Physiology has a long and distinguished career at the University of Illinois. While methods and techniques have advanced through the years, physiology has been central to the teaching mission of the university almost from its inception. Historically, the program has been strong in comparative physiology, biophysics, neurophysiology, reproductive physiology, and cardiovascular and renal physiology. In addition, through the years, physiology has been instrumental as an incubator for several interdisciplinary new programs on campus.

Physiology was first taught in 1871, just three years after the University was founded. At that time, the University consisted of University Hall, one other building and 1,000 acres of land. Students studying agriculture, natural history, English and chemistry all were required to take physiology, which was taught together with human anatomy. Although the subject matter has always been taught, it was frequently incorporated into the Department of Zoology.

In 1892, once the Natural History Building (NHB) was complete, the university hired its first official professor of physiology, Henry Elijah Summers, who received his bachelor’s degree in natural history from Cornell University. Physiology shared the NHB with other biological sciences.

George Theophilus Kemp, who was hired in 1897, was technically the first head of physiology, since physiology became
a separate department for the first time when he arrived. However, when Kemp left in 1908 the department was, once again, reabsorbed into zoology. By 1912, three faculty taught various physiology courses, which were popular among students and often required for various majors.

Physiology continued to be taught in the Department of Zoology until the arrival of C. Ladd Prosser. Prosser came to the University in 1939 and was a significant contributor to the department for almost 50 years. Shortly after his arrival, the department was named Department of Zoology and Physiology, and Carl G. Hartman, a distinguished reproductive physiologist, was chosen as its Head. Prosser’s research topics were widely varied, from muscle contraction to invertebrate neurobiology. During WWII, Prosser led a group of scientists studying the effects of radiation on living creatures for the Manhattan Project. That work led him to sign the Szilard-Einstein letter to President Truman, warning against the use of a nuclear bomb. Prosser also trained 45 graduate students in physiology, biophysics and neurobiology, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and wrote a standard textbook of comparative physiology, Comparative Animal Physiology.

During the forties, interest in physiology steadily grew. In 1949 the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences decided to create a new, separate Department of Physiology. “This heralded a new era for physiology at Illinois,” wrote Prosser in his autobiography. Robert Johnson was voted the first head of the new department. Beginning in 1960, Prosser served as head of the department for another 10 years. After Prosser stepped down as head, William Sleator, a cardiac muscle physiologist, served as head until 1976.

Beginning in the 1940s, biophysics began to be taught within the Department. At Illinois the subject had four divisions: electrophysiology, photobiology, thermobiology and radiobiology. Prosser organized the electrophysiology course because he was interested in muscle and nerve electrophysiology. Robert Emerson, an eminent scientist who was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, led the photobiology group: his interest was in photosynthesis. Emerson brought Eugene Rabinowitch to campus, who also became a major figure in photosynthesis. Rabinowitch wrote a three-volume work on photosynthesis and edited the “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.” Howard Ducoff, who came to campus in 1957, taught radiation biology and researched DNA damage and heat shock proteins.

Biophysics was quite active and offered a PhD program, supported by a training grant, in Physico-chemical Biology. In recognition of the growing interest in biophysics, Prosser and other faculty convinced the LAS to officially rename physiology as the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in 1962, a unit name that lasted for 30 years.

Physiology remained physically in the NHB until Burrill Hall was built in 1959.This was the first building to serve basic biosciences since the NHB had been built in 1892. John Anderson and Robert Johnson were pivotal in planning the building. Thomas Burrill, for whom the building is named, is renowned for establishing bacterial causes for plant disease. He also introduced the microscope into the classroom for individual student use. The Burrill Hall space was double that of the NHB and so it provided rooms for private labs, animal quarters and a surgery suite, in addition to teaching labs. Research topics undertaken by faculty ranged from clinical nutrition and the effect of low calorie rations on survival conditions to tissue elasticity and concepts concerning environmental determinism. On a fun note, Burrill lived on the corner of Green and Mathews. He grazed his cow where Burrill Hall now stands.

1959 was a big year for the department. In addition to moving into new, improved space, the department hosted the American Physiological Society meeting in September. Frederic Steggerda, as well as several other faculty, was essential to planning the meeting’s events. Burrill Hall was dedicated at this conference. In 1960, the Department established the Human Environmental Research Lab in the basement, where they undertook metabolic and nutrition studies, environmental physiology, and exercise physiology.

Also at this time the School of Life Sciences was organized. It was determined that such a school, under the umbrella of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was better able to organize resources than five separate departments. In addition, biology was becoming more and more interdisciplinary, so it was important to all be connected.The Department of Physiology helped develop University-wide curricula in genetics, endocrinology and morphology. In addition to research, the department continued to provide physiology courses to a wide range of students. The Physical Education students, for example, were required to take basic physiology. Many of them minored in physiology.

The 1960s and ’70s were a time of great change, both within physiology and on the Illinois campus. By 1962, just two years after it was completed, Burrill Hall was bursting at its seams; the department instructed 1,200 students per year, and the graduate program held almost 80 students. By 1965, enrollment at Illinois had grown to 28,000.The Department at this time held 98 graduate students, 30 faculty, 30 TAs, and 26 research assistants.

Meanwhile, several interdepartmental graduate research programs were being developed. Not surprisingly there was some tension between new developments, such as genetics, and classical physiology.This was a period of enormous change and advances in the field of biology, with the development of genetic techniques. One area of significant expertise that developed in the department was neurobiology, which continues to be a strength today. In collaboration with the Department of Psychology, a Neural and Behavioral Biology program was started, which eventually developed into what is now known as the Neuroscience Program.

With the development in the 1970s of DNA sequencing, as well as the advancement of microprocessors, the stage was set for physiology to enter an exciting new era. These new tools enabled researchers to begin to understand an animal system from the molecular level to the whole organism, including how molecules work in concert to create structures and enable physiological functions. These efforts, which began in the 1970s, continue today.