Organization of the Body.
Anatomy and Physiology
Anatomy
Anatomy is typically described as the study of an organism's structure and connections among its parts. Anatomy is a combination of two Greek terms (ana, "up," and temos or tomos, "cutting"). Anatomy students continue to learn about the human body's structure by physically ripping it apart. This method, known as dissection, is being used today. is a method for isolating and studying structural components or sections of the human body.
The study of life is characterised as biology. Anatomy and physiology are both subsets of that wide field of study. Anatomy and physiology, like biology, may be split into specialised fields for study. The phrase gross anatomy, for example, refers to the study of bodily components that are visible to the human eye. Anatomists had to examine human structure using just the eye during dissection before the invention of the microscope. Only a gross, or complete, examination was possible for these early anatomists (Figure 1-1). Many anatomists today specialise on microscopic anatomy, including cytology (sye-TOL-o-jee) and histology (his-TOL-o-jee), thanks to the advancement of sophisticated microscopes. Other disciplines of anatomy include developmental anatomy (the study of human growth and development) and pathology (the study of damaged bodily parts) (pathological anatomy). The body will be studied by systems in the following chapters, a technique known as systematic anatomy. The bones in the skeletal system and the muscles in the muscular system are examples of systems, which are groupings of organs that share a common purpose.
Physiology
Physiology is the branch of science that studies the functioning of living organisms and their components. The phrase is derived from two Greek terms (physis, "nature," and logos, "science or study"). Simply said, physiology is the science that helps us understand how the human body functions. Physiologists use active experimentation to try to figure out the complicated control systems and regulatory processes that allow the body to function and thrive in an often hostile environment.
Physiology may be classified into two categories as a scientific discipline:
(1) the kind of organism involved, such as human physiology or plant physiology:
(2) the organisational level under investigation, such as molecular or cellular physiology; or
(3) a specialised or systemic function, such as neurophysiology, respiratory physiology, or cardiovascular physiology.
We'll look at both anatomy and physiology for individual organ systems in the next chapters. This lesson begins with a general review of the human body. The body will be dissected and examined into "levels of organisation" in following chapters, both physically (anatomy) and functionally (physiology), so that its component parts may be better understood and subsequently "fit together" into a living and integrated whole. An understanding of anatomy and physiology allows us to comprehend how nerve impulses travel from one part of the body to another, muscles contract, light energy is converted into visual images, how we breathe, digest food, reproduce, excrete wastes, sense changes in our environment, and even think and reason.
QUICK INSPECTION
1. Explain what anatomy and physiology are.
2. Describe the three ways in which physiology as a scientific field can be subdivided.
3. What is the name of the body research that takes into account groupings of organs that perform the same function?
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