Greetings to all readers who are not indifferent to psychology! Today we will talk about an outstanding scientist, a physician who devoted his life to the study of reflexes, made a huge contribution to the knowledge of the human nervous system, although he worked with dogs. Pavlov Ivan Petrovich is not in vain considered the representative of the largest modern school physiology.
Life and scientific activity
Ivan Pavlov is a native of the city of Ryazan. Until the age of 21 he was engaged in theology, planned to continue his father's career (parish priest), but abruptly changed the direction of his activity, went to study at St. Petersburg University, where he began to study physiology and chemistry. If it were not for this turn in the fate of the remarkable scientist, we would not be able to get acquainted with his theory of unconditioned and conditioned reflexes, and temperaments would continue to be distinguished by the fluid prevailing in the body, as Hippocrates bequeathed.
The interests of the young scientist were formed under the influence of prominent specialists: Karl Ludwig and Rudolf Heidenhain. He took a serious interest in the problems blood pressure, and when he was 41 years old he became a real professor at the Imperial Medical Academy. These walls gave him the opportunity to work on the connection between digestion and salivation, as well as to conduct experiments on dogs. By the way, Pavlov was a wonderful surgeon, which helped him in setting up experiments.
It was in the course of research, where dogs were experimental, that Ivan Petrovich came to the theory of a conditioned reflex, and by 1930 he was able to transfer his knowledge to people suffering from psychosis. It is important to understand what he meant by a conditioned reflex. This is the reaction of the body, which occurs to the stimulus as a result of their repeated coincidence. Why did this discovery become so significant, and the very concept of "conditioned reflex" - the crowning achievement of Pavlov's scientific activity? Yes, because the learning process has become manageable and scientifically substantiated. And later his ideas became the basis for the development of behavioral psychology (or behaviorism).
The scientist lived in difficult times, his relations with the Soviet authorities were very uneven. After visiting America (1923), he intensified his criticism of the communist regime, began to openly oppose violence and arbitrariness of power. When in 1924 all students who had fathers-priests were expelled from his academy, he defiantly left his post as a professor. Pavlov died in Leningrad in 1936.
Conditioned Reflex Theory
The main work of Pavlov was the formation of conditioned reflexes with the help of associations. In fact, everything is ingeniously simple. You can see for yourself. When an unexpected sharp sound is heard, the person involuntarily shudders. This is his unconditioned reflex (automatic, innate) to an unconditioned stimulus. If we repeatedly encounter a situation where such a sharp sound occurs after a strong blow with the fist on the table, then it is quite logical that we will associate the sound (unconditioned stimulus) with the movement of the fist (already a conditioned stimulus), we will begin to shudder even before the fist has dropped on the table. This new reaction of the body will be called a conditioned reflex.
Experience with dogs
Initially, the scientist was engaged in the study of the digestive function of dogs. But watching how they work salivary glands animals, discovered interesting fact. Saliva in dogs is secreted at the sight of an edible product. And this is an unconditioned reflex. But the salivation of Pavlov's dogs began already when an assistant in a white coat entered, carrying food for the experiments. The researcher rightly noted that the cause of the reflex was not the smell of food, but the appearance of a white coat (conditioned stimulus). He also successfully proved this through experiments.
Role for science
Of course, Pavlov became famous for his experiments with dogs, which were appreciated and recognized during his lifetime. It is remarkable that he was awarded the honorary title of "Elder Physiologists of the World", and this is a great honor for a scientist. Specialists also appreciate his enormous contribution to understanding the functioning of the human nervous system (after all, the concept of “strong nervous system" and "weak nervous system" is also his achievement). It was the discoveries of the researcher that made it possible to find new ways to treat anxiety disorders (phobias, panic attacks).
We got acquainted with a brief biography of the scientist and the basic concepts of his theory. Interestingly, the knowledge that Pavlov gave us does not become obsolete over the years. This makes them even more valuable and meaningful. I hope that the information that I have tried to convey to you was clear enough even to non-specialists in the field of psychology. I will be glad to reposts and comments.
Until we meet again, with respect, Alexander Fadeev.
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Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born on September 14 (26), 1849 in Ryazan in the family of a priest, therefore, at the request of his parents, he visited initial course seminary, and in 1860 he entered the theological school, where he continued to study the natural sciences, which interested him most. The book “Physiology of Everyday Life” by G. G. Levi, read in his youth, with pictures, sunk so deeply into the soul that if it were not for her, it is quite possible that Pavlov would not have become a physiologist. By a happy coincidence, the Russian government allowed students of theological seminaries to continue their education in secular educational institutions. Therefore, Pavlov in 1870 immediately entered the Imperial St. Petersburg University in the natural department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.
