In 1921, a pharmaceutical institute was opened in Vinnytsia, as reported in a local newspaper.

In May 1930, the Vinnytsia branch of the All-Ukrainian Institute of Correspondence Medical Education was opened. Practical and laboratory classes began on October 1 and were held in the classrooms of the Pharmaceutical Institute. Students received homework and tests from Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa medical institutes. Exams and tests were taken by teachers of the Pharmaceutical Institute.

In 1932, the correspondence medical institute was reorganized into the evening production institute. In the autumn of this year, the Department of Human Physiology began to function in three rooms on the basis of the regional hospital named after M. I. Pirogov.

In 1934, by order of the People’s Commissar of Health of the USSR, a medical institute was established, and the construction of educational buildings and a dormitory began.

In 1937, the department was headed by a student, and then an employee of Academician IP Pavlov, Candidate of Medical Sciences GV Skipin.

Under his leadership, assistants ME Shtark and MI Ivanov worked, studied the mechanisms of formation of conditioned food reflexes and the influence of the sympathetic nervous system on higher nervous activity. In 1940-1941, 9 articles were published in the works of the physiological laboratory named after I. P. Pavlov.

During the Great Patriotic War in 1942-1943, the head of the department was Professor P. M. Serkov, the teacher — E. F. Leonov. The equipment was stored in the basement of the Department of Anatomy. This facilitated the work of the department in the spring of 1944 when classes in normal physiology were resumed in full. Professor P. M. Serkov, a student of one of the leading electrophysiologists of the country, Academician D. S. Vorontsov, was elected the head of the department. He headed the department from 1944 to 1953.

In 1944-1946, students of Academician D. S. Vorontsov, associate professor M. M. Kulagin who arrived from Khabarovsk, assistant E. F. Leonov who arrived in Vinnytsia from Kyiv and K. P. Topchiev worked at the department, as well as I.Ya. Voloshin.

Under the guidance of Professor P. M. Serkov, the study of regulatory mechanisms of body functions in various manifestations was developed. Transmission of excitation from nerves to skeletal muscles was studied by E. F. Leonova, to the heart — by K. P. Topchieva. The influence of interoceptive and proprioceptive impulses on respiration and blood pressure was dealt with by M. M. Kulagin, interoceptive impulses on the electrical activity of the cortex of the large hemispheres — N. V. Bratus. K. V. Ostashkov studied the relationship between the processes of excitation and inhibition in the spinal cord. Professor P. M. Serkov who continued the scientific traditions of his teacher analyzed the electrical activity of the cerebral cortex depending on age in various diseases together with clinicians. It should be noted that after the move of Professor P. M. Serkov first to the Odessa Medical Institute named after M. I. Pirogov and then to the Institute of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences named after O. O. Bogomolets creative ties continued to be maintained with him. A significant number of scientific works of the department were performed on his advice.

In 1950-1953, Professor P. M. Serkov, Associate Professor M. M. Kulagin, assistants K. P. Topchieva, T. O. Svetlanova, O. D. Zhovnovata worked at the department, K. V. Ostashkov studied in graduate school, as well as N. V. Bratus.

In 1959-1962, Professor M. K. Witte, Associate Professor N. V. Bratus, assistants K. P. Topchieva, O. V. Levchuk, L. L. Tsaryuk, A. P. Kobernik, V. M. Chorny, N. M. Matinchenko worked at the department. E. G. Zakharova, G. M. Smolyakova and V. M. Kazakov studied in graduate school.

In 1961, after the transfer of Professor M. K. Witte to the Kiev Institute of Occupational Health, Associate Professor N. V. Bratus was appointed head of the department. After defending her doctoral dissertation in 1965, she was elected professor of the department and headed the department until 1992, remaining professor until 2002. In the 1960’s G. M. Smolyakova and V. M. Kazakov defended their dissertations. The staff of the department was replenished by the pupils of the institute G. V. Yanchyk, P. T. Datsyshyn, V. M. Moroz, L. O. Solovyova, L. Yu. Burennikova. In the 1960’s-1970’s associate professors O. V. Levchuk, K. P. Topchieva, L. L. Tsaryuk, V. M. Kazakov, G. M. Smolyakova worked at the department, assistants — E. G. Zakharova, A. P. Kobernik, V. E. Markevich, M. M. Storch, I. P. Malomuzh, A. M. Khmelevsky, O. N. Ivanov, G. P. Bogachuk. These assistants for various reasons moved to other departments, to other institutes, or to another job. V. M. Kazakov after defending his doctoral dissertation became head of the Department of Human Physiology of Donetsk Medical Institute named after O. M. Gorky, vice-rector for research, and then rector of this institute. E. G. Zakharova moved to Sverdlovsk as a researcher at the Institute of Occupational Health and Prof. pathology. M. M. Storch became an employee of the Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov in Leningrad, L. O. Solovyova became a senior researcher at the Problem Laboratory of the Institute, O. N. Ivanov — Head of the Department of Physical Education.