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Functional Organization of The Human Body and Control of The Internal Environment

The document provides an overview of human physiology, including the maintenance of homeostasis through feedback control systems that regulate the internal environment. It describes the major body systems that exchange nutrients and waste, as well as the nervous and hormonal systems that coordinate their functions. While physiological variables show some variability, homeostasis aims to maintain stability within normal ranges despite environmental challenges or disease states.

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George Lusana
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49 views

Functional Organization of The Human Body and Control of The Internal Environment

The document provides an overview of human physiology, including the maintenance of homeostasis through feedback control systems that regulate the internal environment. It describes the major body systems that exchange nutrients and waste, as well as the nervous and hormonal systems that coordinate their functions. While physiological variables show some variability, homeostasis aims to maintain stability within normal ranges despite environmental challenges or disease states.

Uploaded by

George Lusana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Functional Organization of the

Human Body
and Control of the Internal
Environment

Dr. Elizabeth Msubi


Department of Physiology
MUHAS
Learning objectives
At the end of session, students are expected to be
able to:
• Understand the concept of human physiology.
• Understand the concept internal environment.
• Gain knowledge on concept of homeostasis and
feedback control system of internal environment.
• Have an overview on hormonal and nervous
regulation of body functions
• Understand the concept of physiological variability
What is physiology
• Physiology: Biological sciences dealing
with the normal FUNCTION exhibited
by all living organisms.

• Human physiology: basic sciences


dealing with normal FUNCTION of the
human body.

3
Why do we study Physiology?
• The goal of physiology is to explain the physical and
chemical mechanism that are responsible for the
origin, development, and progression of life.
• Understand the physiologic principle underlie
normal function in order to cure the
impairments/diseases.
• Links the basic sciences with medicine.
• Pathophysiology is the study of disordered body
function and the basis for clinical medicine.
Body Systems

PHYSIOLOGY TOPICS & EXAM TECH 5


Body Systems cont.

PHYSIOLOGY TOPICS & EXAM TECH 6


Extracellular fluid—the “internal
environment”
• About 50% to 70% of the adult human body is
fluid, mainly a water solution of ions and
other substances.
• Two- third is inside the cells and is called
intracellular fluid,
• One-third is in the spaces outside the cells
and is called extracellular fluid.
• This extracellular fluid is in constant motion
throughout the body.
Cont..
• It is transported rapidly in the circulating blood and
then mixed between the blood and tissue fluids by
diffusion through the capillary walls.
• Cells are capable of living and performing their
special functions as long as the proper
concentrations of oxygen, nutrients, different ions
and other constituents are available in this internal
environment.
ICF ISF plasma organs
external
environment
internal environment

Exchange and communication are key concepts


for understanding physiological homeostasis. 10
A framework for human physiology
1. Cells, the fundamental units of life, exchange nutrients
and wastes with their surroundings:

The intracellular fluid is “conditioned by”…

the interstitial fluid, which is “conditioned by” …

the plasma, which is “conditioned by” …

the organ systems it passes through.


11
Homeostasis
• Is the maintenance of a nearly constant
internal environment
• Powerful control systems exist for
maintaining concentrations of ions,
nutrients, waste products and other
substances in the body within a range of
values that permit the cells, tissues, and
organs to perform their normal functions,
despite wide environmental variations and
challenges from injury and diseases.
Example of blood glucose
hemostasis
• Blood glucose levels increase after eating. Levels
return to their set point via homeostasis
• This is an example of dynamic constancy. Levels
change over short periods of time, but remain
relatively constant over long periods of time.
Homeostatic Compensations in Diseases
• Disease is often considered to be a state of disrupted
homeostasis.
• However, even in the presence of disease,
homeostatic mechanisms continue to operate and
maintain vital functions through multiple
compensations.
• One should be able to differentiate between primary
cause of the disease from the compensatory
responses.
• For example kidney diseases and high blood
pressure
Origin of nutrients in the ECF
• Respiratory System
• Gastrointestinal Tract
• Liver and Other Organs That Perform Primarily
Metabolic Functions.
• The liver changes the chemical compositions
of many of these substances to more usable
forms (metabolism).
• Also detoxification
• Musculoskeletal System….??!
Removal of metabolic end
products
• Lungs

• Kidneys

• Liver

• Gastrointestinal tract
Regulation of body functions
Nervous System- Is composed of
• The sensory input portion,
• The central nervous system (or integrative
portion)
• The motor output portion.
• Autonomic nervous system.
It operates at a subconscious level and controls
many functions of internal organs.
Cont.….
Hormone Systems.
• Located in the body are endocrine glands, organs and
tissues that secrete chemical substances called
hormones.
• Hormones are transported in the extracellular fluid to
other parts of the body to help regulate cellular
function
• The nervous and hormonal systems normally work
together in a coordinated manner to control essentially
all the organ systems of the body.
Protection of the body
Immune System.
• The immune system includes white blood cells and lymph
organs that protect the body from pathogens such as
bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.
• The immune system provides a mechanism for the body
to carry out the following:
(1) distinguish its own cells from harmful foreign cells and
substances;
(2) And destroy the invader by phagocytosis or by producing
sensitized lymphocytes or specialized proteins (e.g.,
antibodies) that destroy or neutralize the invader.
Cont.….
Integumentary System.
• The skin and its various appendages (including the hair,
nails, glands, and other structures) cover, cushion, and
protect the deeper tissues and organs of the body and
generally provide a boundary between the body’s internal
environment and the outside world.
• The integumentary system is also important for
temperature regulation and excretion of wastes, and it
provides a sensory interface between the body and the
external environment.
• The skin generally comprises about 12% to 15% of body
weight.
Characteristics of control systems
Negative Feedback Nature of Most Control Systems
• If some factor becomes excessive or deficient, a
control system initiates negative feedback, which
consists of a series of changes that return the factor
toward a certain mean value, thus maintaining
homeostasis.
• Example
• In the regulation of carbon dioxide concentration, how
does negative feedback control operates?
Cont.…
Positive Feedback
• Why do most control systems of the body operate by
negative feedback rather than by positive feedback?
• If one considers the nature of positive feedback, it is
obvious that positive feedback leads to instability rather
than stability and, in some cases, can cause death.
• Childbirth is another situation in which positive feedback is
valuable.
• When this process becomes powerful enough, the baby is
born.
Physiological variability
• Although some physiological variables, such as plasma
concentrations of various ions, are tightly regulated,
others, such as body weight and adiposity, show wide
variation among different individuals and even in the
same individual at different stages of life.
• Blood pressure, cardiac pumping, metabolic rate, nervous
system activity, hormones, and other physiological
variables change throughout the day as we move about
and engage in normal daily activities.
Cont.…
• Therefore, when we discuss “normal” values, it is with
the understanding that many of the body’s control
systems are constantly reacting to perturbations, and
that variability may exist among different individuals,
depending on body weight and height, diet, age, sex,
environment, genetics, and other factors.
• For simplicity, discussion of physiological functions
often focuses on the “average” 70-kg young, lean male.
• These sources of physiological variability are complex
but important considerations when discussing normal
physiology and the pathophysiology of diseases.
References
• Vanders Human Physiology 15th edition
• Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology
14th edition
• K Sembulingam - Essentials of Medical Physiology,
6th Edition
• Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, 23rd
Edition
• LANGE Basic Science - Review of Medical Physiology
- 21 Edition

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