ANATOMY, RHYSIOLOGY AND STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION OF THIE BODY
Anatomy
The word 'anatomy' comes from the Greek verb ανατομία, which means to'cut open'. It studies the structures that make up the human body and how they relate to each other.
Anatomy can be divided into Cross Anatomy and Microscopie Anatiomy or Histology.
Gross Anatomy1 studies the structure of the body as it is seen by the naked eye, without the help of a microscope. It can be divided into Systemic Anatomy, which studies the functional relationships of the organs within a system, and Regional Anatomy, which studies the anatomy of a particular part of the body.
Microscopie Anatomy requiires the use of a microscope to study the tissues that form the various organs of the body
Physiology
The word 'physiology' has a Greek origin and means 'the study of nature'. It studies how the body works as a whole, as well as the functions of its separate parts.
When structure and function are coordinated, the body achieves a relative stability of its internal environment, called homeostasis. In a healthy body the internal environment remains the same even though the external environment constantly changes.
WARM UP
Which is the largest internal organ of the human body? - The ...
a. heart b. liver c. skin
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1 The term gross anatomy was first recorded in 1888.
DO
1 The main systems of the human body are 10. Can you
name some of them?
Structural organisation
The human body has different structural levels of organisation starting from atoms and molecules and increasing in size and complexity to cells, tissues, organs and the systems which make up the complete organism.
The cell is the smallest independent unit of life and its main functions are: growth, metabolism, irritability and reproduction.
A tissue is made up of many similar cells that perform a specific function. There are four different types of tissue: epithelial, connective, nervous and muscle tissue.
An organ is an integrated collection of two or more kinds of tissues that work together to perform a function, e.g. the heart.
A system1 is a group of organs that work together to perform major functions, e.g. the digestive system.
The various organs of the body form the entire organism.
