Ivan Pavlov Monument in Ķemeri

A nice stopover on a tour of the area.

The monument to Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov acts as a silent observer of the dilapidated spa structures in Ķemeri. Pavlov, known for his work on conditioning, is depicted here in a thoughtful pose. The building behind him, the former bath complex, testifies to the spa's former heyday. Today the place has a rough charm - a silent reminder of the times when Ķemeri was a destination for recovery and research.

Ivan Pavlov (1846 - 1936) was a Russian doctor and physiologist but is today known chiefly for his development of the concept of the conditioned reflex. In a now-classic experiment, he trained a hungry dog to salivate at the sound of a metronome or buzzer, which was previously associated with the sight of food. He developed a similar conceptual approach, emphasizing the importance of conditioning, in his pioneering studies relating human behaviour to the nervous system. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1904 for his work on digestive secretions.