Pavlov at home and abroad: His role in international physiology

Abstract

Contemporary science is conducted internationally. This is a comparatively recent phenomenon that developed during the last century, most notably after the second world war. During the first half of the twentieth century, however, I P Pavlov became the first major international physiologist, travelling widely and contributing to major scientific meetings around the world. This paper records and assesses Pavlov's international role, with an especial focus on the International Congresses of Physiology, set in the dynamic context of his domestic position in Imperial Russia and later in the Soviet Union.