Intro to Human Body

• Anatomy and Physiology provide the foundation for understanding the body’s parts and functions.
• Anatomy, the science of body structures and their relationships, was first studied by Dissection, the careful cutting apart of body structures to study their relationships.
• Physiology, the science of body functions, includes Molecular Physiology (functions of individual molecules such as proteins and DNA), Neurophysiology (functional properties of nerve cells), Endocrinology (hormones and how they control body functions), Cardiovascular Physiology (functions of the heart and blood vessels), Immunology (the body’s defenses against disease-causing agents), Respiratory Physiology (functions of the air passageways and lungs), Renal Physiology (functions of the kidneys), Exercise Physiology (changes in cell and organ functions due to muscular activity), and Pathophys
• Embryology is the study of the first 8 weeks of development after fertilization of a human egg.
• Developmental Biology is the complete development of an individual from fertilization to death.
• Cell Biology is the study of cellular structure and functions.
• Histology is the study of the microscopic structure of tissues.
• Gross Anatomy refers to structures that can be examined without a microscope.
• Systemic Anatomy is the study of specific systems of the body.
• Baroreceptor send nerve impulses to the brain, which interprets the impulses and responds by sending nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels.
• The many factors in this balance called health include the environment and your own behavior, your genetic makeup.
• When heart beats faster or harder, BP increases.
• Homeostasis is defined as a condition in which the body’s internal environment remains relatively stable.
• The physiological processes responsible for maintaining Homeostasis are in large part also responsible for your good health.
• Negative Feedback System (NFS) reverses a change in a controlled condition.
• Blood Pressure (BP) is the force exerted by blood as it passes against the walls of the blood vessels.
• Effector is a body structure that receives output from the control center and produces a response or effect that changes the controlled condition.
• Heart Rate (HR) decelerates and blood vessels dilate, which cause BP to decrease.
• If some internal and external stimulus causes BP to rise, baroreceptor, pressure-sensitive nerve cells located in the walls of certain blood vessels, detect higher pressure.
• Most people, lifelong good health is not something that happens effortlessly.
• The body’s ability to maintain homeostasis gives it tremendous healing power and a remarkable resistance to abuse.
• Regional Anatomy is the study of specific regions of the body such as the head or chest.
• Surface Anatomy is the study of surface markings of the body to understand internal anatomy through visualization and palpation.
• Organismal Level consists of organ systems that at some point in time are capable of sustaining life such as the Human Body.
• Radiographic Anatomy is the study of body structures that can be visualized with x-rays.
• Organ Level consists of different types of tissues joined together to form organs with specific functions and recognizable shapes such as Stomach, Skin, Bones, Heart, Liver, Lungs & Brain.
• Organ System Level consists of related organs with a common function such as Digestive system, which breaks down & absorbs food.
• The body is organized from the smallest part to the largest part: Cell - the simplest structural unit, Tissue - a group of cells with common origin, structure, and function, Organ - a group of tissues that have a common function, Organ System - a group of organs with a special function, Organism - A group of organ systems that at some point in time is capable of sustaining life.
• Noninvasive Diagnostic Techniques (NIDT) are commonly used by healthcare professionals and students of A/P to assess certain aspects of body structure and function.
• The 11 systems of the Human Body are: Integumentary System (skin, hairs, nails & sweat glands & oil glands), Muscular System (skeletal muscle tissue), Skeletal System (bones & joints & their associated cartilages), Nervous System (brain, SC, nerves, special senses [eyes & ears]), Endocrine System (hormone-producing glands) pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thymus, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal gland, pancreas, ovaries & testes), Lymphatic System & Immunity (lymphatic fluid & vessels, spleen, thymus, LN, & tonsils), Cardiovascular System (blood, heart & blood vessels).
• Pathologic Anatomy is the study of structural changes (gross to microscopic) associated with disease.
• Molecular Physiology is the study of the functions of individual molecules such as proteins and DNA.
• Neurophysiology is the study of the functional properties of nerve cells.
• Endocrinology is the study of hormones and how they control body functions.
• Homeostasis is the maintenance of relatively stable conditions in the body’s internal environment.
• Differentiation is the development of a cell from unspecialized to a specialized state.
• Basic life processes distinguish organisms, or living things, from nonliving things.
• Metabolism is the sum of all chemical processes that occur in the body.
• Movement includes motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, and even tiny structures inside cells.
• Reproduction refers either to the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement and the production of new individuals.