Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1

Introduction

Biology 1190 Lecture 1: Introduction to the Human Body

Please read pages 1-26 in the textbook.

Learning Objectives (things you should know by the end of the lecture):
• Define anatomy and physiology.
• Describe the structural organization of the human body, including the 11 organ
systems.
• Identify the major organs of each of the 11 human organ systems.
• Describe homeostasis, how it is maintained, and the consequences of
homeostatic imbalance.
o Trace negative and positive feedback loops using the following
terminology: receptor, control centre, effector(s), and net response
• Identify and describe anatomical positions, body regions, body cavities, and their
associated membranes and fluid-filled compartments and organs.
• Explain how the following medical images are produced and their most common
uses (e.g. to image bones):
o Radiography
o Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
o Computed tomography (CT)
o Positron emission tomography (PET)
o Endoscopy

Introduction
• Human beings are living things. What are the characteristics of living things?
1. ______________ complex chemical substances
2. Respond to stimuli
3. Move
4. Grow
5. ___________________ and develop
6. Reproduce
• Everything is made of matter
o Living things and everything around them

Image source: From Visual Anatomy & Physiology, 1ed. Martini/Ober/Nath

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Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1
Introduction
• What is anatomy?
o Anatomy is the study of _________________ and their relationships to one
another.
• What is physiology?
o Physiology is the study of ________________.s
• There are six levels of structural organization for the human body:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Above left: The six levels of organization of the human body. Above right: An example
of the interrelatedness of structure and function throughout animal life.

• Anatomy and physiology are related.

o Structures are specialized for a particular function and functions are limited or
enhanced by structure.

• An organ system is a group of related organs with _______________ functions that

work together to perform a coordinated function.
• Organ systems are ______________________.
• The 11 organ systems in humans are:

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Introduction
No. Name of organ system List of major organs Function(s)
1 Integumentary Skin, glands that
______________ and
system support the skin,
nails, and hair ________________ the body.

2 Skeletal system Bones, joints, and

cartilage.
_______________ internal
organs and
_________________ body
tissues and movement.
3 Muscular system Skeletal muscles.
_____________ and
__________ the body.
4 Nervous system The brain, spinal
cord, nerves, and
_____________ signals and
sensory organs.
__________________
electrical responses.
5 Endocrine system The cells and Senses signals and
glands that secrete
coordinates _______________
hormones.
responses.
6 Cardiovascular The heart, blood,
system and the vessels that
_______________
carry blood.
__________, nutrients, and
gases throughout the body.
7 Lymphatic/immune Lymph and the
system vessels that carry it, ______________ body fluids
the spleen, thymus, and _______________ the body
lymph nodes and
tonsils. from invaders.

8 Respiratory system The lungs, the

________________ ________
pharynx, larynx,
between the body and the
trachea, bronchial
environment.
tubes, and the
Disposes of carbon dioxide
diaphragm.
waste

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Introduction
9 Digestive system Oral cavity, pharynx,
esophagus,
Acquires and ____________
stomach, intestines,
_______________ and
rectum, anus, and
eliminates wastes.
supporting glands.

10 Urinary system The kidneys,

Removes ________________
ureters, urinary
_____________ and maintains
bladder, and
pH of the body.
urethra.

11 Reproductive system The gonads,

organs, and glands Produces ______________,
that support enables _________________,
copulation and and, in females, houses and
reproduction. nourishes young.

• We will cover six of these systems in this course.

• The organ systems are connected by body fluids.
o Intracellular fluid is the fluid inside of cells
o Extracellular fluid is the fluid outside of cells
§ __________________ fluid is the fluid between tissue cells
§ Blood ____________ is the fluid component of blood in blood vessels
and organs of the cardiovascular system
o Lymph is the fluid inside of lymph vessels
o For organisms to survive, they must maintain the ______________ and
____________________ of body fluids at all times.

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Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1
Introduction
• What do you think happens when something about the body (e.g. fluid volumes) is
dysregulated?

