Body Orientation and Organizational Levels Flashcards
Anatomy
The science of structure and the relationship among structures
Physiology
the science of body functions - how the parts of the body work
Why are anatomy and physiology taught together?
Structure often determines function and vice versa. Structure and function are easiest to understand when observed together
6 Levels of Organization from smallest to largest
Chemical Cellular Tissue Organ System Organismal
Chemical
atoms and molecules
Cellular
basic structural and functional units of an organism
Tissue
groups of cells and the materials surrounding them that work together to perform a particular function
Organ
different kinds of tissues come together to form body structures
System
consists of related organs that have a common function
Organismal
all systems of the body combine to make up an organism
Muscular System
Components: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle tissue
Functions: brings about body movement, maintains, posture, produces heat
Skeletal System
Components: bones and joints of the body and their associated cartilages
Functions: supports and protects, muscle attachment, produce blood cells, store minerals and
lipids
Nervous System
Components: brain, spinal cord, nerves, and special sense organs
Functions: regulates body activities
Metabolism
the sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body (sum of all the building up
and breaking down)
Homeostasis
The maintenance of relatively stable conditions necessary for effective functioning and
survival
Ensures that the body’s internal environment remains constant despite changes inside and outside
the body
Maintained by means of many feedback loops
Each body system contributes to homeostasis in some way
It is dynamic – it can change over a narrow range that is compatible with maintaining cellular
life processes
Homeostatic mechanisms are mainly under the control of two systems: the nervous system and
the endocrine system
Nerve impulses cause quick, immediate corrections
Hormones secreted by the endocrine system cause slow, long acting corrections
Feedback Loops
a cycle of events in which a condition in
the body in continually monitored, evaluated, changed, remonitored, reevaluated, and so on
Controlled conditions
body temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose level, etc.
Stimulus
anything that disrupts the controlled condition
Three components of a feedback system
Receptor
Control Center
Effector
Receptor
a body structure that monitors changes in a controlled condition and sends
information called the input to a control center
Control Center
the brain sets the ranges of values within which a controlled condition
should be maintained, evaluates the input it receives from receptors, and generates output
commands when they are needed
Effector
a body structure that receives output from the control center and produces a
response that changes the controlled condition
Negative Feedback loop
reverses a change in a controlled condition; the activity of the effector
produces a result that reverses the effect of the stimulus; tend to regulate conditions that are held
fairly stable over long periods; works like the thermostat in your house
Positive feedback loop
strengthens a change in a controlled condition; reinforces conditions that
don’t happen very often (childbirth or blood-clotting); must be shut off by some event outside
the system so it can’t “run away” and produce life-threatening changes
Loss of homeostasis in a component or system may result in
disruption of normal balance of
other systems and processes, disorders , disease , symptoms , signs ; if the imbalance is severe enough, death may result
Disorders
any abnormality of structure and/or function
Disease
an
illness characterized by a recognizable set of symptoms and signs
Symptoms
subjective
changes in body functions that are not apparent to an observer
Signs
objective changes that a
clinician can observe and measure
Anatomical position
a specific stance used in the study of anatomy to describe location and direction
Subject stands erect facing the observer with the head level and eyes facing forward. Feet are flat
on the floor and directed forward and arms are at the sides with palms turned forward
Supine Position
when the body is lying face up
Prone Position
when the body is lying face down
Head
cephalic,facial,cranial
neck
cervical
breastbone
sternal
naval
umbilical
Spinal column
vertebral
Between Hips
Sacral
Armpit
axillary
Shoulder Blade
scapular
Arm
brachial
forearm
antebrachial
wrist
carpal
Hip
coxal
Groin
inguinal
Buttock
gluteal
thigh
femoral
leg
crural
calf
sural
ankle
tarsal
dorsal
top of foot
plantar
sole of foot
Body cavities
spaces within the body that contain, protect, separate, and support internal organs
Cranial Cavity
formed by the cranial bones and contains the brain
Vertebral Cavity
formed by the bones of the vertebral column and contains the spinal cord
Thoracic cavity
chest cavity containing three smaller cavities: pericardial, 2 pleural cavities
Pericardial cavity
a fluid-filled space that surrounds the heart
Two pleural Cavity
each of which surrounds one lung and contains a small amount of
fluid
Mediastinum
central portion containing all thoracic organs except the lungs
Abdominopelvic cavity
Extends from the diaphragm (a dome-shaped muscle that separates the
thoracic cavity from the abdominopelvic cavity) to the groin
contains the viscera ( all organs inside the cavity)
Abdominal and pelvic cavities
Abdominal cavity
upper portion; contains stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder,
small intestine, and most of the large intestine
Pelvic cavity
lower portion; contains the urinary bladder, portions of the large
intestine, and internal organs of the reproductive system
Oral Cavity
mouth; contains the tongue and teeth
Nasal Cavity
nose
Orbital cavities
contain the eyeballs
Middle Ear cavities
contain small bones in the middle ear
Synovial cavities
found in freely movable joints and contain synovial fluid
Serous membrane
a thin, slippery, double-layered membrane that covers the viscera within the
thoracic and abdominal cavities and lines the walls of the thorax and abdomen
Pleura
of the plueral cavities
pericardium
of the pericardial cavity
Peritoneium
of the abdominal cavity
Three parts of the peritoneum
Parietal, Visceral, Serous fluid
Parietal layer
lines the walls of the cavities
Visceral layer
covers and adheres to the viscera within the cavities
serous fluid
a small amount of lubricating fluid between the two layers reducing friction, allowing the viscera to slide somewhat during movements, as when the lungs inflate and
deflate during breathing
Directional terms
Words that describe the position of one body part relative to another
Superior/Inferior
toward or away from the head
Anterior/Posterior
nearer to the front or back of the body
Medial/Lateral
nearer or farther from the midline of the body
Intermediate
between two structures
Ipsilateral/Contralateral
on the same or opposite side of the body
Proximal/Distal
nearer or farther from the attachment of a limb to the trunk
Superficial/Deep
toward or away from the surface of the body
