CH 01

Chapter 1
Anatomy, Physiology, &

Disease: Learning the Language
Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease, Revised First Edition Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Bruce J. Colbert, Jeff E. Ankney, and Karen T. Lee All rights reserved.
Multimedia Directory
Slide 30Medical Specialties Video
Slide 43Vital Signs Video 1
Slide 44Vital Signs Video 2
Slide 45Blood Pressure Animation
Slide 46Rectal Temperature Video
Slide 47Axillary Temperature Video
Slide 48Tympanic Temperature Video
Slide 49Radial Pulse Video
Slide 67Hand Washing and Gloving Video
Slide 68Hand Washing with Antiseptic Video
Slide 69Hand Washing with Water Video
Slide 70Gowning Video
Multimedia Directory (cont’d)
Slide 71Using Masks Video
Slide 72Capping Video
Slide 73Sterile Gloving Video
Slide 74Protective Eyewear Video
Slide 82Cervical Injury Animation
Slide 83Medical Assisting Video
Slide 84Health Information Management Video
Slide 85Medical Transcription Video

Introduction
• Health professionals speak a foreign
language called medical terminology
• This chapter lays the foundation for
learning this new language
• Future chapters build upon the foundation
that begins here, so at journey’s end you
will not only understand anatomy,
physiology, and disease, but be fluent in
the language
Learning Objectives
• Understand the terms anatomy,
physiology, and disease and various
related areas
• Relate the importance and purpose of
medical terminology to anatomy,
physiology, and disease
• Construct and define medical terms using
word roots, prefixes, and suffixes
• Explain the concept and importance of
homeostasis
Learning Objectives (cont’d)
• Contrast the metabolic processes of
anabolism and catabolism
• Relate signs and symptoms to the disease
process
• Discuss disease concepts related to the
body’s defense mechanism
• Contrast routes of transmission of disease
and appropriate preventative measures

Pronunciation Guide
Click on the megaphone icon before each item to hear the pronunciation.
Anabolism (ah NA bow lizm)

Anatomy (ah NA tom ee)
Catabolism (ka TA bow lizm)
Diagnosis (Dye ahg NOH siss)
Epidemiology (EP uh dee me ALL oh jee)
Etiology (ee tee ALL oh jee)
Homeostasis (hoh mee oh STAY siss)
Idiopathic (ID ee oh path ick)
Pronunciation Guide (cont’d)
Click on the megaphone icon before each item to hear the pronunciation.
Macroscopic Anatomy (MAK roh scop ic ah NA tom ee)

Metabolism (me TA bow lizm)
Microscopic Anatomy (MY kroh scop ic ah NA tom ee)
Nosocomial (NOHS oh koh me al)
Organism (OR gan iz em)
Pathology (path ALL oh jee)
Physiology (fiz ee ALL oh jee)
Prognosis (prog NOH siss)
Syndrome (SIN drohm)
Anatomy
• Anatomy: study of internal and external

structures of the human body
• Human body is complex and amazing; to truly
understand it you must know how it is put
together
• Anatomy is a Greek word meaning “to cut
apart”
• Specialties within field of anatomy include
microscopic anatomy and macroscopic (gross)
anatomy

Microscopic Anatomy
• Specialized field of anatomy

• Study of structures that can only be seen
and studied with magnification aids such
as a microscope
– Study of cellular structures: cytology
– Study of tissue samples: histology

Macroscopic Anatomy
• Also called gross anatomy

• Study of structures of the body visible to
the naked, or unaided, eye
• Examples include:
– Study of the skeletal system
– Looking at an X-ray (radiology)

Physiology
• Focuses on function and vital processes

of various structures making up the
human body
• Closely related to anatomy because it is
the study of how anatomical structures
actually function
• Deals with all vital processes of life; is
more complex, with more sub-specialties
Subspecialties of Physiology
• Human physiology
• Animal physiology
• Cellular physiology
• Neurophysiology

Putting It All Together
• Anatomy focuses on structures and how

something is put together
• Physiology is the study of how these
different structures work together to make
the body function as a whole
• Design of the structure is often related to
its function

Putting It All Together (cont’d)
• Human anatomy and physiology (A&P)

forms the foundation for all medical
practice
• Medical treatment attempts to bring the
body’s structure and function back to
normal A&P

Figure 1-1 A. Normal red blood cells (RBCs) are flexible and donut shaped and move with ease through blood
vessels. (Photo © Phototake NYC) B. The anatomical distortion of the structure of RBCs in sickle cell anemia affects its
normal function to carry oxygen. In addition, the sickle cells lose their ability to bend and pass through the small
blood vessels, thereby causing blockages to blood flow. (Photo © Photo Researchers, Inc.)

