CH.1 : AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMAN BODY Flashcards
What is homeostasis?
the state of relative stability of the body’s internal environment.
What are the two branches of science? Explain them.
- anatomy the science of body structures and the relationships among them
- physiology is the science of body functions—how the body parts work.
What are the smallest units of matter that participate in chemical reactions?
atoms
What are molecules made up of?
two or more atoms joined together
What atoms are essential for maintaining life?
carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and sulfur (S)
Molecules combine to form ___
cells
What are tissues made up of ?
groups of cells and the materials surrounding them that work together to perform a particular function
At the ___ level different types of tissues are joined together.
organ
A system consists of?
related organs with a common function.
Give an example of a body system and explain it:
digestive system, which breaks down and absorbs food.
What is an organism?
- any living individual.
- All the parts of the human body functioning together constitute the total organism.
What is palpation?
the examiner feels body surfaces with the hands.
What is auscultation?
the examiner listens to body sounds to evaluate the functioning of certain organs, often using a stethoscope to amplify the sounds.
What is percussion?
the examiner taps on the body surface with the fingertips and listens to the resulting echo.
What are the six most important life processes of the human body?
metabolism, responsiveness, movement, growth, differentiation and reproduction
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain metabolism and give an example.
- the sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body
- One phase is catabolism, the breakdown of complex chemical substances into simpler components.
- other phase is anabolism, the building up of complex chemical substances from smaller, simpler components.
- For ex, digestive processes catabolize (split) proteins in food into amino acids. These amino acids are then used to anabolize (build) new proteins that make up body structures such as muscles and bones.
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain responsiveness and give an example.
- the body’s ability to detect and respond to changes
- For example, an increase in body temperature during a fever represents a change in the internal environment
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain movement and give an example.
- includes motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, and even tiny structures inside cells.
- For example, the coordinated action of leg muscles moves your whole body from one place to another when you walk or run.
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain growth and give an example.
- an increase in body size that results from an increase in the size of existing cells, an increase in the number of cells, or both.
- for example, mineral deposits accumulate between bone cells, causing the bone to grow in length and width
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain differentiation and give an example.
- the development of a cell from an unspecialized to a specialized state. (stem cells)
- For example, red blood cells and several types of white blood cells all arise from the same unspecialized pre- cursor cells in red bone marrow.
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain reproduction.
-refers either to (1) the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement, or (2) the production of a new individual.
In terms of the six most important life processes, explain reproduction.
-refers either to (1) the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement, or (2) the production of a new individual.
Discuss the importance of body fluids and which one is considered to be the body’s internal environment.
- they control the transportation of substances into and out of cells.
- Intracellular fluid is the fluid within the cells of the body
- extracellular fluid is the fluid outside the body cells.
- The extracellular fluid that takes up the areas between tissue cells is called interstitial fluid, which is considered to be the body’s internal environment.
ECF differs depending on where it occurs in the body: ECF within blood vessels is termed ___ _____, within lymphatic vessels it is called ___, in and around the brain and spinal cord it is known as ___ fluid , in joints it is referred to as____ fluid, and the ECF of the eyes is called ___ ___ and vitreous body.
- blood plasma
- lymph
- cerebrospinal fluid
- synovial
- aqueous humor
The composition of interstitial fluid changes as substances move back and forth between it and blood plasma. Such exchange of materials occurs across the thin walls of the smallest blood vessels in the body which are?
the blood capillaries
What is a feedback system/feedback loop?
- is a cycle of events in which the status of a body condition is monitored, evaluated, changed, remonitored, reevaluated, and so on.
- Each monitored variable is termed a controlled condition
- Any disruption that changes a controlled condition is called a stimulus
What is a feedback system/feedback loop?
is a cycle of events in which the status of a body condition is monitored, evaluated, changed, remonitored, reevaluated, and so on.
In terms of a feedback system, explain the receptor.
-monitor changes in a controlled condition and send input to a control center (afferent pathway).