Department of Normal Anatomy was the first organizational unit of the veterinary faculty foundation. In October 10, 1920 veterinarian S.P. Dubrova was approved the head of normal and pathologic anatomy by the organizational committee of the veterinary faculty establishment at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute

Veterinary Faculty was transformed into a separate university - Kyiv Veterinarian Institute according to resolution of Hubprofosvita from June 3, 1921. The creation of own studies facilities of the department for the educational process began in March 1922.

Ukrainian anatomical terminology was established by the head of anatomy department, professor F.O. Tseshkivskyj and the head of histology department, professor O.H. Chernyakhivskyj in 1922-1924 .

In 1924-1929 the head of the anatomy department, B.O. Dombrovsky, laid the foundations for the future famous Kiev school of comparative morphologists.

Through the efforts of the next heads - professor, academician of the USSR V.G. Kasyanenko (1932-1952 years) and professor H.O. Himmelreich (1952-1987 years) Kiev school of comparative morphologists had a powerful development and worldwide recognition.

The Anatomy Department carried out research work on studying ventral trunk muscles of mammals and the main guts of mammals; laid the foundations for a new functional and morphological locomotor apparatus of mammals. The investigations of this period created a new understanding of the functional and historical conditionality of structural features of different types of joints and their components in mammals.

Wide comparative anatomical investigations were used for assessing the changes in structure that occur during ontogeny. In this context the characteristics of functional dependency of the skeleton structure and muscles of the spine, upper extremity and pelvic of various mammals and also skull of ruminants and pigs were explained.

The department’s employees were commissioned to carry out refresher training of veterinary anatomists of Soviet Union universities in 1969, and this determines their  maturity and high qualification.

Members of the department outlined their experience of laboratory studies and methods of preparing in the book "Anatomy of domestic animals. Practical work" (1980, G.O. Himmelreich, A.S. Abelyants, P.A. Kosynskyj, S.K. Rudzik, V.S. Levchuk), which was first published in the USSR.

In the period 1987 - 2011 the head of the Anatomy Department, professor S.K. Rudzik, besides continuation of big comparative anatomical research, introduced a new direction - History of Veterinary Medicine. Since 1993 the postgraduate program in the specialty 16.00.12 - history of veterinary medicine - was opened at the Department.

Since 2011 the head of the Department is professor O.P. Melnyk, who introduced biomorphological line of research that allowed to refute the theory of evolution of Charles Darwin. Furthermore thanks to the O.P. Melnyk’s efforts and support of the university’s administration, the department introduced the latest manufacturing technique of anatomical specimens - plastination or polymeric embalming.

The Department has a strong logistics, that includes a museum and other original designed rooms. The Anatomical Museum of the Department is originally designed and numbers more than 1,000 exhibits.