Ivan Pavlov was born on September 14, 1849, in a rural village at Ryazan, Russia. He was the oldest sibling and among the healthiest. His family hoped that he would become a priest like his father Peter. Pavlov inherited many of his father's characteristics including a strong will to succeed.
Pavlov attended Rayzan Ecclesiastical High School at the age of eleven. Due to a childhood accident so he was not able to begin school as early as other children. Pavlov and is brothers later entered the Ryazan Ecclesiastical Seminary. While at the seminary, he planned to pursue a career in theology. But, after being introduced to the works of Charles Darwin and Ivan Sechenov, Pavloc decided to transfer to the University of St. Petersburg to gain knowledge about natural science. While in St. Petersburg, he studied chemistry and physiology and he receiver his doctorate in 1879.
Pavlov continued his studies and began doing his own research topics on digestion and blood circulation, the two topics that interested him most. His work became recognized and well known and so he was appointed professor of physiology at the Imperial Medical Academy.
In 1875, Pavloc completed his course with an outstanding record and received the Degree of Candidate of Natural Sciences. He continued his studies at the Academy of Medical Surgery to take a third course there. In 1879, he completed this and was again awarded a gold medal.
In 1881, Pavlov married Seraphima Karchevskaya, a teacher and the daughter of a doctor in the Black Sea Fleet. Pavlov and Sera had six children, two who died and four who were healthy. She first had a miscarriage which was said to be due to her having to run after her fast-walking husband. Later they had a son, Wirchik, who died very suddenly as a child and had one daughter, Vera. His three sons named Vladimir, Victor, and Vsevolod, one of whom was a will-known physicist at and professor of physics at Leningrad in 1925.
