INTRO TO ANAPHY

• Anatomy investigates the body's structures, shapes, parts, and their relationships to one another
• Anatomy has two levels of study: Gross Anatomy and Microscopic Anatomy
• Gross Anatomy has subdivisions: Regional, Systemic, Surface/Superficial, Comparative, Developmental, and Embryology
• Microscopic Anatomy has subdivisions: Histology and Cytology
• Physiology studies the dynamic processes or functions of living things
• Physiology includes studying the body's response to stimuli and how it maintains conditions within a constantly changing environment
• Physiology has levels of study: Cell Physiology and Systemic Physiology (e.g., Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, and Neurophysiology)
• The organizational levels of the human body are: Chemical, Cellular, Tissue, Organ, Organ system, and Organism
• The integumentary system, skeletal system, muscular system, and cardiovascular system are part of the organ systems in the human body
• The nervous system, endocrine system, lymphatic system, and respiratory system are also part of the organ systems in the human body
• The excretory system, digestive system, and reproductive system are part of the organ systems in the human body
• • Reproduction: formation of new cells or new organisms
• Characteristics of Life:

  • Organization: specific interrelationships among the parts of an organism and how these parts interact to perform specific functions
  • Metabolism: ability to use energy and perform vital functions
  • Responsiveness: ability to sense changes in the external or internal environment and adjust to those changes
  • Growth: increase in the size or number of cells, producing an overall enlargement of all or part of an organism
  • Development: changes an organism undergoes through time, beginning with fertilization and ending at death
• Homeostasis is the existence and maintenance of a relatively constant environment within the body
• Elements of a homeostatic control system:

  • Receptor: monitors the value of a variable
  • Control Center: determines the set point for the variable and receives input from the receptor about the variable
  • Effector: adjusts the value of the variable when directed by the control center
• Types of Feedback Mechanisms:

  • Negative Feedback: any deviation from the set point is made smaller or resisted; most used by many organ systems; examples include body temperature
  • Positive Feedback: response to the original stimulus results in the deviation from the set point becoming even greater; examples include birth and blood clotting