Lesson 01: Introduction to Human Anatomy & Physiology.

Lesson 01: Introduction to Human Anatomy &

Physiology

What is Life?

Life is incredibly diverse

Humans, slime molds, trees and mosquitoes, all of these are alive

Qualities of Life

IrritabilityGrowth &

Development

Reproduction

MovementSelf

Regulating Metabolism

Adapt to the

Environment

Irritability

An organism’s ability to respond to external and internal stimuli A stimuli is anything that is different to an organism

External: outside of the organism

Internal: Inside the organism

Organisms respond to stimuli If organisms did not respond to stimuli then they would

die

Typical stimuli that cause reactions in organisms are: Changes in temperature, pressure, sound or changes in

chemical compositions in their environment

Growth and Development

Biological growth may involve an increase in the number of cells that make up an organism, or it could be just an increase in the size of existing cells

Hyperplasia

Increase in the number of cells

Hypertrophy

Increase in the size of cells

Most animals have a finite growth period that ends when the animal becomes an adult

Some living things will continue to grow throughout their life span

Development involves the changes that occurs asan organism matures

Example: when children go through puberty

Reproduction

All living organisms reproduce cells

Two type of cell production

Asexual Reproductions :

Cells replace dead and damaged cells

Sexual Reproduction:

Two cells from different organisms come together to create a new organism

Movement

Some organisms have very obvious movements

Some, like plants, move but not as obviously as a 7 year old after 12 Pixie Sticks

Some creatures will move as babies then become anchored in one spot (Sessile)

Self Regulating Metabolism

All living creatures must have chemical reactions occurring in their cells

The sum of all chemical reactions in the body is called Metabolism

Homeostasis is the internal balancing act organisms perform.

Whenever the external (outside the body) or internal (inside the body) environment changes, the organism tries to bring everything back to an optimal state

Adapt to the Environment

All life is able to adapt to its environment

There is a range to which an organism can adapt

Tolerance Limits:

Minimum and maximum limits of physical conditions (ex: temperature) and concentrations of chemical substances beyond which no members of a particular species can survive

Adaptation can be structural, physiological, behavioral or a combination of all these things

Fundamental Terms One of the hardest things to achieve,

in any area of academic study, is to learn the unique language used by that discipline

The anatomical language of the human body can be a difficult hurdle to overcome, but it is essential to the successful learning of life sciences

Study Tip

Consider buying index cards to use in your A&P course

1. By summarizing and writing down your notes it helps both the visual learner and the tactile learner

2. It forces you to pick the most important ideas and content, helping you focus in on what could be test questions

3. Probably the best reason is, note cards are portable. You may not be able to take your book everywhere, but index cards can go with you to work, on the bus, or even in the coffee store. • It makes them perfect for quick little study

sessions

Terms

Anatomy The study of structure

Identification of the body parts

“To cut up”

Physiology The study of function

How the parts of the body work

“physis” means nature

“-ology” the study of

Pathology The study of disease and the disease processes

What makes you sick

“pathos” means suffering

Structure is always

related to function

Terms

Microscopic Anatomy

The study of anatomy on a microscopic level, can not study without the aid of a microscope

Histology

The study of tissues

Cytology

The study of cells

Gross Anatomy

The study of anatomy on a large scale, you can see with the unaided eye

It is common practice to dissect a cadaver in Gross Anatomy class

Regional Anatomy The study of

anatomy by regions of the body

Study the arm, the forearm, the legs, etc…

Systemic Anatomy The study of

anatomy by systems in the body

Most general A&P classes are system based studies

Directional TermsWhen dealing with the human body we use specific terms in

describing the locations of bodily structures in relationship to other

Superior/Cephalic

Inferior/Caudal

Anterior/Ventral

Posterior/Dorsal

Medial

Lateral

Intermediate

Ipsilateral

Contralateral

Proximal

Distal

Superficial

Deep

Body Positions

Anatomical Position

Consider the body as one big land mass. If you were driving a car on this land mass you would need to know where you were going. To clarify all directions, we assume that the human body is in a standard position.

Anatomical position:

Stand upright

Head face forward

Arms by side with palms facing forward

Feet flat on the ground, toes forward

Top & Bottom

Superior/Cephalic

Toward the head, going up

Cephalic is used more when dealing with four legged creatures (as opposed to bipeds) and Embryology

Inferior/Caudal

Towards the feet, going down

Caudal is used more when dealing with four legged creatures (as opposed to bipeds) and Embryology

Front & Back

Anterior/Ventral

The front of the body

Ventral is used more when dealing with four legged creatures (as opposed to bipeds) and Embryology

Posterior/Dorsal

Toward the back of the body

Dorsal is used more when dealing with four legged creatures (as opposed to bipeds) and Embryology

Going In & Out

Medial

Near to the midline of the body, towards the sternum

Lateral

Towards the outside of the body, going away from the midline

Intermediate

Between two structures

Close & Far

Proximal

Towards the point of origin

Distal

Away from the point of origin

Distant, away

Together & Apart Ipsilateral

On the same side of the body

Contralateral

On the opposite side of the body

Think contrary, someone who is opposite, or conflict going against.