Having received the title of candidate of natural sciences five years later, Pavlov entered the third year of the St. Petersburg Medical Surgical (since 1881 - military medical) Academy, and then got a job as an assistant at the department of physiology of the veterinary department of this academy. In 1883 he defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, after which he went to work in Leipzig with two of the most prominent physiologists of the time, Rudolf Heidenhain and Karl Ludwig. After two years of work he returned to Russia.
Since 1891, he was in charge of the physiological department of the Institute of Experimental Medicine and at the same time directed physiological research at the St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy. In 1904, Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his work on the physiology of digestion, which has led to a clearer understanding of the vital aspects of this subject."
In 1915, Pavlov was awarded the French Legion of Honor, and then received the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London. Ivan Petrovich was a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a foreign member of the Royal Society of London and an honorary member of the London Physiological Society. In total, he was an honorary member of 130 academies and scientific societies. The great physiologist died on February 27, 1936 in Leningrad from pneumonia.
Pavlov's achievements and human psychology
Working with experimental animals, Pavlov believed that the knowledge gained would be a decisive link in the discovery of new laws of human mental life. Reading lectures on the identified conditioned reflexes, the scientist expressed the idea that sooner or later they will lift the veil of secrecy over the human psyche. Despite the fact that all the scientific activity of the physiologist was connected with dogs, he once remarked: “In essence, we are only interested in one thing in life: our mental content.”
The scientist spent his whole life striving to find the answer to main riddle or lay the foundation for its future solution. Only at the end of his life did Ivan Petrovich begin to regularly examine clinical patients. As a result, he found a qualitative difference between the higher nervous processes in animals and humans. This is nothing more than a speech function, which causes the emergence of new principles for the work of the cerebral hemispheres. It is speech that gives a person a special system of reflexes, much larger than that of animals. So, dogs react to external influences associated with vital needs. A person also has this feature, but he can respond to words that are unique conditioned stimuli for him. Based on this discovery, Pavlov singled out two levels of the signaling system, calling the second signaling system the speech function inherent only in man, and the first signaling system - sensory signals sent by the external environment.
The second signaling system was formed in humans in the process of evolution as an addition to the first, which was inherited from the animal. Her work is based on the excitation of the organs involved in communication, it helps to generalize life experience and then use it. It is she who gives people the opportunity to communicate and think, which is also communication, but only with oneself (the so-called inner speech). That is why many researchers tend to think that the second signaling system arose precisely in the process of communication.
Pavlov believed that without her signals there can be neither mental activity nor thought. The scientist emphasized that the second signaling system causes a better connection human body with the environment. For example, animals can only learn from their own life experiences with the help of the first signaling system. Man, on the other hand, is open to any third-party experience and can draw it from all the world's knowledge with the help of written or spoken words that are passed down from generation to generation. Combinations of words can convey the most complex feelings, clearly reflect external reality after many centuries.
Such a vision gave Pavlov every reason to believe that psychology has great potential, which can be expanded in close connection with physiology. After the idea of signaling systems was formulated, Pavlov made another discovery related to the protective function of the nervous system. According to his theory, brain cells are the most active cells in the human body, which affects their properties, namely: they are subject to fatigue, overload and damage. Nature has created a unique mechanism for protecting these cells. Pavlov called this mechanism protective inhibition, better known to us as sleep. During sleep, the cells of the nervous system regenerate from the day's fatigue, and the body requires a certain number of hours of sleep during each twenty-four-hour period. In addition, the physiologist discovered that the so-called artificially induced protective inhibition in the form of deep and prolonged sleep - effective treatment some neuroses and psychoses.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov left a rich heritage for many sciences, including not only physiology, medicine, psychology and psychiatry, but also pedagogy, philosophy and other related areas of knowledge about man.
None of the Russian scientists of the XIX-XX centuries, even D.I. Mendeleev, did not receive such fame abroad as academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936). “This is a star that illuminates the world, shedding light on paths not yet explored,” HG Wells said about him. He was called "a romantic, almost legendary personality", "a citizen of the world". He was a member of 130 academies, universities and international societies. He is considered the recognized leader of the world physiological science, the favorite teacher of doctors, 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 a theological school, and in 1864 entered the Ryazan Theological Seminary.
