An Introduction Physiology of Human Body

Physiology Defined

@A  study of  physiology deals with how body parts function: the structure of a part determines its function.  Physiology is the study of how body structures function.

@Subdivisions of physiology include cell physiology, systems physiology, pathophysiology, exercise physiology, neurophysiology, endocrinology, cardiovascular physiology, immunophysiology,  respiratory physiology, renal physiology, and reproductive physiology.

Levels of Organization

@The chemical level includes atoms, the smallest units of matter that participate in chemical reactions, and

     molecules, two or more atoms joined together.

@Cells are the basic structural and functional units of an organism.

@ Tissues consist of groups of similarly specialized cells and the substances surrounding them that usually

     arise from a common ancestor and perform certain special functions.

@ Organs are structures of definite form that are composed of two or more different tissues and have

     specific functions.

@ Systems consist of related organs that have a common function.

@ The human organism is a collection of structurally and functionally integrated systems; any living individual.

@ The systems of the human body are the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine,

     cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, urinary, and reproductive.

Palpation Techniques

@Three noninvasive techniques of palpation, auscultation, and percussion are used to assess certain aspects

    of body structure and function.

@ In palpation the examiner feels body surfaces with the hands; an example would be pulse and heart rate

     determination.

@ In auscultation, the examiner listens to body sounds to evaluate the functioning of certain organs, as in

     listening to the lungs or heart.

@ In percussion, the examiner taps on the body surface with the fingertips and listens to the resulting echo

Characteristics of the Living Human Organism

@All living things have certain characteristics that distinguish them from nonliving things.  Among the life

    processes in humans are metabolism, responsiveness, movement, growth, differentiation, and reproduction.

@Metabolism is the sum of all chemical processes that occur in the body, including catabolism and anabolism.

@Responsiveness is the ability to detect and respond to changes in the external or internal environment.

@Movement includes motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, or even organelles inside cells.

@Growth refers to an increase in size and complexity, due to an increase in the number of cells, size of cells

    or both.

@ Differentiation is the change in a cell from an unspecialized state to a specialized state.

@ Reproduction refers either to the formation of new cells for growth, repair, or replacement, or the

     production of a new individual.

@ An autopsy is a postmortem examination of the body and dissection of its internal organs to confirm or

    determine the cause of death.

@ A necropsy is an autopsy performed on an animal.

@ Homeostasis is a condition of equilibrium in the body’s internal environment produced by the ceaseless

    interplay of all the body’s regulatory processes.

@ For the body’s cells to survive, the composition of the surrounding fluids must be precisely maintained at

    all times.

@ Fluid inside body cells is called intracellular fluid.

@ Fluid outside body cells is called extracellular fluid (ECF) and is found in two principal places.

@ ECF filling the narrow spaces between cells of tissues is called interstitial fluid, intercellular fluid, or tissue

    fluid.

@ ECF in blood vessels is termed plasma.  Since ECF is in constant motion throughout the body and also

    surrounds all body cells, it is often called the body’s internal environment.

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