Chapter 1 - The Human Body: An Orientation

Anatomy
: the study of the body s structures and their relationships to one another
Physiology
: the study of the body s function.
Topics of Anatomy
Gross/macroscopic anatomy
: the study of large body structures (ex. kidneys, lungs)
?egional anatomy
: all the structures of the body (muscles, bones, blood, etc.) in a particular r
egion (legs, abdomen, etc.) are studied at one time
!ystemic anatomy
: body structure is studied system by system.
!urface anatomy
: the study of internal structures as they relate to the overlying skin surface.
"icroscopic anatomy
: the study of structures too small to be seen with the naked eye (ex. cells). S
ubdivisions include cytology (cells of the body) and histology (study of tissues
)
#e$elopmental anatomy
: studies changes in the body throughout the life span, a subdivision being embr
yology, the study of developmental changes before birth.
Topics of Physiology
?as many di!erent subdivisions, mostly concerning speci"c body systems. #or exam
ple, renal physiology concerns kidney function and urine production.$ften focuse
s on events at cellular or molecular level.
Complementarity of !tructure and %unction#e&nition:
%he principle of complementarity of structure and function statesthat what a st
ructure can do depends on its speci"c form.#unction always re&ects structure and
anatomy and physiology is inseparable.
'e$els of !tructural Organi(ation
Chemical le$el
: atoms combine to form molecules such as water and proteins. 'olecules associat
e to form organelles, the basic components of living cells. %his is the cellular
level.
Tissue le$el:
groups of similar cells that have a common function. #our basictypes: epitheliu
m, muscle, connective tissue, and nervous tissue.
Organ:
a discrete structure composed of at least two tissue types that perform a speci
"c function for the body.?t the organ level, extremely complex functions become
possible.
Organ system le$el
: organs that work together to accomplish a common purpose make up an organ syst
em. %he organismal level represents the sum total of all structural levels worki
ng together to keep us alive.
"aintaining 'ife
"aintaining )oundaries
: an organism must keep its internal environment distinct from its external envi
ronment. ?ll the cells of our body are surrounded by a selectively permeable mem
brane. %he body as a whole is protected by the intergumentary system or skin.
"o$ement
: the activities promoted by the muscular system, such as propelling ourselves f
rom one place to another such as running or swimming. ?s well, movement also occ
urs when substances are propelled through the internal organs. %his is called co
ntractility, the ability to move by shortening.
?esponsi$eness
: the ability to sense changes in the environment and then respond to them. %he
nervous system is most involved with responsiveness.

#igestion
: the breaking down of ingested food to simple molecules that can be absorbed by
the blood, then distributed by the cardiovascular system.
"eta)olism
: a broad term that includes all chemical reactions that occur within our body c
ells.
Cata)olism
: breaking down substances
Ana)olism
: synthesi?ing more complex cellular structures
*+cretion
: the process of removing wastes (excreta) from the body.
?eproduction
: occurs at cellular and organismal level
Cellular reproduction
: the original cell divides producing two identical daughter cells that may e us
ed for body growth and repair.*eproduction of the human organism is the ma+or ta
sk of the reproductive system,
Gro,th
: an increase of the si?e of a body part or the organism