Introduction to human body
Seema Mehdi
Lecturer
Dept of Pharmacology
JSSCP, Mysuru
Anatomy and Physiology
• Two branches of science anatomy and physiology provide the foundation for
understanding the body’s parts and functions.
• Anatomy is the science of body structures and the relationships among
them.
• It was first studied by dissection, by careful cutting apart of body structures
to study their relationships. Today, a variety of imaging techniques also
contribute to the advancement of anatomical knowledge.
•
• Whereas anatomy deals with structures of the body, physiology is the science of
body functions—how the body parts work.
• Sub-Specialities of Anatomy
• Embryology The first eight weeks of development following fertilization of an
egg (in humans).
• Developmental biology: The complete development of an
individual from fertilization of an egg to death.
• Cell biology: Cellular structure and functions.
• Histology: Microscopic structure of tissues
• Surface anatomy: Surface markings of the body to understand internal anatomy
through visualization and palpation (gentle touch).
• Gross anatomy: Structures that can be examined without using a microscope.
• Systemic anatomy: Structure of specific systems of the body such as the
nervous or respiratory systems.
• Regional anatomy: Specific regions of the body such as the head or chest
• Radiographic anatomy: Body structures that can be visualized with x-rays.
• Pathological anatomy: Structural changes associated with disease.
• Sub-Specialities of Physiology
• Neurophysiology: Functional properties of nerve cells.
• Endocrinology: Hormones and how they control body functions
• Cardiovascular physiology: Functions of the heart and blood
• Immunology How the body defends itself against disease-causing agents.
• Respiratory physiology: Functions of the air passageways and lungs.
• Renal physiology: Functions of the kidneys.
• Exercise physiology: Changes in cell and organ functions as a result of muscular
activity.
• Pathophysiology: Functional changes associated with disease and aging.
LEVELS OF STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION
1 Chemical level.
• This very basic level can be compared to the letters of the alphabet and includes
atoms, the smallest units of matter that participate in chemical reactions, and
molecules, two or more atoms joined together.
• Certain atoms, such as carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and sulfur (S), are essential for maintaining life.
• Two familiar molecules found in the body are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the
genetic material passed from one generation to the next, and glucose, commonly
known as blood sugar.
2 Cellular level
Molecules combine to form cells, the basic structural and functional units of an
organism.
• Just as words are the smallest elements of language that make sense, cells are the
smallest living units in the human body.
• Among the many kinds of cells in your body are muscle cells, nerve cells, and
epithelial cells
3. Tissue level.
• Tissues are groups of cells and the materials surrounding them that work together
to perform a particular function.
• Similar to the way words are put together to form sentences.
• There are just four basic types of tissue in your body: epithelial tissue, connective
tissue, muscular tissue, and nervous tissue
4. Organ level.
At this level different types of tissues are joined together.
Similar to the relationship between sentences and paragraphs.
• organs are structures that are composed of two or more different types of tissues;
they have specific functions and usually have recognizable shapes.
• Examples of organs are the stomach, skin, bones, heart, liver, lungs, and brain.
5. System level.
A system consists of related organs with a common function.
An example of the system level, also called the organ-system level, is the
digestive system, which breaks down and absorbs food.
• Its organs include the mouth, salivary glands, pharynx (throat), esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
• Sometimes an organ is part of more than one system.
• The pancreas, for example, is part of both the digestive system and the hormone-
producing endocrine system.
6 Organismal level.
• An organism, any living individual, can be compared to a book in our analogy.
• All the parts of the human body functioning together constitute the total
organism.
Basic Life Processes
1. Metabolism (me-TAB-o ¯-lizm) is the sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the
body.
catabolism (ka-TAB-o¯-lizm; catabol- throwing down; -ism
a condition), the breakdown of complex chemical substances
into simpler components.
anabolism (a-NAB-o¯-lizm; anabol- a raising up), the building up of complex chemical
substances from smaller, simpler components.
Responsiveness is the body’s ability to detect and respond to changes.
Movement includes motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, and
even tiny structures inside cells.
Growth is an increase in body size that results from an increase in the size of
existing cells, an increase in the number of cells, or both.
Differentiation (dif-er-en-she ¯-A ¯ -shun) is the development of a cell from an
unspecialized to a specialized state.
