LAMARCKISM, LYSSENKOISM, AND EXPERIMENTAL GENETICS OF HIGHER NERVOUS ACTIVITY IN PAVLOV LABORATORIES 1920-1950

IVAN PAVLOV (1849-1936), whose theory of the ''Conditioned Reflexes'' had a formative influence on the development of the behavioral science s, also was a pioneer of research on the genetics of behavior. Designe d to prove LAMARCK'S hypotheses, his studies developed in the context of ideological conflicts between neo-Darwinism and neo-lamarckism in S oviet Russia. Under PAVLOV'S successor LEON ORBELI (1882-1958) the ''L aboratory for Experimental Genetics of Higher Nervous Activity'', foun ded by PAVLOV in the twenties, became a centre of genetic research and , thus, the target of Lyssenkoists in the debates of 1948. New publica tions by russian historians of science, studying the development of sc ience under Stalinism, can now elucidate the dimensions of Lyssenkoism as a part of Stalin's science policy aimed at the life sciences in ge neral and the behavioral sciences in particular. Describing the fate o f PAVLOV'S genetic research project, this paper tries to broaden the u nderstanding of the phenomenon of Lyssenkoism and the special history of Soviet science.