CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN BODY
ECF in the ff:
1.1 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY DEFINED
Two branches of science:
1. Anatomy (ana=up;tomy=process of cutting)
-science of body structures and the relationships among them.
-first studied by dissection, the careful cutting apart of body
structures to study their relationships.
2. Physiology (physio=nature;logy=study of)
-is the science of body functions-how the body parts work.
1.2 LEVELS OF STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION AND
BODY SYSTEMS
1. Chemical level-includes atoms and molecules.
2. Cellular level- molecules combine to form cells, basic
structural and functional units of an organism that are
composed of chemicals.
3. Tissue level- tissues are group of cells and material
surrounding them that work together to perform a certain
function.
4. Organ level- different types of tissues joined together.
Composed of 2 or more types of tissues.
5. System level- consists of related organs with a common
function.
6. Organism level- any living individual. All the parts of
human body functioning together constitute the total
organism.
Eleven Systems of the Human Body
1. Integumentary System- protects body
2. Skeletal System- supports and protects the body
3. Muscular System- participates in body movements
4. Nervous System- generates action potentials (nerve
impulses) to regulate body activities
5. Endocrine System- regulates body activities by releasing
hormones
6. Cardiovascular System
7. Lymphatic System and Immunity- returns proteins and
fluid to blood
8. Respiratory System- transfers oxygen from inhaled air to
blood and carbon dioxide from blood to exhaled air.
9. Digestive System- physical and chemical breakdown of
food.
10. Urinary System- produces, stores and eliminates urine
11. Reproductive System- Gonads produce gametes that
unite to form a new organism
1.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LIVING HUMAN
ORGANISM
Basic Life Processes
1. Metabolism- sum of all chemical processes that occur in
the body.
*catabolism-breakdown of complex chemical
substances into simpler components.
*anabolism-building up of complex chemical
substances from simpler components.
2. Responsiveness- is the ability of the body to detect and
respond to changes.
3. Movement- includes motion of the whole body, individual
organs, single cells, and even tiny structures inside the
cells.
4. Growth- is an increase in body size that results from an
increase in the size of existing cells, number of cells or both
5. Differentiation- is the development of a cell from an
unspecialized to a specialized state.
6. Reproduction- refers to (1) the formation of new cells for
tissue growth, repair, or replacement (2) the production of
new individual.
1.4 HOMEOSTASIS
*Homeostasis- (homeo=sameness;stasis=standing still)
-is the maintenance of relatively stable conditions in the body’s
internal environment.
-dynamic condition
-an important aspect of homeostasis is maintaining the
composition and volume of:
*body fluids- dilute, watery solutions containing dissolved
chemicals that are found inside the cells as well as surrounding
them.
*intracellular fluid- fluid within cells (ICF)
1
*extracellular fluid- fluid outside the body cells (ECF)
Blood vessels=blood plasma
Lymphatic vessels= lymph
Around brain and spinal cord=cerebrospinal fluid
Joints=synovial fluid
Eyes= aqueous humor and vitreous body
*interstitial fluid- ECF that fills up the narrow spaces between
the cells of tissues.
Control of Homeostasis
* Homeostasis in the body is continually being disturbed
-disruption from external environment such as intense heat
-disruption from internal environment such as fall of blood
glucose level when skipping breakfast.
-psychological stresses
*the body has many regulating systems that can bring internal
environment back into balance
-most often the nervous system and endocrine system, working
together or independently to provide the needed corrective
measures.
 Feedback System- is a cycle of events in which the
status of a body condition is monitored, evaluated,
changed, remonitored, reevaluated and so on.
*stimulus- any disruption that changes a controlled condition.
3 Basic Components of Feedback System
1. Receptor- body structure that monitors changes in a
controlled condition and sends input to a control center
*afferent pathway- since the information flows toward
the control center. The input is in the form of nerve
impulse.
2. Control Center- the brain for example sets the narrow
range or set point within which a controlled condition should
be maintained, evaluates the input it receives from the
receptors and generates output command when needed.
*Efferent Pathway- the information flows away from
the control center.
3. Effector- is a body structure that receives the output from
the control center and produces a response or effect that
changes the controlled condition.
 Negative Feedback System- reverses a change in
the controlled condition.
-the action of NFS slows and then stops as the
controlled condition returns to its normal state.
 Positive Feedback System- tends to strengthen or
reinforce a change in one of the body’s controlled
conditions.
-the response affects the controlled condition
differently than in negative feedback system
-the control center provides commands to an effector,
but this time the effector produces a physiological
response that adds to or reinforces the initial change
in the controlled condition.
-If the action of PFS is not stopped, it can “run-away”
and may even produce life-threatening conditions in
the body.
Homeostatic Imbalance
 Disorder- is any abnormality of structure or function
 Disease- is a more specific term for an illness
characterized by a recognizable set of signs and
symptoms.
-alters body structures and functions in characteristic
ways.
 Symptoms- subjective changes in body functions that
are not apparent to an observer (nausea, headache)
 Signs- objective changes that a clinician can observe
and measure.
 Epidemiology- science that deals with why, when,
and where the disease occur and how they are
transmitted among individuals in a community.
 Pharmacology- science that deals with effects and
uses of drugs in the treatment of disease.
 1.5 BASIC ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY
Body Positions

* Anatomical Position- description of any region or part of the

human body assume that is in a standard position of reference.
-the subject stands erect facing the observer, with the head
level and the eyes facing directly forward. Lower limbs are
parallel and feet are flat on the floor, upper limbs are at the
sides with the palms turned forward.
Two terms describe a reclining body:
o Prone position- if the body is lying facedown
o Supine position- if the body is lying faceup

Regional Names