Physiology in Natural Sciences and in the History of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The beginning of physiology studies at the Academy of Sciences and Arts in St. Petersburg dates back to 1725. The first studies were carried out at the Chair of Anatomy and Physiology; and in the 19th century, at the Physiological Laboratory. The 20th century saw the establishment of the first Institute of Physiology within the USSR Academy of Sciences. Natural sciences had been developing with the emergence of new research methods and new scientific fields, but the interest in understanding the mechanisms underlying functions of the human body and their regulation has remained unchanged. Adequate approaches to the nature of dysfunctions on the foundation of physiological functions lie at the core of every clinical discipline. Stemming from the methods of molecular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics, the outstanding achievements of the last decades of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st century necessitate a transition to a new level through the interaction between different sciences in order to elucidate regulation mechanisms for creating a vision of the physiological activity of the body as an integral whole.