UNIT-I

INTRODUCTION TO THE
HUMAN BODY

Muhammad Ilyas
BSN, MPH, MHR, PhD(Scholar)
Visiting Lecturer
EMI Nursing Institute, Kohat.
 Unit Objectives:
At the completion of this unit, learners will be able to:
1. Define the term Anatomy & Physiology (A&P).
2. Understand the relationship between A&P.
3. Define level of organization of the body.
4. Define Anatomical position.
5. Describe the various body planes.
6. Define the body cavities.
7. Discuss body cavities and list the organs lying within each cavity.
8. Identify abdominal pelvic regions and quadrants.
9. Identify the organs present in Nine (9) abdomino-pelvic regions.
10. Briefly discuss the importance of abdomino-pelvic quadrants and
regions.
 Overview of the course:
 The Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) is designed to let the
student familiar with the basic anatomical structure of the
human body.
 Students will learn what the various organs of the body do to
contribute to the overall physiology of the body as well as the
interaction between them.
 Anatomy and Physiology are always related.
 Structure determines what functions can take place.
 For example, the lungs are not muscular chambers like the
heart and can not pump blood, but because the walls of lungs
are very thin, they can exchange gasses and provide oxygen
to the body.
 Anatomy and Physiology- Definitions:
 Anatomy is the study of the structure and shape of the body
and body parts and their relationships to one another.
 The term anatomy comes from the Greek words meaning to
cut (tomy) apart ( ana) .
 Physiology is the study of how the body and its parts work or
function.
 Physio =nature, logy = the study of.
 Like anatomy , physiology has many subdivisions.
 For example neurophysiology explains the working of the
nervous system and cardiac physiology studies the function of
the heart.
 Level of Structural Organization:
The human body exhibits 6 levels of structural complexity, i.e.
1- Chemical level: the simplest level of structural ladder. At
this level atoms combine to form molecules such as water,
sugar and proteins.
2- Cellular level: the smallest units of living things .
3- Tissue level: groups of similar cells that have a common
function (4-basic types).
4- Organ level: an organ is a structure composed of 2 or more
tissue types that performs a specific function .
5- Organ System: is a group of organs that work together to
accomplish a common purpose (each organ has its own job to
do).
6- Organismal level: represents the highest level of structural
organization ( total of 11 Organ systems).
Level of Structural Organization:
 11- Organ Systems:
1. Integumentary system
2. Skeletal system
3. Muscular system
4. Nervous system
5. Endocrine system
6. Circulatory system
7. Lymphatic system
8. Respiratory system
9. Digestive system
10. Urinary (Excretory) system
11. Reproductive system.
 1). Integumentary system:
Organs:
- Skin
Functions:
• Waterproofs, cushions.
• protects deeper tissue.
• Excretes salts and urea;
• Pain, pressure.
• Regulates body temperature.
• Synthesize vitamin D.
 2). Skeletal System:
 Organs:
 Bones, cartilages, ligaments,
joints
 Functions:
• Protects and supports body
organs.
• Framework for muscles and
movement
• Hematopoiesis [formation of blood
cells].

• Store minerals.
 3). Muscular System:
Organs:
• Skeletal muscles (attached to
bone)
Functions:
• Contraction and mobility
(locomotion).
• Facial expression, postures.
• Produce body heat.
 4). Nervous System:
 Organs:
 Brain, spinal cord, nerves and
sensory receptors.
 Functions:
 Fast-acting central control
system.
 Responds to external/internal
stimuli via nerve impulses
(electrical messages).
 5). Endocrine System:
 Organs:
 Pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid,
adrenals, thymus, pancreas,
pineal, ovaries, testes etc.
 Functions:
 Slow -acting control system.
 Glands produce hormones that
regulate growth, reproduction,
metabolism etc.
 6). Circulatory/Cardio-vascular System:
 Organs:
 Heart, blood vessels,
capillaries and blood.
 Functions:
 Carries O2 nutrients, hormones,
and other substances to and
from tissue cells.
 White blood cells protect
against bacteria, toxins,
tumors.
 7). Lymphatic System:
Organs:
• Lymphatic vessels, lymph
nodes, spleen, tonsils.
Functions:
• Complements circulatory
system by returning leaked
fluid back to blood vessels.
• Cleanses the blood.
• Involved in immunity.
 8). Respiratory System:
 Organs:
 Nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx,
trachea, bronchi and lungs.
 Functions:
 Keeps blood supplied with O2
and removes CO2.
 Carries out gas exchanges
through air sacs in lungs.
 9). Digestive System:
 Organs:
 Oral cavity, esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large
intestine, rectum, anus (liver and
pancreas).
 Functions:
 Breaks food down into
absorbable units that enter the
blood.
 Indigestible food eliminated as
feces.
 10). Urinary System:
Organs:
• Kidney, ureter, urinary bladder,
urethra.
Functions:
• Eliminates nitrogenous waste
from the body (urea and uric
acid)
• Regulates water, electrolytes
and acid-base balance of the
blood.
 11). Reproductive System:
Organs:
• Male -- seminal vesicles, prostate,
penis, vas deferens, testis, scrotum.
• Female -- ovaries, mammary glands,
uterus, vagina, uterine tube.
Functions:
• Primary function for both sexes is to
produce offspring.
• Male – testes produce sperm and
male sex hormones.
• Female – ovaries produce eggs and
female sex hormones; mammary
glands for nourishment.
 Anatomical Position:

Standing erect
Feet parallel
Arms hanging at the sides
Palms facing forward.
 Anatomical position – body is
erect with the feet parallel and
the arms hanging at the sides
with the palms facing forward.
 Directional Terms:
Superior (cranial or cephalic) – toward the head end or upper
part of a structure or body; above.
Inferior (caudal) – away from the head end or toward the
lower part of a structure or body; below.
Anterior (ventral) – toward or at the front of the body; in front
of.
Posterior (dorsal) – toward or at the backside of the body;
behind.
Medial – toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner
side.
Lateral – away from the midline of the body; on the outer side.
 Conti….
Proximal – close to the origin of the body part or the point of
attachment of a limb to the body trunk.
Distal – farther from the origin of a body or the point of.
attachment of a limb to the body trunk.
Superficial (external) – toward or at the body surface.
Deep (internal) – away from the body surface; more internal.
Anatomical Directional Terms:
 Examples of Directional Terms:
The navel is inferior to the breastbone.
The heart is posterior to the breastbone.
The arms are lateral to the chest.
The elbow is proximal to the wrist.
The skin is superficial to the skeleton.
The forehead is superior to the nose.
The breastbone is anterior to the spine.
The heart is medial to the arm.
The armpit is intermediate between the breastbone and the
shoulder.
The knee is distal to the thigh.
The lungs are deep to the rib cage.
 Anatomical Body Planes:
A section is a cut made along a plane.
Sagittal/ Midsagittal (median) plane – cut made along the
lengthwise or longitudinal plane of the body dividing it into left
and right parts (right and left parts are of equal size).
Frontal (coronal) plane – cut made along a lengthwise plane
that divides the body into anterior and posterior parts.
Transverse plane (cross section) – cut made along a
horizontal plane dividing the body or organ into superior and
inferior parts.
 Body Landmarks:
• There are many visible landmarks (body parts that can be
easily seen) on the surface of the body.
Anterior body landmarks.
Posterior body landmarks.
 Main Cavities in Human Body:
The human body organs are contained and protected within
four cavities.
1). Cranial cavity.
2). Thoracic cavity.
3). Abdominal cavity.
4). Pelvic cavity.
 1). Cranial Cavity:
Cranial cavity contains brain and its boundaries, formed by the
bones of skull.
Anteriorly -- 1 frontal bone.
Laterally -- 2 temporal bones.
Posteriorly -- 1 occipital bone.
Superiorly -- 2 parietal bones.
Inferiorly --1 sphenoid and 1 ethmoid bone and parts of the
frontal, temporal and occipital bones.
 2). Thoracic Cavity:
This cavity is situated in the upper part of the TRUNK. its
boundaries are formed by the thoracic cage and supporting
muscles.
Anteriorly: the sternum and costal cartilages of the ribs.
Laterally: 12 pairs of ribs and the Intercostal muscles.
Posteriorly: the thoracic vertebrae.
Superiorly: root of the neck.
Inferiorly: the diaphragm.
Contents:
 The trachea, 2 bronchi, 2 lungs
 The heart, aorta, superior and inferior
 vanacava and many other blood vessels.
 The esophagus
 3). Abdominal Cavity:
The largest body cavity and is oval in shape and occupies
most of the TRUNK.
Contents:
 Stomach.
 Small intestine and most of the large intestine.
 Liver, gall bladder, bile ducts and pancreas.
 Spleen.
 2 kidneys and upper part of the ureters.
 2 adrenal glands, lymph nodes.
 Numerous blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerves.
Organs in the Abdominal Cavity:
 4). Pelvic Cavity:
This cavity is roughly funnel shaped and extends from the
lower end of the abdominal cavity.
Contents:
 Sigmoid colon, rectum and anus.
 Some loops of the small intestine.
 Urinary bladder , lower parts of the ureters and urethra
 Uterus, uterine tubes, ovaries and vagina (in females).
 Prostate gland, seminal vesicles, spermatic cords, deferent
ducts, ejaculatory ducts and the urethra (in males).
Male and Female Organs in Pelvic Cavity:
 Abdomino-pelvic Regions:
 Because the Abdomino-pelvic cavity is large and contains
several organs, it helps to divide it into smaller areas for study.
 One division method, used primarily by anatomists, uses two
transverse and two parasagittal planes. These planes, divide
the cavity into nine regions i.e.
 The Umbilical region is the centermost region deep to and
surrounding the umbilicus (navel).
 The Epigastric region is located superior to the umbilical
region (epi = upon, above; gastric = belly).
 The Hypogastric (pubic) region is located inferior to the
umbilical region.
 The right and left iliac, or inguinal regions are located
lateral to the hypogastric region.
 Conti….
 The right and left lumbar regions lie lateral to the umbilical
region.
 The right and left hypochondriac regions flank the
epigastric region laterally.
 Abdomino-pelvic Cavity Quadrants:
 A simpler scheme to localize the Abdomino-pelvic cavity
organs is to imagine one transverse and one median Sagittal
plane pass through the umbilicus at right angles.
 The resulting quadrants are named according to their
positions.
Right upper quadrant (RUQ)
Left upper quadrant (LUQ),
Right lower quadrant (RLQ)
Left lower quadrant (LLQ).
Abdomino-pelvic Cavity Quadrants:
 References:
 PRINCIPLES OF ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY-Gerard J. Tortora 15th
Edition.
 Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness. 12th
Edition by Anne Waugh, Allison Grant .