Introduction to the human body

• Anatomy is the scientific discipline that investigates the structure of the body.
• The term anatomy originates from the Greek word 'anatomia', which means to dissect, or cut apart and separate, the parts of the body for study.
• Anatomy involves the study of body parts, their microscopic organization, how each develops including its relationships and functions.
• Approaches in anatomy include Systematic anatomy, Surface anatomy, Regional anatomy, and Anatomical imaging.
• Physiology deals with processes or functions of living things.
• Physiology aids in predicting body’s responses to different stimuli and understanding how the body maintains homeostasis.
• Physiology is the science of body functions.
• Subdivisions of physiology include Cellular physiology, Systematic physiology, Human physiology.
• Organizations of life includes Chemical Level, Cell Level, Tissue Level, Organ Level, Organ System Level, and Organism Level.
• Organization is when living things are highly organized with specific interrelationships for it to perform functions essential for the living organism to thrive.
• Metabolism refers to all of the chemical reactions taking place in an organism, including the ability of an organism to break down food molecules.
• Responsiveness is the capability of an organism to react or adjust to a stimulus or a change.
• Growth is an increase in number or length.
• Development occurs when an organism changes through time.
• Reproduction is the ability of an organism to form new organisms.
• Homeostasis is the ability of the body to maintain balance despite changes in the internal and external environment.
• Positive feedback further strengthens a change in the controlled condition and is unstable, needing to be shut off by some events outside the feedback loop.
• Negative feedback reverses the change in the controlled condition to restore it to the set point and tends to maintain a stable condition.
• Homeo means the same.
• Stasis means equilibrium/balance.
• Anatomical position is a description of any part of the human body that assumes the body is in a specific stance.
• Upright position is when the subject stands erect with the head level, eyes facing forward, feet at on the floor, and directed forward, and arms at the sides, with the palms turned forward.
• Prone position is when the subject is lying face down (nakadapa).
• Supine position is when the subject is lying face up (nakahiga).
• Superior refers to being above (taas).
• Inferior refers to being below (baba).
• Posterior refers to at the back or behind (likod).
• Anterior refers to at the front (harap).
• Lateral refers to away from the middle.
• Medial refers to toward the middle.
• Intermediate refers to between two structures (lateral and medial).
• Ipsilateral refers to on the same side of the body.
• Right arm and right leg is ipsilateral.
• Contralateral refers to on the opposite of the body.
• Right arm and left leg is contralateral.
• Proximal refers to toward the trunk (near the origin).
• Distal refers to away from the trunk (away from the origin).
• Superficial refers to on the top (ibabaw).
• Skin is superficial to the ribs.
• Deep refers to below (ilalim).