However, he was destined for a different fate. In his father's extensive library, he once found a book by G.G. Levi's "Physiology of Everyday Life" with colorful illustrations that struck his imagination. Another strong impression on Ivan Petrovich in his youth was made by a book, which he later remembered with gratitude all his life. It was a study of the father of Russian physiology, Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov, "Reflexes of the brain." Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that the theme of this book was 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 department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. Here, under the influence of the famous Russian physiologist Professor I.F. Ziona, he forever connected his life with physiology. After graduating from the university, I.P. Pavlov decided to expand his knowledge of physiology, in particular, human physiology and pathology. To this end, in 1874 he entered the Medical and Surgical Academy. Having brilliantly finished it, Pavlov received a two-year trip abroad. Upon arrival from abroad, he devoted himself entirely to science.
All works on physiology carried out by I.P. Pavlov for almost 65 years, are mainly grouped around three sections of physiology: the physiology of blood circulation, the physiology of digestion and the physiology of the brain. Pavlov introduced into practice a chronic experiment that made it possible to study the activity of a practically healthy organism. With the help of 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 studies of higher physiology nervous activity rendered big influence on the development of physiology, psychology and pedagogy.
Works by I.P. Pavlov on blood circulation are mainly associated with his activities in the laboratory at the clinic of the famous Russian doctor Sergei Petrovich Botkin from 1874 to 1885. Passion for research completely absorbed him during this period. He abandoned the house, forgot about material needs, about his suit and even about his young wife. His comrades more than once took part in the fate of Ivan Petrovich, wanting to help him in some way. Once they collected some money for I.P. Pavlov, wanting to support him financially. I.P. Pavlov accepted comradely help, but with this money he bought a whole pack of dogs in order to set up an experiment of interest to 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 theory of nervous trophism. The whole cycle 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 the scientific work of I.P. Pavlova - to study a living organism in its holistic, natural behavior. The work of 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. Pavlov gladly accepted in 1890 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 did 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 kind of special nervous process of inhibition that spreads throughout the entire cerebral cortex.
In 1925 I.P. Pavlov headed the Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and opened two clinics at his laboratory: nervous and psychiatric, where he successfully applied the experimental results obtained by him in the laboratory for the treatment of nervous and mental diseases. A particularly important achievement of the last years of I.P. Pavlov was the study of the hereditary properties of certain types of nervous activity. To address 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.
The teachings of I.P. Pavlov became the foundation for the development of world science. In America, England, France and other countries, special Pavlovian laboratories were created. February 27, 1936 Ivan Petrovich Pavlov died. After a short illness, he died at the age of 87. The funeral 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. A guard of honor was installed at the coffin of scientists from universities, technical universities, scientific institutes, members of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Pavlov, Ivan Petrovich (1849–1936), Russian physiologist, awarded the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his research on the mechanisms of digestion.
In 1864 he graduated from the Ryazan Theological School and entered the Theological Seminary. Under the influence of scientific works, especially the book by I.M. Sechenov Reflexes of the brain, Pavlov decided to leave the seminary and in 1870 entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.
After graduating from the university, he became a third-year student at the Medical and Surgical Academy. After graduating from the Academy in 1879, he headed the laboratory of physiology at the clinic of S.P. Botkin. In 1884–1886, he did an internship in the laboratories of E. Dubois-Reymond (France), I. Muller, K. Ludwig and G. Helmholtz (Germany). Upon returning to Russia, he worked for Botkin. In 1890 he was appointed professor of pharmacology at the Military Medical Academy, and in 1896 - head of the department of physiology, which he headed until 1924. He headed the physiological laboratory at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, where he performed classical experiments on the nervous regulation of the digestive process, and from 1925 headed the Institute of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences .
The main directions of Pavlov's scientific activity are the study of the physiology of blood circulation, digestion and higher nervous activity. The scientist developed methods of surgical operations to create an “isolated ventricle” and impose fistulas on the digestive glands, applied a new approach for his time - a “chronic experiment”, which allows observations to be made on practically healthy animals in conditions as close to natural as possible. This method made it possible to minimize the distorting effect of "acute" experiments requiring serious surgical intervention, separation of parts of the body and anesthesia of the animal. In 1890, Pavlov conducted an experiment in "imaginary" feeding of an animal in order to study the role of the central nervous system in the secretion of gastric juice. Using the "isolated ventricle" method, he established the presence of two phases of juice secretion: neuro-reflex and humoral-clinical. When food is only brought to the mouth and chewed, the first portion of gastric juice is released. When food enters the stomach, its digestion begins, and the decay products, acting on the gastric mucosa, help prolong the period of secretion for the entire time that the food is in the stomach.
