Unit 1
Introduction to Anatomy and
Physiology
Anatomy
• The study of structure and relationships
among structures
Physiology
• The function of body parts and how they
work.
Subdivisions of anatomy and
physiology
• Embryology- study of development from
fertilized egg through the eighth week in utero
• Cytology-chemical and microscopic study of
the structure of cells
• Histology- microscopic study of the structure
of tissues
• Pathology- the study of diseases
• Endocrinology- the study of hormones and
how the effect the body
More subdivisions
• Exercise physiology- study of changes in cell
and organ functions during muscular activity
• Neurophysiology- study of functional
characteristics of nerve cells
• Cardiovascular physiology- study of the
function of the heart and blood vessels
• Immunology- study of body defense
mechanisms
More subdivisions
• Renal physiology- study of the functions of the
kidney
• Respiratory physiology- study of the functions
of the air passages and lungs
With your table partner, discuss
which field of medicine seems most
interesting to each of you? It does
not have to be on the list we just
made.
Needs of living things
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Water- to carry out metabolic processes
Food- our energy supply
Oxygen- to release energy from food
Heat- to carry our chemical reactions
Pressure- to assist in moving body fluids
Characteristics of living things
• Assimilation- to chemically change materials
for use in the body
• Responsiveness- react to stimuli
• Absorption- materials moving across a
membrane, into a surrounding blood vessel
• Digestion- making food into a more usable
form
• Circulation- movement of body fluids around
the organism
Characteristics of living things
• Excretion- to eliminate body wastes
• Reproduction- to produce offspring
• Respiration- to release energy from food…or
the exchange of gases
• Movement- the ability to change location
• Growth- to change in size, shape is unchanged
Using your textbook, look up the
word Homeostasis, discuss with your
table partner how the ten
characteristics of life tie into
Homeostasis.
Levels of organization
• Atoms- unit of matter that comprises a
chemical element
Molecules
• Two or more elements that chemically
combine.
Cell Organelles
• A structure within a cell that is specialized to
serve a specific function in cellular activities
Cells
• The basic structural and functional unit of all
living things
Tissues
• Groups of like cells doing the same function
Organs
• Groups of like tissues performing the same
function
Organ systems
• Groups of like organs performing the same
functions
Organism
Organ systems
Organ System
Function
Major organ
Accessory organs
Terms of directions
• Anterior- towards the front of the body
• Posterior- towards the back of the body
Terms of directions
• Superior- higher on the body or closer to the
head
• Inferior- lower on the body, farther from the
head
Terms of directions
• Medial- closer to the imaginary midline of the
body
• Lateral- farther from the midline of the body
Terms of directions
• Proximal- closer to the trunk
• Distal- farther from the trunk
Terms of directions
• Superficial- closer to the surface of the body
• Deep- away from the surface
Complete the sentences with your
table partner
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The wrist is ________ to the hand
The sternum is _______ to the vertebrae
The brain is _______ to the spinal cord
The lungs are _______ to the small intestines
The thumb is on the _______ side of the hand
Your patella is _________ to the mandible
Planes of the
body
Midsaggital
plane
Frontal Plane
(Coronal)
Transverse plane
(Horizontal)
Body cavities
Regional terms
• See figure 1-5 on page 15