The Presidential Library’s historical records illustrate outstanding scientist Ivan Sechenov’s life and career

August 13, 2019 marks the 192nd anniversary of the birth of Ivan Sechenov, a natural scientist, the founder of a Russian physiological scientific school, a rationalist thinker who turned physiology into exact science and clinical discipline. The Presidential Library spotlights the main milestones of the scientific path of the scientist-innovator, who managed to bring so much to the development of Russian medicine.

Ivan Sechenov was born on August 13, 1829 in the village of Tyoply Stan of the Kurmysh district of Simbirsk province. At the age of 14, Ivan, on the advice of his elder brother, was sent to the Main Engineering School in St. Petersburg. “He liked learning”, - says Musayelyan, - and he easily moved from class to class, especially taking an interest in physics and mathematics. However, after unsuccessful exam, he was supposed to leave the school and go to serve in army engineers..."

In 1848, Sechenov, a 19-year-old youth, left for Kiev in the 2nd reserve engineer battalion. However, military service pressed on the young ensign. After serving as an officer for a little over a year and a half, Sechenov resigned and in the autumn of that year he entered as a volunteer at the medical faculty of Moscow University - and immediately plunged into classes. After listening to the brilliant lectures of Professor I. T. Glebov, who read comparative anatomy and physiology, Sechenov thought about devoting himself to the study of comparative anatomy. Physiology at that time was less readable, according to outdated textbooks, experiments in lectures were not enough.

Then Ivan Sechenov did not assume that he himself would become a pioneer in this segment of medical science.

After graduating from the medical faculty as a doctoral student, Sechenov goes abroad from Moscow, where for almost two years he has been taking courses in physiology and comparative anatomy. He returned to Russia with the richest experimental and theoretical developments. He successfully defended his thesis himself and received an appointment as an associate professor in the Department of Physiology at the Imperial St. Petersburg Medical and Surgical Academy, with the obligation to immediately begin lecturing.

Sechenov’s teaching profession was vibrant and successful. He brought with him from abroad all the necessary equipment for carrying out experiments with the neuromuscular apparatus in the physiology section, completely unknown in Russia. “Lectures on animal electricity”, delivered by a young professor, made a huge impression not only in academic circles, but also among progressive cultural figures. In addition to the simple and fascinating manner of giving lectures, the success of the course was ensured thanks to the laboratory support of the theoretical part. At the same time, the young professor was guided by the idea that “universities for fulfilling their purpose should serve as nurseries of knowledge, should not only be institutions where science is preached, but also working scientific centers where it develops, that you can successfully learn and study only by working”, the author of the book Ivan Sechenov quotes the scientist.

Together with his friend S. P. Botkin Sechenov raised the prestige of the Academy to unprecedented heights and made physiology classes almost the most popular, instilled in students a love of independent research.

In 1862, he went to Paris to work in the laboratory of the famous physiologist Claude Bernard. The result was the study Reflexes of the Brain, the essence of which can be briefly expressed as follows: “All acts of conscious and unconscious life according to the mode of origin are reflexes”.  

In 1872, the book Tasks of Psychology by the Russian historian, psychologist, sociologist and publicist K. D. Kavelin was published, directed against the materialistic understanding of the psyche, in particular against Sechenov's views. And at the same time, Kavelin fought against Chernyshevsky not only with the help of psychology. The sensational “psychological” polemic between Sechenov and Kavelin in 1872–1874 on the pages of the journal Vestnik Evropy (Herald of Europe) became widely known. A fierce opponent ensured that tsarist censorship generally prohibited speaking out on issues raised by the journalist and physiologist.

But Sechenov did not at all consider Kavelin an invincible enemy, he only needed recognition from Dmitry Mendeleev and other close-minded scientists, as well as composer A. P. Borodin, artist A. A. Ivanov, he knew Dostoevsky... Personality of Sechenov had a strong influence on the Russian artistic intelligentsia of that time. Therefore, one should not be particularly surprised that it was from him that Chernyshevsky wrote his Rakhmetov in the novel “What is to be done?”, and Turgenev - Bazanov in “Fathers and Sons”.

In 1901, Sechenov resigned. His name was assigned to the 1st Moscow Medical Academy, Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry RAS. The Academy of Sciences has established the Sechenov Prize, awarded every three years for outstanding research in physiology, the clinical discipline that allowed Russian medicine to make a significant breakthrough.