Cut it up Sagittal Plane

Divides the body into a left and right side

Midsagittal: equal left and right sides

Parasagittal: two sides are not equally cut

Transverse Plane

Divides the body into a top and bottom portion

Coronal/Frontal Plane

Divides the body into a front and back

Anterior and Posterior

Oblique

Cut at an angle

The last two

Superficial

Toward the surface

Deep

Away from the surface, deeper into the body

Body Cavities

Body Cavities

Ventral Cavity

Thoracic Cavity Abdominopelvic Cavity

Pelvic Cavity Abdominal Cavity

Dorsal Cavity

Cranial Cavity Vertebral Cavity

Body Cavitie

s

Ventral Cavity

Dorsal Cavity

Body Cavities

Body Cavities are like cubby holes in the body

Organs are contained within specific cavities

Two main Divisions

Ventral Cavity

Dorsal Cavity

Ventral Cavity

Thoracic Cavity

Heart, Lungs

Abdominopelvic Cavity

Pelvic Cavity

Lower part of the intestines, reproductive

organs

Abdominal Cavity

Stomach and intestines

Ventral Cavity

Front of the body

Two main cavities

Thoracic Cavity

Contains: Heart, Lungs

Abdominopelvic Cavity

Abdominal Cavity

Stomach and intestines

Pelvic Cavity

Lower part of the intestines, reproductive organs

Dorsal Cavity

Back of the body

Two main cavities

Cranial Cavity

Brain

Vertebral Cavity

Spinal Cord

Dorsal Cavity

Cranial Cavity

Brain

Vertebral Cavity

Spinal Cord

Belly Tic Tac Toe The abdominopelvic cavity can be divided in two different ways.

9 sections

4 sections

Remember: Left and right always means the body in front of you, not yours!

Levels of Organizations

The Levels of Organization are almost always discussed in Life Science classes

The levels of organization show the relationship between the increasing levels of complexity that is involved with life

Levels of Organizations

Subatomic Proton, Electrons,

Neutrons

Atomic The atom

Smallest part of element

Molecular Two or more atoms

bonding with each other

H2O (Water)

CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)

Levels of Organizations

Cellular

The cell is the basic unit of life

Tissue

A bunch of cells that come together to perform a specific function

Organ

A group of different tissue coming together to work as a team

Examples: Heart, stomach, liver

Levels of Organizations

Organ System

Collection of organs uniting for a common goal or function

Cardiovascular System, Muscular System

Organism

The living thing

Examples: People, dogs, cats etc…

Organ Systems

“Collection of organs uniting for a common goal or function”

There are 11 organ systems that we need to know about

These systems could be divided in different ways depending on your book

Organ Systems

Integumentary System

Skeletal System

Muscular System

Nervous System

Endocrine System

Cardiovascular System

Lymphatic System

Respiratory System

Urinary System

Digestive System

Reproductive System

Integumentary System

Composed of:

Skin

Hair

Nails

Glands

Functions:

Helps regulate the body’s temperature, protection, water volume control, eliminates some waste products, Vit. D production, and sensation

Skeletal System

Composed of:

Bones

Cartilage

Joints

Function:

Support and protection for the body, production of blood

Muscular System

Composed of:

Skeletal muscle

Smooth muscle

Cardiac muscle

Functions:

Movement, postures, and heat production

Nervous System

Composed of:

Brain (CNS)

Spinal cord (CNS)

Nerves to body parts (PNS)

Cranial (brain to body)

Spinal (spinal cord to body)

Functions:

Regulates body activity

Endocrine System

Composed of:

Hormone producing glands

Pituitary Gland

Thyroid Gland

Parathyroid Gland

Adrenal Gland

And more…

Functions:

Regulates body activities

Works slower than the Nervous System, but very powerful

Cardiovascular System

Composed of:

Blood

Heart

Blood vessels

Functions:

Transports (oxygen, wastes etc…)

Lymphatic System

Composed of:

Lymph

Lymphatic vessels

Lymphatic tissue

Functions:

Brings fluid back into the blood vessels, protection for the body

Respiratory System

Composed of:

Lungs

Accessory organs

Functions:

Transport of gasses

Urinary System

Composed of:

Kidneys

Ureters

Bladder

Functions:

Regulates chemical composition of the blood

Digestive System

Composed of:

Gastrointestinal Tract

Accessory Structures

Functions

Break down and absorption of useful substances from food

Reproductive System

Composed of:

Testes

Ovaries

Uterine tubes

Uterus

Epididymis

Etc…

Functions:

Continuation of the species

Homeostasis “State of equilibrium of the internal

environment of the body that is maintained by dynamic processes of feedback and regulation. Homeostasis is a dynamic equilibrium.”

Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 17 edition, © 1993

Homeostasis is basically the body's natural desire to remain unchanged

It achieves this through two feedback mechanisms

Positive Feedback

Negative Feedback

Positive Feedback

The initial stimuli causes an increasing reaction from the organism, it is a cascading reaction

Each reaction from the organism is stronger then the last

Head of fetus pushes against cervix

Signal is sent to the brain to secrete oxytocin

Oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions and pushes fetus toward cervix

Positive Feedback in Childbirth

Negative Feedback

This is the most common type of feedback mechanism found in living creatures

This type of feedback is similar to a thermostat

Too hot, the a/c kicks in

and cools the

room down

Too cold,

the heat kicks in

and heats up the room

What is Healthy?

What does it mean to be healthy?

What does it mean to be unhealthy?

Health

The optimal state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmities.

Example 1: A person could be physically fit,

able to run the mile under 10 minutes, have a lot of friends, but still be clinically depressed to the point where he/she takes their life.

Example 2: A person could have a great

support network, be mentally sound but have a stroke brought on by undiagnosed hypertension (high blood pressure)

Physical

MentalSocial

End: Lesson 01 Intro to Human A & P