What is Disease?
• Disease (meaning not at ease) is a condition
in which the body fails to function normally
• The body works to make things function
smoothly and maintain balance known as
homeostasis
• Pathology is the study of disease
characteristics, causes, and effects
• Pathophysiology is the study of abnormal
body function

Terms Related to Disease
• Etiology: cause of the disease

• Epidemiology: study of the transmission,
frequency of occurrence, distribution, and
control of a disease

Types of Diseases
• Idiopathic diseases: those for which the

cause cannot be determined
• Communicable diseases: those that have
potential to be spread from person to
person
– Contagious diseases: readily transmitted
from one person to another
– Tracked by Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Distribution of Communicable Diseases
• Endemic: diseases that occur in specific

populations or regions
• Epidemic: when diseases occur in large
numbers over specific region
• Pandemic: when diseases spread country
or worldwide

Medical Terminology
• Language of A&P and disease primarily
based on medical terminology
• Learning medical terminology requires
understanding of root terms, prefixes, and
suffixes that can be put together to form
variety of terms
• Each medical term has a basic structure
upon which to build, called a word root
• Prefixes and suffixes are added to root
words and can change or alter meaning
Building Blocks of Medical Terms
• Word roots: basic parts (foundation) of

medical terms
– Often given in combining form (word root plus
connecting vowel)
• Prefixes: word parts that come before the
root
• Suffixes: word parts that come after the
root
Figure 1-2 How prefixes and suffixes can be combined with a word root to form many medical terms.

Table 1-1 Common Combining Terms

Table 1-2 Common Prefixes

Table 1-3 Common Suffixes

Common Medical
Abbreviations
• Extensively used in the medical
profession
• Useful in simplifying long, complicated
terms for diseases, diagnostic
procedures, and therapies during charting
• You will learn more abbreviations with
each chapter

Table 1-4 Common Medical Abbreviations

Professionals who work in medical assisting must become very familiar with medical terminology in their
workplace.
Medical Specialties Video
Click here to view a video on the topic of Medical Specialties.

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The Metric System
• Mathematical language of anatomy and

physiology
• Two major measurement systems used in
world today
– United States Customary System (USCS):
used by general population in United States
– Système International (SI): used everywhere
else, including US healthcare professionals
and pharmaceutical companies; also called
Metric System, based on the power of ten
The United States Customary
System (USCS)
• Based on the British Imperial System
• Different designations for length, weight, and
volume
– Volume in ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, pounds
– Distances in inches, feet, yards, and miles
– Weight in pounds, ounces, and tons
• Commonly called the English System
• Cumbersome to use; no common base; no
relationship between each unit of measure
The International System (SI)
• Commonly called the Metric System;

numerical language of science and
medicine

The International System (SI) (cont’d)
• Units of measurements all based on units

that relate to each other by powers of 10
– Length: millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm)
– Weight: milliliters (ml), liters (L)
– Volume: kilograms (kg), grams (g)
• Calculations only require moving decimal
point to left or right (multiplying or dividing
by 10, 100, 1000, etc.)
Metabolism
• Refers to all chemical operations going on

within the body
– Requires various nutrients
– Produces waste products
– Includes all life-sustaining reactions within the
body
• Two types: anabolism and catabolism
• Fever is common disease process that will
speed up metabolism
Anabolism
• Process of simple compounds being built

up and then used to manufacture
materials for growth, reproduction, and
repair
• Building phase of metabolism
• Example: assembly of simple amino acids
to form complex proteins