The next stage in Pavlov's scientific activity is the study of higher nervous activity. The transition from work in the field of digestion was due to his ideas about the adaptive nature of the activity of the digestive glands. Pavlov believed that adaptive phenomena are determined not just by reflexes from the oral cavity: the cause should be sought in mental excitation. As new data on the functioning of the external parts of the brain were obtained, a new scientific discipline was formed - the science of higher nervous activity. It was based on the idea of dividing reflexes (mental factors) into conditional and unconditional. The conditioned reflex is the highest and latest evolutionary form of adaptation of the organism to the environment; it is developed as a result of the accumulation of individual life experience. Pavlov and his collaborators discovered the laws of formation and extinction of conditioned reflexes, proved that conditioned reflex activity is carried out with the participation of the cerebral cortex. In the cerebral cortex, the center of inhibition was discovered - the antipode of the center of excitation; different types and types of braking (external, internal) were investigated; the laws of distribution and narrowing of the sphere of action of excitation and inhibition - the main nervous processes - were discovered; the problems of sleep are studied and its phases are established; the protective role of inhibition was studied; the role of the collision of the processes of excitation and inhibition in the emergence of neuroses has been studied. Pavlov became widely known for his theory of the types of the nervous system, which is also based on ideas about the relationship between the processes of excitation and inhibition. Finally, another merit of Pavlov is the doctrine of signal systems. In addition to the first signal system, which is also inherent in animals, a person has a second signal system - a special form of higher nervous activity associated with speech function and abstract thinking.
Pavlov formulated ideas about the analytical and synthetic activity of the brain and created the doctrine of analyzers, the localization of functions in the cerebral cortex and the systemic nature of the work of the cerebral hemispheres.
Pavlov's scientific work had a huge impact on the development of related fields of medicine and biology, and left a noticeable mark on psychiatry. Under the influence of his ideas, major scientific schools were formed in therapy, surgery, psychiatry, and neuropathology.
In 1907 Pavlov was elected a member Russian Academy Sciences, a foreign member of the Royal Society of London. In 1915 he was awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London. In 1928 he became an honorary member of the Royal Society of Physicians of London. In 1935, at the age of 86, Pavlov presided over the sessions of the 15th International Physiological Congress held in Moscow and Leningrad.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, whose brief biography we will consider, is a Russian physiologist, psychologist, Nobel Prize winner. He was engaged in the processes of regulation of digestion, created the science of all this, as well as many other things related to his name, we will talk about in this article.
Origin and training in Ryazan
On September 26, 1849, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born in the city of Ryazan. short biography it would be incomplete if we did not say a few words about his family. Father Dmitrievich was a parish priest. Varvara Ivanovna, Ivan Petrovich's mother, ran the household. The photo below shows Pavlov's house in Ryazan, which is now a museum.
The future scientist began his studies at the Ryazan Theological School. After graduating in 1864, he entered the Ryazan Theological Seminary. Later, Ivan Petrovich recalled this period with warmth. He noted that he was lucky to learn from wonderful teachers. Ivan Pavlov got acquainted in the last year of the seminary with the book "Reflexes of the Brain" by I. M. Sechenov. It was she who determined his future fate.
Moving to St. Petersburg to continue education
In 1870, the future scientist decided to enter the law faculty of St. Petersburg University. True, Ivan Pavlov studied here for only 17 days. He decided to transfer to the natural department of another faculty, physical and mathematical. Ivan Petrovich studied with professors I. F. Zion, F. V. Ovsyannikov. He was especially interested in animal physiology. In addition, Ivan Petrovich devoted much time to the study of nervous regulation, being a true follower of Sechenov.
After graduating from the university, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov decided to continue his studies. His brief biography is marked by admission immediately to the third year of the Medical-Surgical Academy. In 1879 Pavlov completed this educational institution and began working in the Botkin clinic. Here Ivan Petrovich headed the laboratory of physiology.
Internship abroad, work at the Botkin Clinic and the Military Medical Academy
The period from 1884 to 1886 includes his internship in Germany and France, after which the scientist returns to work at the Botkin clinic. Pavlov in 1890 decide to make a professor of pharmacology and sent to the Military Medical Academy. After 6 years, the scientist is already heading the Department of Physiology here. He will leave it only in 1926.
