Pavlov's mother, Varvara Ivanova, also came from a family of clergy and had ten children after Pavlov, six of whom died in childhood.
The family expected the young Pavlov to follow the family tradition of entering the clergy. Accordingly, Pavlov attended Ryazan Ecclesiastical High School and the Ryazan Ecclesiastical Seminary. During his studies at the seminary, Pavlov became seriously interested in science, physiology in particular, and was greatly influenced by a radical philosopher named Dmitri Pisarev who espoused many of evolutionist Charles Darwin's theories.
In 1870, after the government decreed that divinity students could attend nonsectarian universities, Pavlov decided to leave the seminary and attend St. Petersburg University to study the natural sciences. At St. Petersburg, Élie de Zion, a professor of physiology, made a formidable impression on Pavlov. By all accounts, the two scientists had a mutual admiration for one another. According to Boris Babkin in his book Pavlov: A Biography, Pavlov said of his early mentor, "Never can such a teacher be forgotten," and in turn Zion called Pavlov a "skilled surgical operator."
Upon graduation from St.
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