Context instituțional și direcții de cercetare: organizarea Catedrei de Fiziologie a Omului și Animalelor în cadrul Facultății de Biologie și Pedologie a USM în anii ’50 ai sec. XX Institutional context and research directions: the establishment of the D

Abstract

In the 1950s, the Department of Human and Animal Physiology within the Faculty of Biology at the State University of Chișinău progressed from a stage of consolidation and predominantly theoretical instruction, marked by ideological influences, to a period of maturation characterized by the development of applied research and the diversification of courses. Initially, the department faced a lack of resources, qualified staff, and strict control over scientific content, dominated by Pavlovian doctrine and dialectical materialism. Despite these limitations, the founders succeeded in creating a local scientific nucleus and organizing research on the role of the cerebral cortex in regulating physiological and endocrine functions. After 1956, with the easing of political pressures, both teaching and experimental activities diversified, shifting the focus toward students’ practical training and the integration of modern scientific achievements. The department’s evolution reflects the transition from an institution in formation, constrained by ideological pressures, to a mature academic center capable of training competent specialists and contributing to the development of local experimental physiology at the local level.