HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY:

Def:

 Physiology is the study of normal function within living creatures

 Merrian-Webster defines physiology as:

“ branch of biology that deals with the functions and activities of life or of living matter (such
as organs, tissues, or cells) and of the physical and chemical phenomena involved.”
Origin:

 From Ancient Greek  (physis) 'nature, origin', and  (-logia) 'study of.

 The study of physiology can be traced back to at least 420 BC.
 As a medical discipline, it goes back at least as far as the time of Hippocrates, the famous
“father of medicine” – around 420 BC.
 It was Jean Fernel (1497-1558), a French physician, who first introduced the term
“physiology,” from Ancient Greek, meaning “study of nature, origins.”
 In 1920, August Krogh won the Nobel Prize for discovering how, in capillaries, blood
flow is regulated.

Explaination:

 Physiology tests how organs and systems within the body work, how they communicate,
and how they combine their efforts to make conditions favorable for survival.
 Central to physiological functioning are:
 biophysical and biochemical processes
  homeostatic control mechanisms,
 and communication between cells.
 Physiological state is the condition of normal function, while pathological state refers to
abnormal conditions, including human diseases.

Biological systems

The major systems covered in the study of human physiology are as follows:

Circulatory system – including the heart, the blood vessels, properties of the blood, and how
circulation works in sickness and health.

Digestive/excretory system – charting the movement of solids from the mouth to the anus;
this includes study of the spleen, liver, and pancreas, the conversion of food into fuel and its
final exit from the body.

Endocrine system – the study of endocrine hormones that carry signals throughout the
organism, helping it to respond in concert. The principal endocrine glands – the pituitary,
thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, parathyroids, and gonads – are a major focus, but nearly all
organs release endocrine hormones.

Immune system – the body’s natural defense system is comprised of white blood cells, the
thymus, and lymph systems. A complex array of receptors and molecules combine to protect
the host from attacks by pathogens. Molecules such as antibodies and cytokines feature
heavily.

Integumentary system – the skin, hair, nails, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands (secreting an
oily or waxy substance).

Musculoskeletal system – the skeleton and muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Bone
marrow – where red blood cells are made – and how bones store calcium and phosphate are
included.

Nervous system – the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral
nervous system. Study of the nervous system includes research into the senses, memory,
emotion, movement, and thought.

Renal/urinary system – including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, this system
removes water from the blood, produces urine, and carries away waste.

Reproductive system – consisting of the gonads and the sex organs. Study of this system also
includes investigating the way a fetus is created and nurtured for 9 months.

Respiratory system – consisting of the nose, nasopharynx, trachea, and lungs. This system
brings in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide and water

Branches:

There are a great number of disciplines that use the word physiology in their title. Below are
some examples:

Cell physiology – studying the way cells work and interact; cell physiology mostly
concentrates on membrane transport and neuron transmission.

Systems physiology – this focuses on the computational and mathematical modeling of

complex biological systems. It tries to describe the way individual cells or components of a
system converge to respond as a whole. They often investigate metabolic networks and cell
signaling.

Evolutionary physiology – studying the way systems, or parts of systems, have adapted and
changed over multiple generations. Research topics cover a lot of ground including the role
of behavior in evolution, sexual selection, and physiological changes in relation to geographic
variation.

Defense physiology – changes that occur as a reaction to a potential threat, such as

preparation for the fight-or-flight response.
Exercise physiology – as the name suggests, this is the study of the physiology of physical
exercise. This includes research into bioenergetics, biochemistry, cardiopulmonary function,
biomechanics, hematolog