week 1 - human body

• Anatomy is the study of physical structure, typically fixed

  Physiology is the study of the functions of anatomy using processes
• Anatomy and physiology apply to all living things

  Living things are made of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen

  Living things are made of more than one cell

  Living things contain DNA

  Living things must reproduce

  Living things use and produce energy

  Living things live in changing populations that change over generations

  Living things have a stable internal environment
• Levels of organization in the human body:

  • Organism: the whole human, most complex on the macro level
  • Organ system: a group of organs working together for bodily function
  • Organ: self-contained structure with a specific function
  • Tissue: collection of cells with a common function
  • Cell: smallest functioning unit in an organism
  • Organelle: compartment within a cell that has a special function
  • Biological molecule: large molecule that carries out the chemistry in our bodies
  • Element: an atom from the periodic table, the most micro level and simplest form
• Homeostasis is a self-regulating process where our bodies function within constant narrow ranges of physiology

  Factors needed to stay healthy include proper ranges for cells to function

  Out-of-range factors can lead to diseases

  Organ systems adjust their physiological processes to achieve constant narrow ranges

  Feedback systems:

  • Body has 2 feedback systems to regulate homeostasis: positive and negative feedback loops

  Negative feedback loop identifies a health issue and stops or reverses it to restore homeostasis

  Positive feedback loop identifies an issue and increases it until the body returns to homeostasis
• Anatomical terminology:

  Directional terms are essential for describing the relative locations of different body structures

  Proximal: part of the limb closer to its attachment point to the body

  Distal: part of the limb farther away from its attachment point to the body

  Planes of division:

  • Sagittal plane
  • Frontal plane
  • Transverse plane
• What does the term "proximal" refer to in anatomy


  part of the limb closer to its attachment point to the body
• What does proximal refer to in anatomy

  limb closer to its connecting part the body