Ivan Pavlov - Early Life and Schooling

Early Life and Schooling

Ivan Pavlov was born in Ryazan, now in the Central Federal District of Russia, where his father, Peter Dmitrievich Pavlov (1823–1899), was a village priest. Pavlov's mother, Varvara Ivanovna Uspenskaya, was born in 1826 and died in 1890. Ivan was the eldest of eleven children. His mother was a homemaker in charge of house duties such as doing the dishes and taking care of the children. Ivan often helped with these chores. As a child Pavlov loved to garden, to ride his bicycle, row, swim, and play gorodki. Pavlov devoted his summer vacations to these activities. Although able to read by the age of 7, Pavlov was seriously injured as the result of a fall. He fell from a high wall onto the stone pavement below. As a result, the start of his school career was delayed until he was 11.

Pavlov began his higher education at the Ryazan Church School at the age of 11. He completed church school successfully and entered the local theological seminary. He eventually rejected an ecclesiastical career. In 1870, Pavlov left for St. Petersburg without finishing the seminary. He enrolled in the physics and math department, taking the natural science course. In his fourth year at the university, he made his first research and won a gold medal. His research concerned the physiology of the nerves of the pancreas. In 1875, Pavlov completed his course with an outstanding record and received the degree of Candidate of Natural Sciences. However, impelled by his overwhelming interest in physiology, he decided to continue his studies and proceeded to the Academy of Medical Surgery. While at the Academy of Medical Surgery, Pavlov became an assistant to his former teacher, Tyson. When Tyson was replaced by another teacher, Pavlov left the department. After some time, he obtained a position as a laboratory assistant to Professor Ustimovich at the physiological department of the Veterinary Institute. He served under Professor Ustimovich for two years and worked on the circulatory system for his medical dissertation. In 1878, Professor S.P. Botkin, a famous Russian clinician, invited the gifted young physiologist to work in the physiological laboratory at his clinic as its chief. In 1879 Pavlov graduated from the Medical Military Academy with an award of a gold medal for his research work. After a competitive examination, Pavlov won a fellowship at the Academy for postgraduate work. This together with his position as Director of the Physiological Laboratory at the clinic of the famous Russian clinician, S. P. Botkin, enabled him to continue his research work. In 1883, he presented his doctor's thesis on the subject of The centrifugal nerves of the heart. In this work he developed his idea of "nervism", using as example the intensifying nerve of the heart which he had discovered, and furthermore laid down the basic principles on the trophic function of the nervous system. In this as well as in other works, resulting mainly from his research in the laboratory at the Botkin clinic, Pavlov showed that there existed a basic pattern in the reflex regulation of the activity of the circulatory organs.