Classical physiology, in its best traditions, adhered to the concept of the integrity of the organism. However, in the second half of the 20th century, as physiology became more specialized, some of its branches separated, which ultimately led in many studies to the loss of the fundamental principle of physiology organism – the integrity of the living organism. Ignoring the progressive idea of the integrity of the organism does not promote the development of physiology and weakens its key role. The purpose of this presentation is to draw attention to the problem of the integrity of the living organism and to show that the development of integrative physiology is a way of returning the integrity of the organism and strengthening the position of physiology among the life sciences. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov who was the first physiologist to win the Nobel Prize is considered as a founder of modern integrative physiology. After Claude Bernard who initiated a revolution in the life sciences by introducing the experimental method, Ivan Pavlov took the next revolutionary step by introducing the chronic experiment, also focusing on the whole organism. “By introducing the chronic method and by showing its experimental advantages, Pavlov founded modern integrative physiology...The chronic experiment was the platform from which integrative physiology was launched” (Smith G.P., 2000). From the very beginning of his work, Pavlov firmly adhered to the concept of "nervism" - the idea that the nervous system regulates all bodily functions. This dominant way of thinking allowed him to explore the complex mechanisms of nervous regulation, first in the heart, then in the digestive glands, and eventually to develop the theory of higher nervous activity. In 1897, he summarized his work on the neural control of salivary, gastric, and pancreatic secretions in book “Lectures on the Work of the Principal Digestive Glands”. Quickly translated into German, French, and, English the book made Pavlov’s international reputation and led him to the Nobel Prize. At XV International Congress of Physiological Sciences, organized by Pavlov in St. Petersburg and Moscow, in August 1935, he was recognized as the world’s greatest living physiologist. Pavlov's enduring scientific legacy continue to be a guiding star for many areas of modern science. Pavlov’s “cephalic phase” of gastric and pancreatic secretion was the first brilliant demonstration of the Brain-Gut Interaction. Today, “Brain-Gut-Brain Axis” is one of the most actively and successfully developing research area. Pavlov is a founder of first physiological institute in Russia, now globally recognized as the Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Physiological Laboratory of the Academy of Sciences, founded by F.V. Ovsyannikov and launched under the leadership of I.P. Pavlov in 1907, became the foundation of the Physiological Institute (December 5, 1925). Pavlov was appointed its first director and remained in this position until his death in 1936. At present, the Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the renowned Pavlovian Koltushi, founded 100 years ago by the world’s greatest physiologist, is the largest physiological institute in Russia. The multidisciplinary nature of the institute's research, combined with the traditions of classical physiology, provided a strong foundation for a new stage in the development of modern integrative physiology. Supported by State Program 47 SP “Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation” (2019-2030), 0134-2019-0001. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.
Liudmila Filaretova (Fri,) studied this question.