Catabolism
• Process by which complex substances

are broken down into simpler substances
• Breaking down phase of metabolism
• Example: breakdown of food into simpler
chemical building blocks for energy
• Abnormal and extreme example:
starvation victim whose body will “feed
upon itself” by actually consuming own
body’s tissues
Homeostasis
• Physiological process that monitors and

maintains a stable internal environment or
equilibrium
• Survival depends on ability to maintain
homeostasis
• Homeostatic regulation refers to
adjustments made in human organism to
maintain a stable internal environment
– For example, a thermostat is a homeostatic
control in a home
Negative Feedback Loop
• Continuous feedback loop to determine

what required action is needed
• If feedback opposes the stimulus, it is a
negative feedback loop
• Hypothalamus in the brain uses a
negative feedback loop to control body
temperature and maintain homeostasis
• Example: thermostat triggering heater on
and off to maintain set temperature
Figure 1-3 The homeostatic control of normal body temperature (37°C or 98.6°F).

Positive Feedback
• Increases magnitude of change versus

resisting change
• Process known as a vicious cycle
• Does not maintain homeostasis but
sometimes necessary to complete a
specific process
• Often harmful if cycle cannot be broken
• Example: recurrent contraction of uterus
during childbirth
Disease Concepts
• Signs – objective, measurable indicators

of illness
– Examples: fever, change in color
– Vital signs: signs vital to life
 Pulse
 Blood Pressure
 Temperature
 Respiratory Rate

Vital Signs Video 1
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Vital Signs Video 2
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Blood Pressure Animation
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Rectal Temperature Video
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Axillary Temperature Video
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Tympanic Temperature Video
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Radial Pulse Video
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Figure 1-4 A health care professional taking a radial pulse and common pulse points.

Figure 1-4 (continued) A health care professional taking a radial pulse and common pulse points.

Disease Concepts (cont’d)
• Symptoms: subjective indicators of illness

that are perceived only by the patient
– Examples: pain, dizziness, itchiness

• Syndrome: a specific grouping of signs

and symptoms related to a specific
disease
– Example: Down Syndrome signs and
symptoms include sloping forehead, low set
ears, short broad hands, mild-to-moderate
mental retardation, and often, cardiac valvular
disease

• Diagnosis: identification of disease

determined by studying patient’s signs,
symptoms, history, and results of
diagnostic tests
– Begins by obtaining Chief Complaint (CC) or
reason the individual is seeking medical help
– Continues as more details are obtained about
the problem

• Prognosis: prediction about outcome of a

disease
• Acute conditions: rapid onset of signs and
symptoms
• Chronic conditions: gradual onset of
symptoms over a long period of time

• Remission: period of time when signs and

symptoms of chronic disease disappear
• Relapse: recurrence of a disease
• Exacerbation: “flare-up” of signs and
symptoms
• Terminal disease: one with a prognosis of
death

Body’s Defense System
• Disease can result from pathogenic

(disease producing) microorganisms
invading body through openings referred
to as portals of entry
• Body Barriers: first line of defense
– Example: skin
 Provides mechanical barrier (if unbroken )
 Slightly acidic, which makes environment
inhospitable to some pathogens
Body’s Defense System (cont’d)
• Immune response: kicks in if pathogens

get past barriers
– Microscopic body cells activate
 Some attack and “eat” pathogens
 Some release powerful chemicals that
disintegrate pathogens
– If body has been attacked by that pathogen
before, substances can be produced that
specifically target that pathogen

Body’s Defense System (cont’d)
• Inflammatory response – occurs whenever

body tissues are injured
– Possible triggers: physical injury, intense heat,
chemical irritation, reaction to invading germs
– Signs and symptoms: redness, increased
temperature at affected site, swelling (edema),
pain
– Has protective function: Isolates injured area,
Increases blood flow to restore normal function

Figure 1-5 Agents capable of stimulating an inflammatory response.

