Organ Systems in the Body
Growth- Increase in body size that
Muscular System- Comprises all skeletal
muscles
-Comprises all skeletal muscles
Nervous System- Comprises brain and
spinal cord and the nerves arising from
them.
Endocrine System-Consisting of ductless
glands which produce secretions called
hormones.
Circulatory System- Heart and blood
vessels; and the lymphatic system
composing of lymph nodes and vessels.
Articular System-Consisting of joints and
their associated bones and ligaments.
Respiratory System- Comprising the
lungs and the system of tubes for air.
Urinary System-Kidneys, urinary bladder
and excretory passages; elimination of
waste material in urine.
Reproductive System-Comprising
various organs concerned with
reproduction.
Skeletal System-Bones and cartilaginous
parts like chest and nose.
Integumentary System-Skin and its
appendages
Digestive System-Oral cavity, pharynx
and gut; extends from mouth to anus;
glands like the liver and the pancreas.
Concerned with the assimilation of food
Essential Life Processes
1. Metabolism-Sum of all the chemical
processes that occur in the body.
a. Catabolism-Breakdown of complex
chemical substances into simpler
components.
b. Anabolism-Building up of complex
chemical substances from smaller,
simpler components.
2. Responsiveness-Body’s ability to
detect and respond to changes.
3. Movement-Includes motion of the
whole body, individual organs, single
cells, and even tiny structures inside
cells.
4.
results from an increase in the size of
existing cells, an increase in the number
of cells, or both.
5. Differentiation-Development of a cell
from an unspecialized to a specialized
state.
6. Reproduction-Refers either to (1) the
formation of new cells for tissue growth,
repair, or replacement, or (2) the
production of a new individual.
Homeostasis
• “unchanging sameness”, “staying the
same”. (homeo= “the same”, stasis =
standing still)
• Maintenance of a relatively constant
internal environment that is essential to
life.
• Dynamic state of equilibrium (balance)
in the body’s internal environment due
to the constant interaction of the
body’s many regulatory processes.
Stress–One way to disrupt
HOMEOSTASIS
–STRESS is the overall disruption that
forces the body to make ADAPTIVE
CHANGES.
–Factors causing stress are called
STRESSORS.
e.g. HEAT, COLD, VIRUSES, MENTAL
DISTURBANCES, HORMONES.
Homeostasis Regulation
Auto regulation- Occurs when the
activities of a cell, tissue, organ or organ
system change automatically when
faced with some environment variation.
Extrinsic Regulation-Results from
activities of the nervous or endocrine
system, organ systems that can control
or adjust the activities of many different
systems simultaneously.
Homeostasis and Body Fluids
Intracellular Fluid (ICF)–fluid within cells.
Extracellular Fluid (ECF)-fluid outside
body cells.
a. Interstitial fluid -ECF that fills the
narrow spaces between cells of tissues.
b. Blood plasma –ECF within blood
vessels
c. Lymph fluid –ECF within lymphatic
vessels
d. Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)-ECF within
brain and spinal cord
e. Synovial Fluid –ECF in the joints
f. Aqueous humor and Vitreous body
ECF in the eyes
External Environment
▪ Surrounds the body
▪ Changes like temp, pressure and
contact with microorganisms
▪ Source of oxygen and nutrients
required by all body cells.
▪ Waste products of cellular activity
are eventually excreted into the
external environment.
Skin-provides an effective barrier
between the body tissues and the
consistently changing external
environment.
Internal Environment
- Water-based medium in which body
cells exist.
-Cells are bathed in fluid called
interstitial or tissue fluid.
▪ Absorb oxygen and nutrients from
the surrounding interstitial fluid.
▪ Cellular wastes diffuse into the
bloodstream via the interstitial fluid.
Selective permeability
• Allows the cell (plasma) membrane
to control the entry or exit of many
substances, thereby regulating the
composition of its internal environment
• Ensures that the chemical
composition of the fluid inside cells is
different from the interstitial fluid that
bathes them.
Feedback System
• The body can regulate its internal
environment through many feedback
systems.
• Feedback system or Feedback loop
is a cycle of events in which the status
of a body condition is monitored,
evaluated, changed, re-monitored,
reevaluated, and so on.
1. Stimulus
2. Receptors
3. Control Center
4. Effector
5. Response
Homeostatic Control Mechanism
Stimulus − disrupts homeostasis by
increasing or decreasing a controlled
condition.
Receptor/Sensor − monitor changes in a
controlled condition and sends input
(nerve impulses or chemical signals) to a
control center thru the afferent
pathway.
Control center/ Integrating system −
establishes the set point, evaluates the
input it receives from the receptors, and
generates output commands (nerve
impulses or chemical signals) to
effectors thru the efferent pathway.
Set point − range of values within which
a controlled condition should be
maintained.
Effectors – receive output from the
control center and produce a response
or change.
Response – return to homeostasis by
correcting the disturbance that
occurred as detected by the receptors.
Negative Feedback
• If the change/ effect is opposite/
negative to the initiating stimulus.
• Most of the negative feedback
mechanisms are beneficial.
• Maintenance of homeostasis by
negative feedback goes on throughout
the body at all times.

Positive Feedback
• Rare in the body because they tend to
increase the original disturbance
(stimulus) and to push the variable
farther from its original value.
• Effectors respond by exaggerating or
enhancing the stimulus • Typically used
to deal with threat or stress.
• Eg. Giving birth -contractions
promote more contractions until
delivery.
Pathophysiology
❑Study of the changes that occur in
cells, tissues and organs when altered
by disease and/or injury and the effects
these have on normal body function.
❑Provide an understanding of the
mechanisms of disease and to explain
how and why alterations in body
structure and function lead to the signs
and symptoms of disease.
Etiology
❑Study of the cause(s) of disease
and/or injury❑Causes of disease can be
either:
▪ Endogenous originating from within
the body
▪ Exogenous coming from outside the
body
❑ Diseases can be of unknown cause
(Idiopathic)
❑ Some conditions are caused by the
effects of treatments and called
iatrogenic.
❑ Nosocomial denotes a new disorder,
not the patient’s original condition e.g.
Hospital-acquired infection.
Pathology
-The scientific study of disease.
-Includes the study of structural
alterations in cells, tissues and organs
that help to identify the cause of
disease.