PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA

MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

DJILLALI LIABES University of Sidi Bel-Abbes

Faculty of Medicine
Department of Pharmacy

Organs and Body Parts

2nd Year Pharmacy / 2éme Année Pharmacie

By: Dr. B. TALHA

 I. Introduction:
Knowing our body is the first step in tackling any illness or disease. The more we know
about the body, the more we can understand how the body functions and how we can treat
diseases and illnesses as well as how medications can interact with each individual organ.

II. External body parts:

1. The Face: Eye, nose, mouth, ear, cheek, chin, nostril, eyebrow, eyelid, eyelash, lips.

Mouth: the externally visible part of the oral cavity used to talk, to eat and to breathe.

Nose: the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract.

Nostrils: these are the two holes in your nose

Neck: this connects your head with your shoulders and the rest of your body.
Tongue: the muscle at the bottom of your mouth that tastes things and helps you pronounce
words
Wrinkles: the lines in your skin caused by age. Old people have many wrinkles.
Skin: it covers almost the entire body and helps keep all the organs and muscles in place.
Jaw : the bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the
teeth.
Beard: the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face.

2. The Arm and Hand: Finger, palm, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder.

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 3. The Leg and Foot: high, knee, leg, shin, calf (muscle), ankle, heel,
foot, toe

We also have Limbs which means the two arms (upper Limbs) or Legs (lower Limbs). The
Trunk is the body excluding the Head and the Limbs.

4. The Hand and Fingers: Hand, thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring- finger, little
finger (informal: pinky finger), nail, knuckle.

III. Internal Parts of the Body and some Organs:

In order to better understand the internal parts of the human body and its functioning, a
clarified understanding of some terms needs to be established:

Tissue: It is a level of organization in multicellular organisms; it consists of a group of

structurally and functionally similar cells and their intercellular material.

Organ: It is a group of tissues in a living organism that have been adapted to perform a
specific function. In higher animals, organs are grouped into organ systems; e.g., the

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 oesophagus, stomach, and liver are organs of the digestive system. Some organs
may be part of more than one body system, if they serve more than one function.

Systems: they are groups of organs and tissues that work together to perform important
jobs for the body. There are usually 10 organ systems: integumentary, skeletal, muscular,
nervous, endocrine (hormonal), digestive, respiratory, circulatory, excretory, and
reproductive.

❖ The main organs are:

Heart: receives blood from the veins and pumps it through the arteries to oxygenate the
organs during blood’s circuit.

Lungs: The organ of respiration, filling most of the chest cavity inside the rib cage and
above the diaphragm. Each lung resembles a “tree” with hollow bronchi, bronchioles, and
alveoli.

Veins: Vessels that transport blood from organs and tissues to the heart. Veins of the
systemic circulation collect blood saturated with carbon dioxide.

Arteries: Are the tubes in your body that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your
body.

Brain: Occupying the skull cavity, it is the supervisory centre of the nervous system in all
vertebrates. It also serves as the site of emotions, memory, self-awareness, and thought.

Throat: that part of the alimentary and respiratory tracts extending from the back of the
mouth (nasopharynx) to just below the larynx.

Liver: a large gland that participates in digestion, metabolism, and blood circulation and
maintains homeostasis by performing specific protective, detoxifying, enzymatic, and
excretory functions.

Stomach: The enlarged muscular saclike part of the alimentary canal in which food is
stored until it has been partially digested and rendered into chyme.

The small intestine: is about 20 feet long and about an inch in diameter. Its job is to
absorb most of the nutrients from what we eat and drink.

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 The large intestine: is about 5 feet long and about 3 inches in diameter. The
colon absorbs water from wastes, creating stool.

Kidneys: bean-shaped organs situated on the posterior abdominal wall on both sides of the
spinal column, they maintain water and electrolyte balance and filter waste products from the
blood, which are excreted as urine.

The spleen: plays multiple supporting roles. It’s a spongy highly vascular organ situated
near the stomach. It forms lymphocytes, produces antibodies, aids in destroying worn-out red
blood cells, and filters bacteria and foreign particles from the blood.

The bladder: stores urine, allowing urination to be infrequent and voluntary.

