1. Unit 1: Intro to Physiology

2. Anatomy
The branch of science that studies body parts.

3. Physiology
The branch of science that describes HOW the body works, or functions.
Example - how the heart pumps blood and why it is essential for life

4. Structure and Function
Anatomy (structure) and physiology (function) are closely related.
When you look at a hand, how does its structure relate to its function?
A hand needs to grasp things, so how does the structure allow for that?

5. The Body’s Levels of Organization

6. Note the progression from simple to complex:
Atoms – building blocks of all matter
Molecules – made up of many atoms
Cells – the basic units of life
Tissues – specialized groups of cells
Organs – tissues are arranged into organs, each with its own function
Organ systems – groups of organs working together

8. Organs and Organ Systems
Organ – group of tissues arranged to accomplish a particular function
Organ system – group of organs that help each other to perform a particular function

9. Major Organ Systems (There are 11 total!)
Integumentary – skin/protection
Skeletal – support
Muscular – movement
Nervous – sensory
Endocrine – hormones/biochemical control
Circulatory – transports blood/nutrients

10. Lymphatic – immunity
Respiratory – obtaining O2/ridding of CO2
Digestive – ingest/digest food
Urinary system – excrete waste product
Reproductive – reproduction
Now…let’s take a tour of the organ systems!

13. Homeostasis Literally means staying (-stasis) the same (homeo-)
The body’s ability to maintain a stable internal environment despite changing external conditions
Ex – maintaining your body temperature of 370C even though the room temp increases to 1000C.
Ex – the amount of water in your cells stays the same whether your drink 2,3, or 4 liters of water per day

14. Homeostasis – the body has a way of staying the same even when external conditions change
Mechanisms that help maintain homeostasis are called homeostatic mechanisms
Temperature control
Blood sugar control
Water balance
Blood pressure regulation
Plasma sodium levels

17. Anatomical Terms: Talking About the Body
Anatomical position (at right) refers to a person standing erect with face forward, upper limbs hanging to the sides, and palms of the hands facing forward, thumbs out.

18. Directional Terminology
Describe the position of one body part in relation to another body part
Similar to north, south, east, west
Terms come in pairs that are opposites

19. Common Directional Terms
Superior : toward the head
Inferior: away from the head
Anterior : toward the front of the body
Posterior : toward the backside of the body
Dorsal : toward the spine
Ventral : toward the belly

20. Medial: toward the midline of the body Lateral: away from the midline
Intermediate: between medial & lateral
Proximal: closer to the point of attachment
Distal: away from the point of attachment
Used when talking about limbs!
Superficial: toward the body surface
Deep: away from the body surface

22. Planes and Sections of the Body
Each plane divides the body with an imaginary line in one direction…
Sagittal plane – divides the body lengthwise into right and left portions
Frontal plane – divides the body into anterior (ventral) and posterior (dorsal) portions

23. Transverse plane – divides the body horizontally, creating an upper (superior) and a lower (inferior) body

24. Regional Terms
List of terms to know on Intro to Physiology Vocab handout.

25. Cavities of the Body
Organs, called viscera, are located within the cavities of the body.
Cavities are large internal spaces.

26. The body contains two major cavities:
Dorsal cavity – located toward the back of the body and has two divisions:
cranial cavity – within the skull and contains the brain
spinal (vertebral) cavity – contains the spinal cord
Ventral Cavity – located toward the front of the body and has two divisions:
thoracic cavity – surrounded by the rib cage
abdominopelvic cavity – cavity below the diaphram

28. A further breakdown of the abdominopelvic cavity:
The upper portion is the abdominal cavity, it contains:
Stomach
Most of intestine
Liver
Gallbladder
Pancreas
Spleen
kidneys

29. The lower portion of the abdominopelvic cavity is called the pelvic cavity, and it contains:
Rectum
Urinary bladder
Internal parts of the reproductive system
Because the abdominopelvic cavity is so large, it is subdivided into smaller quadrants and regions: