Although the 2nd Medical Faculty was created (as Faculty of Pediatrics) by splitting off the pediatric part from the original Medical Faculty (founded together with the whole university on April 7, 1348) on September 1, 1953, physiology was taught at the Department of Physiology (founded 1850 by J. Ev. Purkyně) of the original single Medical Faculty (today the 1st Medical Faculty) until 1990.
Soon after the "Velvet Revolution", early in 1990, our Faculty captured the opportunity of dissolution of "army departments" of Prague universities (under the communist regime, male university students had to prepare for an obligatory military service at these departments) - and therefore the availability of their spaces in the Prague quarter Motol not far from the clinical base of the faculty. It founded a new base of "theoretical" subjects, the core of which was the newly established independent Department of Physiology. An essential role in this was played by prof. Jan Herget, MD PhD (1945-2019), who chaired the Department of Physiology from its beginning till 2014.
For the whole time of its existence, the main research interest of the Department has been the topic of the pulmonary circulation and pulmonary hypertension, although after prof. Gustav Brožek, MD PhD (1943-2002) has joined the Department, we had a successful section of neurophysiology. After the Department was headed by prof. Václav Hampl for 5 years, prof. Přemysl Jiruška become the head in 2019. He has renewed a strong neurophysiology research branch.
Since its inception, the Department of Physiology has published more than a hundred of original research publications in international science journals (with impact factor). It has organized several international scientific conferences and at many other it has presented its results.
Throughout its existence, the Department was housed in the former complex of military departments in Motol. After one of the old buildings have burned down in 2004, a replacement building was constructed in 2011.
In 2019, a further building extension was completed which now houses several departments including ours (on the very right on the picture next to so called "Žížala").
The Department was founded and for many years headed by professor Jan Herget, MD PhD (1945-2019). His expertise in pulmonary circulation had markedly determined the research profile of the Department. Until 2002, the Department also had a neurophysiology branch under the leadership of professor Gustav Brožek, MD PhD.
One of his students was also the current head of the Department, professor Jiruška. Professor Herget was succeeded shortly before his death by his long time collaborator and pupil, once a rector of Charles University (2006-2014), professor Václav Hampl, PhD.
He resigned from the Department leadership in 2019 because of his work as chair of the European affairs committee in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (2014-2020). Nevertheless, he has remained an active member of the Department.
In the spring of 2019 professor Přemysl Jiruška, MD PhD was appointed a new head of the Department. He has reintroduced the neurophysiological branch of research.
