I.M. Sechenov

Ivan Michailovich Sechenov is the pioneer of physiology in Russia and one of the greatest scientists. I.M. Sechenov's experimental and theoratical researches are a rich source of inspiration for biologists. These works are the basis on which the physiological schools of Pavlov and Vvedensky - the leading schools of the Soviet Union - have developed.

K.A. Timiriazev, in his book “The Awakening of Natural Sciences in Rissia at the End of the XIXth Century”, gives the following definition of the role played by Sechenov:

“Just as our chemistry was built up by the joint labour of many talented chemists; or our descriptive biology in its modern form can be traced down to Zenkovsky; so does our physiology originate from I.M. Sechenov. This striking personality and brilliant worker is undoubtedly one of the most characteristic figures of this time. No other physiologist possessed such a wide range of scientific achievements in his own personal research, beginning with the purely physical study of the solubility of gases and ending with the analysis of nervous processes and the strictly scientific examination of problems of psychology. In the field of psychology, Sechenov was the same strict logician as in the purely physiological sphere; this brought upon him the displeasure of the psychologists of the old metaphysical turn of mind. Add to this the wonderfully simple and lucid form in which he expressed his thoughts, and you understand the magnitude of his influence upon Russian science and upon intellectual circles far beyond the limits of his immediate audience. Those who were present at the famous first public lecture on the “Reflexes of the Brain” know that this lecture was an event not only in the Medical Academy, but far beyond its walls. Future history will no doubt recognize that no other scientist in Russia has ever had such a wide and happy influence upon Russian science and upon the growth of scientific interests in our society, - not even Sechenov's friend Mendeleyev, of whose scientific merits Sechenov always spoke with sincere admiration.”

(Adapted from the Internet sites)

6.5 For further information on the biographies of the famous scientists and their achievements use Hotlist - Famous Scientists WebQuest

http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/webwebquestel.html

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