Homeostasis
The human body must maintain homeostasis.
• Like all organisms, humans must maintain homeostasis
• Homeostasis is the ______________ upkeep of a set of internal conditions within
set parameters
• Depends on:
• A receptor to detect the change
• A control centre to coordinate a response
• An effector to carry out the response according to the control center

🤒 à Feedback loops à 😜

Above: General structure of a feedback loop.

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Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1
Introduction
• Negative feedback loops reverse changes to maintain homeostasis
o Example stimulus: An increase in blood pressure
§ Receptor: _________________ in walls of blood vessels
§ Control centre: brain à nerve impulses
§ Effectors: heart à decrease volume of blood leaving the heart (slows
contractions) and blood vessels à ___________ to increase flow
§ NET RESPONSE = A decrease in blood pressure
o Negative feedback loops are the most common way the human body
responds to changes

• Positive feedback loops move the body away from homeostasis

o Positive feedback loops ______________ the initial change
o Example: childbirth in human females
§ Receptor: nerves in the cervix sense dilation
§ Control center: brain à pituitary gland à release of oxytocin into
circulation
§ Effectors: _________________ of the uterus contracts à cervix
continues to stretch

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Introduction
o Homeostasis can eventually be restored by a negative feedback loop
o Positive feedback loops are a rare way the human body responds to changes

• What happens when homeostasis is not maintained?

o Prolonged or chronic homeostatic imbalances lead to disorder, disease,
and/or death
§ ________________ result from abnormal body function
§ ________________ are disorders with characteristic signs and
symptoms linked to specific cause
• Symptoms are changes in body functions that are felt or
reported (subjective)
• Signs are changes in body functions that can be measured and
observed (objective)
o But usually feedback loops bring our body back to homeostasis within a short
period of time.

Anatomical, directional, and positional terms

• We need a way to communicate clearly and precisely about the human body
• Example: is your wrist always “above” your fingers?
• No! But your wrist is always ________________ as compared to your fingers.
• Let’s start with body _________________
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Introduction
Body position
The diagram below depicts _______________ position.
• How would you describe supine position?

• How would you describe prone position?

• Sometimes, we need to refer to a generalized _____________ of the body rather

than a specific anatomical structure.
o E.g. reporting an area of pain
• Example: Neck = ______________ region

Practice anatomical terms on your own: If you had pain at the back of your knee, you
have pain in the _____________ region of the body.

Directional terms
• Directional terms tell you how structures are related to one another
• The ________________ is an imaginary line that divides the body into equal right
and left halves

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Introduction

Practice on your own: The “back of the hand” is referred to as the _____________
surface of the hand whereas the palm is referred to as the ________________ surface
of the hand.

Planes and sections

• A __________ is an imaginary flat surface that divides the body.

• Example: which plane separates the superior from the inferior part of the body?

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Introduction
• _________________ are __________ along a plane
o This could be through the entire body or through an organ
o When we look at images or scans, you need to understand in what plane
the image transects the body/organ so you can orient yourself.

Above left: Planes of the human body. Above right: Sections of the human brain.

Body cavities
• Body cavities protect, separate, and support internal structures

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Introduction
• The ______________________ is a muscle and divides the ventral cavities into the
thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities
• The organs inside of the two ventral cavities are called _______________
• The viscera are surrounded by serous membranes

The membranes of the body cavities

• A membrane is a flexible protective layer that surrounds organs
• The serous membranes are thin, slippery, and do not open to the exterior of the
body and include:
o ____________ that encase the lungs in the pleural cavity
o Pericardium that encases the heart in the pericardial cavity
o __________________ encases the abdominal cavity and its organs
§ Visceral peritoneum lines the viscera
§ Parietal peritoneum lines the abdominal cavity wall, including the
inferior surface of the diaphragm
• Serous membranes make serous fluid that lubricates and protects the viscera

The dorsal body cavities

• Include:
Dorsal body cavity Description
Formed by the cranial bones and
contains the brain
Formed by the vertebrae and contains the
spinal cord

The ventral body cavities

• Include:
Ventral body cavity Description
Formed by the ribs, the intercostal
muscles between the ribs, the sternum,
and the thoracic vertebrae.

