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Functional Organization of The Human Body and Control of The "Internal Environment"
Functional Organization of The Human Body and Control of The "Internal Environment"
MECHANISMS OF HOMEOSTASIS—
MAINTENANCE OF NEARLY CONSTANT
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT (P. 4)
Essentially all the organs and tissues of the body per-
form functions that help maintain the constituents of
the extracellular fluid so they are relatively stable, a con-
dition called homeostasis. Much of our discussion of
physiology focuses on mechanisms by which the cells,
tissues, and organs contribute to homeostasis.
Reproduction
The reproductive system provides for formation of new
beings like ourselves. Even this function can be consid-
ered a homeostatic function because it generates new
bodies in which trillions of additional cells can exist in a
well-regulated internal environment.
Physiological Variability
Although some physiological variables, such as plasma
concentrations of ions, are tightly regulated, others,
such as body weight and adiposity, show wide variations
among different individuals, at different stages of life,
and even at different times of the day. Blood pressure,
metabolic rate, nervous system activity, hormones, and
other physiological variables change throughout the day
as we move about and engage in normal daily activities.
Therefore, when we discuss “normal” values it is with
the realization that many of the body’s control systems
are constantly reacting to perturbations and that vari-
ability may exist among different individuals depending
on body weight and height, diet, age, sex, environment,
genetics and other factors. These sources of physiologi-
cal variability are complex but important considerations
when discussing normal physiology and the pathophysi-
ology of diseases.