Ms.

L Mathebula

Office 1038
Consultation time: Anytime I am in
the office and not busy.
 Rules
o Arrive on time.
o Don’t make noise.
o Be responsible
o Turn your cell phone off.
o Ask questions if you are confused.
o Try not to distract or annoy your classmates.
Homeostasis: The
Foundation of
Physiology
Chapter 1
Physiology is the study of
body functions. There are
two processes to explain
body functions. They are:

• teleological - The explanations are in

terms of meeting a bodily need.
• mechanistic - The explanations are in
terms of cause and effect sequences.
– The body is viewed as a machine.
– Both processes, for example, can be
applied to body shivering.
Anatomy is the study of the
structure of the body.
Physiological mechanisms are
possible through structural design.
Structure-Function relationships of
the body include the:
– heart receiving and pumping blood
– teeth tearing and grinding food
The body is structurally organized into a whole
functional unit.
Its levels organization are represented in this
hierarchy:
– organism (the whole body)
– body system
– organ
– tissue
– cell
– molecule
– atom (smallest, most specific)
Body systems maintain
homeostasis. They maintain a
dynamic steady state in the
internal environment.
• The ECF is the internal
environment.
Homeostasis is essential for cell
survival.
Body systems maintain
homeostasis.
Cells make up body systems.
Many factors of the internal
environment are
homeostatically regulated.
These factors
• concentration include:
of: nutrient molecules
– oxygen
– carbon dioxide
– waste products
– water
– salts
– other electrolytes
• pH
• temperature
• volume
• pressure
 Conc. Of nutrients
• Cells need O2 & CO2 to survive.
• Concentration of waste products.
• Body also need water, salts and other
electrolytes in order to survive.
 pH
• pH of ECF is to maintained at critical value
of 7.4
– Affects nerve cell function
– Denatures enzymes
– Kills cells
 Temperature
• Body temperature is to be maintained at
37.5 degree celcius.
– Alters metabolic activity
– Affects enzyme activity
– Denatures cells
 Volume and pressure
• Adequate volume and blood pressure to
ensure body wide distribution
– Deficit of O2 and congestion of CO2
– Inadequate supply of electrolytes
– Inadequate supply of nutrients and vitamins
The human body systems and
their contribution to
homeostasis are:
• circulatory - transports materials (e.g., nutrients, gases)
• digestive - breaks dietary food into small nutrient
molecules.
• respiratory - obtains oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide
• urinary - removes and eliminates wastes from the plasma
• skeletal - provides support and protection for soft tissues
• muscular - moves the bones
• integumentary - serves as an outer protective barrier
• immune - defends against foreign invaders
• nervous - controls and coordinates activities rapidly
• endocrine - regulates activities that require duration
• reproductive - perpetuation of the species
Homeostatic control systems
operate locally or bodywide.
Homeostatic control systems
are:
• intrinsic - inherent in an organ
• extrinsic - outside the organ to
alter the activity of the organ
– Extrinsic control is accomplished
by the nervous and endocrine
systems.
Negative feedback opposes
an initial change. It maintains
homeostasis.
• Its components are:
– control center
– sensor
– effector
• The sensor monitors the magnitude of a
controlled variable.
• The control center compares a sensor’s
input with a set point.
• The effector makes a response to
produce a desired effect.
 Negative feedback mechanism
• A system that reacts in a way that arrest
change or reverse the direction of change.
Positive feedback amplifies an
initial change.
An output is enhanced.
A controlled variable moves in the
direction of an initial change.
One example occurs during the
birth of a baby.
Disruption in homeostasis
can lead to illness and
death.
Pathophysiology is the
abnormal functioning of
the body during disease.