The gallbladder: a small organ where bile (a fluid produced by the liver) is stored and
concentrated before it is released into the small intestine

Skeleton: all of the bones in your body.

Tonsils: two small masses of lymphatic tissue situated one on each side of the back of the
mouth.

Ribs: these are the bones that protect the organs in your chest (rib cage).

Bones: The hard, dense, calcified tissue that forms the skeleton of most vertebrates. Bone
serves as a framework for the attachment of muscles and protects vital organs, such as the
brain. It also contains large amounts of calcium, a mineral that is essential for proper cell
function. Blood cells and platelets are produced in the marrow, the central cavity of bone..
There are about 206 in your body.

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 IV. The Functions of Body Systems:

1. Respiratory System: allows us to take in vital oxygen and expel carbon dioxide in a
process we call breathing. It consists mainly of the trachea, the diaphragm and the lungs.
2. Digestive System/Excretory System: ingests food and breaks it down into usable
nutrients. Excretes solid waste products. Includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and
intestines.
3. Cardiovascular/Circulatory System: moves materials between body systems,
including oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste products. Includes the heart, arteries, and
veins.
4. Renal System/Urinary System: cleans dissolved waste products from the blood and
excretes them. All blood passes through the kidneys, where special filters allow dangerous
substances to pass out of the bloodstream. Includes kidneys and bladder.
5. Endocrine System: consists of eight major glands that secrete hormones into the
blood. These hormones, in turn, travel to different tissues and regulate various bodily
functions, such as metabolism Includes hormone-producing tissues of the pineal gland and
pituitary gland in the brain; the thyroid gland; the adrenal glands; the pancreas etc.
6. Nervous System: controls both voluntary action (like conscious movement) and
involuntary actions (like breathing), and sends signals to different parts of the body. The
central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system
consists of nerves that connect every other part of the body to the central nervous system. It
also allows perception of emotion, thought, and rapid response to the environment.
7. Muscular system: consists of about 650 muscles that aid in movement, blood flow
and other bodily functions. There are three types of muscle: skeletal muscles, which are
connected to bone and helps with voluntary movement, smooth muscles that are found inside
organs and helps to move substances through organs, and cardiac muscles that are found in
the heart and helps pump blood.
8. The Skeletal System: The skeleton forms the supporting structure of the body. It
comes from the Greek skeletós meaning “dried up”.
9. Integumentary System/Exocrine System: is the body's largest organ. It protects us
from the outside world, and is our first defense against bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
Covers the body and regulates its exchange with the outside world. Includes skin, hair, nails,
sweat, and other glands, which secrete substances onto the skin.

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 10. Lymphatic System/Immune System: includes lymph nodes, lymph
ducts and lymph vessels, and plays a role in the body's defences. Its main job is
to move lymph, a clear fluid that contains white blood cells, which help the body fight
infection.
11. Reproductive System: allows the production of offspring. The reproductive system is
not essential to individual survival, but it is essential for the survival of the species.

V. Types of Diseases:
Types have to do with the duration of a disease, and its potentiality for causing death.

❖ The duration:
1. Acute Disease: Usually begins brusquely and is over soon. Acute appendicitis,
for example, is characterized by the sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, and pain usually
localized in the lower right side of the abdomen.
2. Chronic Disease: Begins very gradually then persists over a long period. For
example, ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory condition. characterized by relapsing attacks of
bloody diarrhoea that persist for weeks to months.
❖ The potentiality:
1. Benign Disease: Most often used to describe tumours. They are generally
without complications, and a good prognosis (outcome) is usual. A wart on the skin is a
benign tumour caused by a virus.
2. Malignant Disease: Malignancy implies a process that, if left alone, will result
in fatal illness. Cancer is the general term for all malignant tumours.

VI. Signs and Symptoms:

❖ Signs: Any objective evidence of a disease, such as a skin rash, High blood
pressure or a cough, is a sign. A doctor, family members, and the individual experiencing the
signs can identify these.
❖ Symptoms: Less obvious breaks in normal function, such as stomach-ache,
lower back pain, and fatigue, are symptoms and can only be recognized by the person
experiencing them.

“Man is an intelligence in servitude to his organs”

Aldous Huxley

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