Introduction to Anatomy

• Human anatomy and physiology is the study of the structure and function of the human body.
• The coordinated function of all the parts of the human body allows us to interact with our surroundings by adjusting how the body responds to changes in environmental information.
• Synovial membranes line the inside of joint cavities, which are the spaces where bones come together within a movable joint.
• Synovial membranes produce synovial fluid, which makes the joint very slippery, thereby reducing friction and allowing smooth movement within the joint.
• Synovial and other connective tissue membranes are discussed in the next chapters.
• Knowing human anatomy and physiology provides the basis for understanding disease.
• Anatomy is the scientific discipline that investigates the structure of the body.
• Physiology is the scientific discipline that deals with the processes or functions of living things.
• Two basic approaches to the study of anatomy are systemic anatomy and regional anatomy.
• Systemic anatomy is the study of the body by systems, while regional anatomy is the study of the organization of the body by areas.
• Anatomists have two general ways to examine the internal structures of a living person: surface anatomy and anatomical imaging.
• Surface anatomy is the study of external features, such as bony projections, which serve as landmarks for locating deeper structures.
• Anatomical imaging involves the use of x-rays, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other technologies to create pictures of internal structures.
• The organ systems help control the internal environment so that it remains relatively constant.
• Homeostasis is the existence and maintenance of a relatively constant environment within the body despite fluctuations in either the external environment or the internal environment.
• Modern medicine attempts to understand disturbances in homeostasis and works to reestablish a normal range of values.
• Humans are organisms sharing characteristics with other organisms.
• Differentiation in organisms is change in cell structure and function from generalized to specialized.
• Set point is an average normal value.
• Normal range is fluctuations around the set point.
• If the fluid surrounding cells deviates from homeostasis, the cells do not function normally and may even die.
• Disease disrupts homeostasis and sometimes results in death.
• Homeostatic mechanisms are processes that maintains the body’s stable internal conditions.
• Growth in organisms is an increase in size of all or part of the organism, which can result from an increase in cell number, cell size, or the amount of substance surrounding cells.
• Development in organisms includes the changes an organism undergoes through time.
• The study of human bodies is the foundation of medical education, and for much of history, anatomists have used the bodies of people who have died, called cadavers, for these studies.
• Reproduction in organisms is the formation of new cells or new organisms.
• The most important common feature of all organisms is life.
• It is important in physiology to recognize structures as dynamic rather than fixed and unchanging.
• The major goals for studying physiology are to understand and predict the body’s responses to stimuli and to understand how the body maintains internal conditions within a narrow range of values in the presence of continually changing internal and external environments.
• Human physiology is the study of a specific organism, the human, whereas cellular physiology and systemic physiology are subdivisions that emphasize specific organizational levels.
• The body can be studied at six structural levels: chemical, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, and organism.
• Humans are organisms sharing characteristics with other organisms.
• The most important common feature of all organisms is life.
• Organization refers to the specific relationship of the many individual parts of an organism, from cell organelles to organs, interacting and working together.
• William Burke and William Hare went one step further and began selling the bodies they obtained.
• In the United States, it is quite simple to donate your body for scientific study as the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act allows individuals to donate their organs or entire cadaver by putting a notation on their driver’s license.
• Anatomical Position is the person standing upright with the face directed forward, the upper limbs hanging to the sides, and the palms of the hands facing forward.
• Proximal is nearest.
• A transfusion can reverse a constantly decreasing blood pressure and restore homeostasis.