Routes of Disease Transmission
• Vectors: when disease is spread by insect,

or other non-human animal
– Biological vector: infected insect spreads
infection to person (example: malaria)
– Mechanical vector: organism present on
surface of insect is spread to person
(example: a fly that lands on cow feces, and
then on a person’s food)

Routes of Disease Transmission (cont’d)
• Contact transmission
– Direct contact: when a person becomes sick
due to direct contact with a contagious body
fluid
– Indirect contact: when a person becomes sick
due to contact with a contaminated object
(example: catching the flu by picking up
germs from a doorknob)

Routes of Disease Transmission (cont’d)
• Common vehicles: when consumable

goods (such as food) become
contaminated; results in several people
simultaneously developing same infection
• Airborne spread: when droplets
containing a pathogen spread through the
air

Preventing the Spread of Communicable
Diseases
• Requires breaking chain of infection

(interrupting spread of disease from
outside source into the body)
• Washing your hands is one of the most
powerful ways of controlling the spread of
disease

Preventing the Spread of Communicable
Diseases (cont’d)
• Universal Precautions: set of standard

actions/procedures designed to prevent
transmission of disease between patient
and health care provider
– Based on assumption that every person could
have some kind of communicable disease
– Includes use of gloves, gowns, goggles,
masks, and other protective equipment in
appropriate situations

Figure 1-6 Standard Precautions guidelines.

Hand Washing and Gloving Video
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Hand Washing with Antiseptic Video
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Hand Washing with Water Video
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Gowning Video
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Using Masks Video
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Capping Video
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Sterile Gloving Video
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Protective Eyewear Video
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Snapshots from the Journey
• Anatomy: study of internal and external
structures of the body
• Physiology: study of how structures
normally function
• Pathology: study of disease
• Medical terminology: language of medicine
combining root words, prefixes, and suffixes
• Metric system: mathematical language of
medicine based on the power of ten

Snapshots from the Journey (cont’d)
• Metabolism: all chemical operations going

on within the body; anabolism (building
up) and catabolism (breaking down) are
two primary processes of metabolism
• Homeostasis: body’s attempt to maintain
balanced, or stable, environment
• Negative feedback loop: constant
monitoring and changing of body’s
environment to maintain homeostasis
• Change in objective measurable values

such as temperature (signs) and
subjective patient perceptions
(symptoms) can indicate presence of
disease
• Vital signs include: pulse, respiration,
temperature, blood pressure

• Body’s defenses guard against invasion

of pathogenic organisms; transmission
routes include: vectors, contact
transmission, common vehicle, and
airborne spread

Case Study
• A 66-year-old Asian male involved in a

vehicular accident is taken to the ICU with
dyspnea and abdominal pain. He has
acrocyanosis, tachycardia, and a past
medical history of cardiopathy. He weighs
150 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall. His
chest X-ray shows an enlarged heart. His
facial injuries will require future rhinoplastic
surgery. An electrocardiogram and lower GI
series is ordered
Case Study Questions
• Where exactly in the hospital was the

patient taken?
• Describe the patient’s color, heart rate, and
breathing.
• What is the medical term for what the X-ray
showed?
• What future facial surgery will he need?

Case Study Questions: Ray’s Story
• Explain how the relationship of Anatomy to

Physiology has worked against Ray.
• What is the etiology of Ray’s current
condition and his diagnosis?
• How would you state his prognosis? What
future complications do you expect to see?

Cervical Injury Animation
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Medical Assisting Video
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Health Information Management
Video
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Medical Transcription Video
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Chapter 1

Anatomy, Physiology, &

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Anabolism (ah NA bow lizm)

Macroscopic Anatomy (MAK roh scop ic ah NA tom ee)

• Anatomy: study of internal and external

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Specialized field of anatomy

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Also called gross anatomy

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Focuses on function and vital processes

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Anatomy focuses on structures and how

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Human anatomy and physiology (A&P)

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Etiology: cause of the disease

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Idiopathic diseases: those for which the

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Endemic: diseases that occur in specific

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Word roots: basic parts (foundation) of

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Click here to view a video on the topic of Medical Specialties.

• Mathematical language of anatomy and

• Commonly called the Metric System;

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Units of measurements all based on units

• Refers to all chemical operations going on

• Process of simple compounds being built

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Process by which complex substances

• Physiological process that monitors and

• Continuous feedback loop to determine

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Increases magnitude of change versus

• Signs – objective, measurable indicators

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Click here to view a video on the topic of vital signs.

Click here to view a video on the topic of vital signs.

Click here to view an animation on the topic of blood pressure.

Click here to view a video on the topic of taking a rectal temperature.

Click here to view a video on the topic of taking an axillary temperature.

Click here to view a video on the topic of taking a tympanic temperature.

Click here to view a video on the topic of taking a radial pulse.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.