Contains the:
• Pericardial cavity: the fluid-filled
space around the ___________.
• _______________ cavities: fluid-
filled spaces around each of the
lungs
• ______________________: space
between the lungs

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Introduction
o Contains all the organs
except for the lungs!
Two cavities that together extend from
diaphragm to groin
1. The __________________ cavity Contains organs of the digestive system
+ accessory glands

2. The _____________ cavity Contains the urinary bladder + the organs

• The large intestine is divided and glands of the reproductive system
between the two cavities

Above: Anterior view of the thoracic cavity.

Above: Inferior view of a transverse section of the thoracic cavity. Make sure you can
identify all of the cavities we have discussed in different views and sections!
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Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1
Introduction
• Recall: the parietal peritoneum lines the abdominal cavity
• The peritoneum can be further subdivided
o The peritoneum contains the:
§ Stomach
§ ______________
§ Liver
§ Gallbladder
§ Small intestine
§ Most of large intestine
o The retroperitoneum contains the:
§ ______________
§ Adrenal glands
§ Pancreas
§ Duodenum
§ Ascending and descending colon
§ Parts of the abdominal aorta
§ Inferior vena cava
o These two compartments are separated by serous membranes (the
peritoneal membranes!)

Terminology specific to the abdominopelvic cavity

• We use specific terms to describe the regions of the abdominopelvic cavity
o Why?

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Introduction
• The midclavicular lines divide the abdominopelvic cavity into three columns.
• The subcostal and transtubercular lines divide the cavity into three rows.
o Resulting regions:
§ Right and left __________________ regions
§ Right and left lumbar regions
§ Right and left inguinal regions
§ _________________ region
§ Umbilical region
§ Hypogastric region

Above: Regions of the abdominopelvic cavity.

• Quadrants are a simpler way to divide the abdominopelvic cavity

o Formed by a ___________________ and _______________ line drawn at
the umbilicus (belly button)
o Resulting quadrants are:
§ Right upper quadrant
§ Right lower quadrant
§ Left upper quadrant
§ Left lower quadrant

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Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1
Introduction

Above: Quadrants of the abdominopelvic cavity.

• Question: When would we use quadrants as opposed to regions to describe the

abdominopelvic cavity?

Medical imaging
Radiography (X-ray)
• Recall: X-rays are high ____________________ electromagnetic radiation
o Easily penetrates soft tissues (e.g. lungs)
o Cannot pass through objects of high ________________ (e.g. bone)
o May use contrast medium to visualize fluid-filled organs

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Introduction

Computed tomography (CT)

• X-rays are set through multiple angles around a section of the body
o Results in an image of a _______________________ section of the scanned
portion of the body
• Compared to X-rays:
o Provides better _______________________ (more detail)
o Can digitally combine CT scans à 3D reconstructions of structures

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

• Powerful magnets rearrange _________________ in cellular molecules
• Pattern of _________ à computerized image
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Introduction
• Better resolution in soft tissues than in bones
• E.g. Tumours, blood clots, brain abnormalities, etc.

Positron emission tomography (PET)

• A fluid that emits positrons (positively-charged, massless particle) is injected into
the body
o Collide with electrons à produces __________________ rays that hit
detectors positioned around the body
§ Results in a PET scan (image)
• Tissues with high ________________________ activity (e.g. tumours, abnormally
active organs) easily identifiable on PET scans

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Summer 2023 Biol 1190 Lecture 1
Introduction
Endoscopy
• Cameras are sent _________________ of body structures to view structural and/or
functional abnormalities
• E.g. Colonoscopy images the inside of the large intestine;
________________________ images the inside of the abdominopelvic cavity

• What kind of medical imaging would be used to detect:

o A suspected bone fracture (break)?

o A kidney tumour?

o A subdural hematoma (bleeding inside of the brain)?

Summary
• Anatomy is the study of structure; physiology is the study of function
• The human body can be organized into ascending levels of complexity, from atoms
to organism
• There are 11 organ systems, each with a specialized function
o But the organ systems cooperate and are interdependent
• The volume and composition of body fluids must be maintained at all times
• Homeostasis is the constant maintenance of conditions within a particular range
o Mostly maintained through negative feedback loops
• Human anatomy can be described in positional, directional, and regional terms
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