An experiment with imaginary feeding
Simultaneously with this work, Ivan Petrovich studies the physiology of blood circulation, digestion, and higher nervous activity. He conducts in 1890 his famous experiment with imaginary feeding. The scientist establishes that the nervous system plays an important role in the processes of digestion. For example, the process of juice separation occurs in 2 phases. The first of them is neuro-reflex, followed by humoral-clinical.
Learning reflexes, well-deserved awards
After that, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov began to carefully investigate. His brief biography is supplemented by new achievements. He achieved significant results in the study of reflexes. In 1903, at the age of 54, Pavlov Ivan Petrovich spoke at the International Medical Congress held in Madrid with his report. The contribution to science of this scientist did not go unnoticed. For achievements in the study of digestion in the following year, 1904, he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
The scientist in 1907 becomes a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Royal Society of London in 1915 presents him with the Copley medal.
Relation to the revolution
Pavlov called the October Revolution "a Bolshevik experiment." At first, he enthusiastically perceived the changes in life and wanted to see the completion of what he had begun. He was considered in the West the only free citizen in Russia. The authorities reacted favorably to the brilliant scientist. V. I. Lenin even signed in 1921 a special decree on the creation of conditions for the normal work and life of Pavlov and his family.
However, after a while, disappointment came. The mass expulsion abroad of prominent intellectuals, the arrests of friends and colleagues showed the inhumanity of this "experiment". More than once Ivan Petrovich spoke from positions that were unpleasant for the authorities. He shocked the party leadership with his speeches. Pavlov did not agree to "strengthen labor discipline" in the laboratory headed by him. He said that the scientific team should not be equated with a factory, and mental work should not be belittled. Ivan Petrovich began to receive appeals to the Council of People's Commissars demanding the release of those arrested who were familiar to him, as well as an end to terror, repression and persecution of the church in the country.
Difficulties faced by Pavlov
Despite the fact that Pavlov did not accept much of what was happening in the country, he always worked with all his might for the good of his homeland. Nothing could break his mighty spirit and will. During the Civil War, the scientist worked at the Military Medical Academy, where he taught physiology. It is known that the laboratory was not heated, so the experiments had to sit in a fur coat and hat. If there was no light, Pavlov operated with a torch (an assistant held it). Ivan Petrovich, even in the most hopeless years, supported his colleagues. The laboratory survived thanks to his efforts and did not stop its activities in the harsh 1920s.
So, Pavlov took the revolution as a whole negatively. He was in poverty during the years of the Civil War, so he repeatedly asked the Soviet authorities to let him out of the country. He was promised an improvement in his financial situation, but the authorities did very little in this direction. In the end, the creation of the Institute of Physiology in Koltushi was announced (in 1925). This institute was headed by Pavlov. He worked here until the end of his days.
The 15th World Congress of Physiologists was held in Leningrad in August 1935. Pavlov was elected president. All scientists unanimously bowed before Ivan Petrovich. This was a scientific triumph in recognition of the enormous significance of his work.
To recent years Ivan Petrovich's trip to his homeland, to Ryazan, belongs to his life. Here, too, he was received very warmly. Ivan Petrovich was given a solemn reception.
Death of Ivan Petrovich
Ivan Pavlov died in Leningrad on February 27, 1936. The cause of death was acute pneumonia. He left behind a lot of achievements, which are worth talking about separately.
The main achievements of the scientist
The works of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov on the physiology of digestion, which deserved the highest international recognition, served as an impetus for the development of a new direction in physiology. We are talking about the physiology of higher nervous activity. This direction scientist Pavlov Ivan Petrovich devoted about 35 years of his life. He is the creator of the method The study of the mental processes occurring in the body of animals, with the help of this method, led to the creation of the doctrine of the mechanisms of the brain and higher nervous activity. In 1913, to carry out experiments related to conditioned reflexes, a building with two towers was built, which were called the "Towers of Silence". Here, at first, three special chambers were equipped, and since 1917, five more were put into operation.
It should be noted one more discovery of Pavlov Ivan Petrovich. His merit is the development of the doctrine of what exist He also owns the doctrine of (a complex of reactions to certain stimuli) and other achievements.
Pavlov Ivan Petrovich, whose contribution to medicine can hardly be overestimated, in 1918 began to conduct research in a psychiatric hospital. On his initiative, in 1931, a clinical base was created at the department. From November 1931, IP Pavlov held scientific meetings in psychiatric and nervous clinics - the so-called "clinical environments".
These are the main achievements of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. This is a great scientist, whose name is useful to remember.
