The history of the activity of the “Pavlovian Council” and its negative impact on the development of scienсe in 50s of the 20th century

Abstract

Further development of the history of science including history of physiology requires the analysis of a number of methodological problems which related to the history of the development of science in Ukraine during the dramatic times of the rule of the communists in Soviet Union. The article considers the ideological distortion of achievements and teachings of I. Pavlov by party structures. It is talking about the events that took place in the early 50’s XX sentures. The scientific community of the world should remember the negative events that resulted from the decisions of the joint meeting of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in June-July 1950 (“Pavlovian session”). It is shown that the Moscow authorities forced scientific community of many union republics, including Ukraine, to carry out similar meetings. The results of this conference had a long-term negative impact on physiology, psychology, and medicine. In fact, at the meeting, the work of world-famous scientists and the scientific directions of some institutions were criticized, although the organizers of the meeting declared the main problem of the discussion the physiological teaching of academician I. Pavlov. They aimed to establish the methodology of conditioned reflexes and the doctrine of the leading role of the cerebral cortex in considering all physiological and psychologycal processes. Some of Pavlov’s students, who had their own concept were labeled as “anti-Pavlov”. “Anti Pavlov” scientists were forced to admit their mistakes. Organizers of session recommended them to work within the framework of the Pavlov’s theory of higher nervous activity and to avoid Western influences. To control the implementation of Pavlov’s teachings, the “Pavlovian Council” was created. The article presents the results of the activity of this committee. On the basis of archival documents, the author describes how, at these meetings, council members put pressure on physiologists and persist new topics on research institutes. It has been proven that the task of the council was to destroy physiology under the guise of developing the teachings of I. Pavlov. According to the author of the article, the resolutions of the Pavlovian Committee provided only the methodology of the experiment on the physiology of higher nervous activity. The positive effect for some scientists was usually related to the official doctrine. However, the decisions of the Pavlovian Committee inhibited the development of those studies that did not relate to the official doctrine. These scientific investigations were branded as “hostile”. The aim of the article is to show the negative impact of the “Pavlovian Session” and the activities of the “Pavlovian Council” on the development of physiology, medicine, and psychology. The author proved that physiologists of Ukraine, having experienced the consequences of the joint session, were able to defend their science thanks to the organization of the All-Union Congress of Physiologists, Biochemists and Pharmacologists in Kyiv in 1955. At this congress, the scientists were rehabilitated and the activity of the “Pavlovian Council” was stoped.