INTRODUCTION OF ANATOMY &

PHYSIOLOGY
Anatomy – is the scientific discipline that investigates the structure of the body.
Physiology – is the scientific discipline that deals with the processes or functions of living things.

TWO BASIC APPROACHES TO STUDY

 Systemic Anatomy
- By system
- Used in introductory textbooks
 Regional Anatomy
- By Areas
- Used in most medical and dental school

TWO GENERAL WAYS TO EXAMINE

 Surface Anatomy
- External features which serves as landmarks

 Anatomical Imaging
- Involves the use of x-rays, ultrasound, MRI
BRANCHES OF ANATOMY
Gross: Large structures
Surface: Landmarks
Histology: Cells and Tissues
Developmental: Structures change through life
Embryology: Structures form and develop before birth

DIVISONS OF ANATOMY
 GROSS ANATOMY
- Structures that can be seen with the eye
- Muscles, bones, various organs

 MICROSCOPIC ANATOMY
- Structures that cannot be seen with the eye
- Need to use a microscope
Cytology = study of cells
Histology = study of tissues

HIERARCHY OF FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION

Each of these build upon one another to make up the next level:
- Chemical level
- Organelle
 - Cellular
- Tissue
- Organ
- Organ system
- Organism

1. Chemical level
- Atoms combine to make molecules
> 4 macromolecules in the body
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acids

2. Cellular
- Made up of cells and cellular organelles (molecules)
- Cells can be eukaryotic or prokaryotic
- Organelles are structures within cells that perform dedicated functions (“small organs”)

3. Tissue
- Collection of cells that work together to perform a specialized function
> 4 basic types of tissue in the human body:
Epithelium
Connective tissue
Muscle tissue
Nervous tissue

4. Organ
- Made up of tissue
> Heart
> Brain
> Liver
> Pancreas, etc…

5. Organ system (11)

- Made up of a group of related organs that work together

> Integumentary
> Skeletal
> Muscular
> Nervous
> Endocrine
> Cardiovascular
> Lymphatic
> Respiratory
> Digestive
> Urinary
> Reproductive
6. Organism
- An individual human, animal, plant, etc…
- Made up all of the organ systems
- Work together to sustain life
CHARACTERISTIC OF LIFE
1. Organization
- refers to specific interrelationships among the parts of an organism and how those parts interact to perform specific
functions.
2. Metabolism
- is the ability to use energy to perform vital functions. It includes an organism’s ability to break down food molecules,
which the organism uses as a source of energy and raw materials to synthesize its own molecules.
3. Responsiveness
- is the ability of an organism to sense changes in the environment and make adjustment.
4. Growth
- refers to an increase in size of all or part of the organism.
5. Development
- includes the changes an organism undergoes through time; it begins with fertilization and ends with death.
6. Reproduction
- is the formation of new cells or new organism.

ANATOMICAL DIRECTIONS
 Anatomical position
 Anatomical Directions - It’s all Relative!
 Anterior (ventral) vs. Posterior (dorsal)
 Medial vs. Lateral
 Superior (cranial) vs. Inferior (caudal)
 Superficial vs. Deep
 Proximal vs. Distal
 Anatomical Planes
 Frontal = Coronal
 Transverse = Horizontal = Cross Section
 Sagittal
 Regions
 Axial vs. Appendicular

The normal anatomic position:

- Standing upright
- Head, eyes and toes directed anteriorly or forward
- Arms adjacent to the sides with palms facing anteriorly
- Lower limbs close together with the feet parallel
BODY PLANE
REFERENCE POINT
Anterior – (ventral) Posterior – (dorsal) Frontal Plane
Closer to the front Closer to the rear
surface of the body surface of the body
Medial – Lying closer Lateral – Lying Sagittal Plane
to the midline further away from
the midline
Superior – (cranial) Inferior – (caudal) Horizontal
Closer to the head in Away from the head Plane
relation to the entire or towards the lower
body (More General) part of the body
Superficial – Towards Deep – Away from Surface of
the surface the surface body or organ
Proximal – Closer to Distal – Further Origin of a
the origin of a body away from the origin structure
part (More Specific) of a body part
 - Regional terms are used to describe certain body regions, many anatomical structures will have names relating to their body
region.

PLANES AND SECTION

Sagittal section – divides the body into right and left sides
 Mid-sagittal section = straight down the center of the body
Frontal section – divides the body into front and back sides
Transverse (cross) section – cut straight across the body
C. Body planes and sections- a plane is a flat sectional cut along the body There are four planes:
 Frontal (coronal)
 Median (midline or sagittal)
 Transverse (horizontal)
 Oblique (diagonal)

ABDOMINAL QUADRANTS AND REGIONS

BODY QUADRANTS
Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)
Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)
Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)
Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)
BODY CAVITIES
 Body cavities are internal chambers holding vital organs
o Cavities protect vital organs
o Cavities allow organs to change in shape and size
 Two body cavities
o Dorsal body cavity includes the cranial cavity and the spinal cavity
o Ventral body cavity includes the thoracic cavity and the abdominopelvic cavity
HOMEOSTASIS
- Homeostasis is a stable internal environment
- Every organism must maintain homeostasis for survival
- Homeostatic regulation is responsible for keeping internal environment within certain limits.

Two General Points Within Homeostasis

- Autoregulation or intrinsic regulation – results when cell, organ or system adjusts its activity automatically.
- Extrinsic regulation - results from activity of nervous system or endocrine system.

Homeostasis Regulation Involves

A homeostatic regulatory mechanism consists of:
A receptor – senses an environmental change or stimuli.
A control center –processes information supplied by receptor and generates a response (command)
An effector – an organ or cell that responds to the command of control center.

A variation outside the desired range triggers an automatic response to correct the situation
 Negative feedback
Negative Feedback: The Control of Body Temperature

Positive Feedback: Blood

In positive feedback an initial stimulus produces a response that enhances the change in the original condition. For
instance:
 Damage to blood vessel wall will cause release of chemicals.
 Chemicals will trigger blood clotting
 Clotting process increases release of chemicals
 More chemicals mean accelerated clotting
 Accelerated clotting means more chemicals