Introduction to Anatomy and physiology

• Anatomy


  The study of internal and external body structures and their physical relationships among other body parts
• Physiology


  The study of how living organisms perform their vital functions
• Anatomy and physiology are closely integrated


  Anatomical information provides clues about functions, and physiological processes can be explained only in terms of the underlying anatomy
• Principle of complementarity of structure and function


  All specific functions are performed by specific structures, and the form of a structure relates to its function
• Anatomists and physiologists


  • Anatomists focus on describing the structure, while physiologists focus on explaining the function
• Forms of gross anatomy


  • Surface anatomy
  • Regional anatomy
  • Sectional anatomy
  • Systemic anatomy
  • Clinical anatomy
  • Developmental anatomy
• Microscopic anatomy


  Deals with structures that cannot be seen without magnification
• The most extensive structural changes take place during the first two months of development, which is called embryology
• Organ systems in the human body


  • Skeletal system
  • Muscular system
  • Cardiovascular system
• Systemic anatomy approach


  Format that works better to clarify the functional relationships among the component organs
• Clinical anatomy subspecialties


  • Pathological anatomy
  • Radiographic anatomy
  • Surgical anatomy
• Developmental anatomy


  Describes the changes in form that take place between conception and adulthood
• Embryology


  Study of the early developmental processes,embryo to foetus
• Cytology


  Study of the internal structure of individual cells
• Histology


  Examination of tissues - groups of specialized cells that work together to perform specific functions
• Physiology


  Study of the functions, or workings, of the human body
• Physiology specialties


  • Cell physiology
  • Organ physiology
  • Systemic physiology
  • Pathological physiology
• Physicians use a combination of anatomical, physiological, chemical, and psychological information when evaluating patients
• Signs


  Objective disease indications like a fever
• Symptoms


  Subjective disease indications, such as tiredness
• The scientific method is a system of advancing knowledge that begins by proposing a hypothesis to answer a question, and then testing that hypothesis with data collected through observation and experimentation
• Anatomy


  The study of the structure and shape of the body and its parts
• Anatomy and physiology are closely related as higher levels of organization are more complex and more variable than lower levels
• Gross anatomy


  Structures that can be seen without magnification
• Microscopic anatomy


  Structures that require magnification to be seen
• Medical terminology involves using word roots, prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms to build terms related to the body in health and disease
• Combining forms


  Independent words or word roots used in combination with words, prefixes, suffixes, or other combining forms to build a new term
• Eponyms


  Anatomical structures or clinical conditions named after the discoverer or most famous victim
• Terminologia Anatomica is important to avoid miscommunication in communicating anatomical information worldwide
• Word roots


  The basic, meaningful parts of a medical term that cannot be broken down into another term with another definition
• Latin and Greek terms have been imported into the anatomical vocabulary over the centuries, and this vocabulary continues to expand
• Eponyms


  Names of anatomical structures or clinical conditions named after the discoverer or most famous victim
• Many eponyms have been replaced by more precise terms in the past 100 years
• Terminologia Anatomica (TA) established the worldwide standard for human anatomical terminology in 1998
• TA provides an English equivalent term for each anatomical structure, with Latin continuing to be the language of anatomy
• Eponyms are not found in TA
• Surface anatomy


  • locating structures on or near the body surface. Anatomical landmarks, anatomical regions, anatomical directions
• Anatomical landmarks


  Structures that can be felt or palpated
• Anatomical regions


  Specific areas used for reference purposes
• Anatomical directions


  Terms used to describe relative positions