carried his love for the fabulist throughout his life. This book always lay on the scientist’s desk.

Seminary studies

In 1864, under the influence of his guardian, Ivan entered the theological 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 I. M. Sechenov’s monograph “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.

Studying at the University

In 1870, Pavlov moved to St. Petersburg with the desire to enter the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. But I managed to get into law school. The reason for this is the limitation of seminarians in terms of choice of professions. Ivan petitioned 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 the final choice under the influence of Professor I. F. Tsion - a talented scientist, a brilliant lecturer and a skilled experimenter. This is how Academician Pavlov himself recalled that period of his biography: “I chose animal physiology as my main specialty, and chemistry as an additional specialty. At that time, Ilya Fadeevich made a huge impression on everyone. We were amazed 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

The first Pavlovas date back to 1873. Then, under the leadership of F.V. Ovsyannikov, Ivan examined the nerves in the frog’s lungs. In the same year, together with a classmate, he wrote the first one. The leader, naturally, was I. F. Tsion. In this work, students studied the effect of the laryngeal nerves on blood circulation. At the end of 1874, the results were discussed at a meeting of the Society of Natural Scientists. Pavlov regularly attended these meetings and communicated with Tarkhanov, Ovsyannikov and Sechenov.

Soon, students M. M. Afanasyev and I. P. Pavlov began studying the nerves of the pancreas. The University Council awarded this work a gold medal. True, Ivan spent a lot of time on research and did not pass the final exams, losing his scholarship. This forced him to stay at the university for another year. And in 1875 he graduated brilliantly. He was only 26 (a photo of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov at this age, unfortunately, has not survived), and the future seemed very promising.

Physiology of blood circulation

In 1876, the young man got a job as an assistant to Professor K.N. Ustimovich, head of the laboratory at the Medical-Surgical Academy. Over the next two years, Ivan conducted a series of studies on the physiology of blood circulation. Professor S.P. Botkin highly appreciated Pavlov’s works and invited him to his clinic. Formally, Ivan took the position of laboratory assistant, but in reality he became the head of the laboratory. Despite the poor premises, lack of equipment and meager funding, Pavlov achieved serious results in the study of the physiology of digestion and blood circulation. His name became increasingly famous in scientific circles.

First love

In the late seventies, he met Serafima Karchevskaya, a student in the pedagogical department. The young people were united by similarity of views, common interests, loyalty to the ideals of serving society and the struggle 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.

Looking for a new job

Over the 12 years of work at the clinic of S.P. Botkin, the biography of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov 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 the sake of his personal interests, but also for the sake of the development of Russian science.

But during the times of Tsarist Russia, achieving any changes for a simple, honest, democratically minded, impractical, shy and unsophisticated person, like Pavlov, turned out to be extremely difficult. In addition, the scientist’s life was complicated by prominent physiologists, with whom Ivan Petrovich, while still young, publicly entered into heated discussions and often emerged victorious. Thus, thanks to the negative review of Professor I.R. Tarkhanov about Pavlov’s work on blood circulation, the latter was not awarded a prize.

Ivan Petrovich could not find a good laboratory to continue his research. In 1887, he wrote a letter to the Minister of Education, in which he asked for a position in the department of some experimental university. Then he sent out several more letters to different institutes and received a refusal from all of them. But soon luck smiled on the scientist.

Nobel Prize

In April 1890, Pavlov was elected professor of pharmacology at two and Tomsk. And in 1891 he was invited to organize the 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 several classic works on the physiology of the digestive glands, which were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1904. The entire scientific community remembers the speech that Academician Pavlov made “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.

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 carrying out scientific work were created for the academician and his staff. Ivan Petrovich's laboratory was reorganized into the Physiological Institute. And for the 80th anniversary of the academician, a scientific institute-town was opened near Leningrad.

Many dreams that academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov had nurtured for a long time came true. The professor's scientific works 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 has increased tenfold. In addition to budget 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 was constantly in need of money. And now the academician was even worried about whether he could justify the government’s trust and care. He spoke about this more than once, both in his circle and publicly.

Death

Academician Pavlov died at the age of 87. Nothing foreshadowed the death of the scientist, because Ivan Petrovich had excellent health and rarely fell ill. True, he was susceptible to colds and suffered from 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 (a 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, has passed away. Ivan Petrovich was buried not far from the grave of D.I. Mendeleev.

Not a single physiologist in the world was as famous as Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (09/26/1849, Ryazan - 02/27/1936, Leningrad) - the creator of the materialistic doctrine of the higher nervous activity of animals and humans. This teaching is of great practical importance. In medicine and pedagogy, in philosophy and psychology, in sports, work, in any human activity - everywhere it serves as the basis and starting point. The creator of the largest physiological school of our time, new approaches and methods of physiological research, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1925; academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences since 1907, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1917). Classic works on the physiology of blood circulation and digestion (Nobel Prize, 1904). Knight of the Legion of Honor (1915) - the highest award in France.

Born in the city of Ryazan in 1849 in the family of a clergyman. In 1860, at the age of 11, Pavlov entered a church parish school, and after graduating, he entered a theological seminary, but did not graduate. . 60s of the XIX century. were the years of the rise of the liberation movement in Russia. Young people were looking forward to the next issues of leading magazines in which N.A.’s articles were published. Dobrolyubova and A.I. Herzen, D.I. Pisarev and N.G. Chernyshevsky; they also contained works on natural science. Articles by D.I. Pisarev, books by I.M. Sechenov and the popular book by D. Lewis “Physiology of Everyday Life”, the ideas of revolutionary democrats, disputes in Ryazan youth circles did their job.

Ivan Pavlov left the seminary, left Ryazan for St. Petersburg and in 1870 entered the University in the natural sciences department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. His interest in physiology increased after he read I. Sechenov’s book “Reflexes of the Brain,” but he managed to master this subject only after he was trained in the laboratory of I. Zion, who studied the role of depressor nerves. Pavlov's first scientific research was the study of the secretory innervation of the pancreas. For him, I. Pavlov and M. Afanasyev were awarded a gold medal from the university.

In 1875 he brilliantly completed the course with the academic degree of Candidate of Natural Sciences and entered the 3rd year of the Medical-Surgical Academy (currently the Russian Military Medical Academy of St. Petersburg). He graduated from it in 1879 with a gold medal, receiving a doctor’s diploma, and began working in the physiological laboratory of the S.P. clinic. Botkin, conducting research on the physiology of blood circulation. In 1875, Pavlov received the title of Candidate of Natural Sciences. In the summer of 1877 he worked in Germany with Rudolf Heidenhain, a specialist in the field of digestion. In 1878, at the invitation of S. Botkin, Pavlov began working in the physiological laboratory at his clinic in Breslau, not yet having a medical degree, which Pavlov received in 1879. In the same year, Ivan Petrovich began research on the physiology of digestion, which lasted more than twenty years. Pavlov defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1883, devoted to a description of the nerves that control the functions of the heart. He was appointed privatdozent at the Academy, but was forced to refuse this appointment due to additional work in Leipzig with Heidenhain and Karl Ludwig, two of the most prominent physiologists of the time. Thus, Pavlov was sent abroad to improve his knowledge and returned to Russia two years later.