Chapter 1: Major Themes of Anatomy and Physiology Flashcards
Anatomy
The study of structure.
Physiology
The study of function.
Anatomy and physiology are complementary
They are never entirely separable
What are the 4 ways we physically study the human body?
Inspection (Looking)
Palpation (Touching)
Ausculation (Listening)
Percussion (Looking, touching, and listening)
Radiology
The branch of medicine concerned with medical imaging
Gross anatomy
structure that can be seen with the naked eye
Histology
microscopic anatomy
Histopathology
the microscopic examination of tissues for disease
Cytology
the study of the structure and function of individua cells
Ultrastructure
fine detail, down to the molecular level, revealed by the electron microscope.
(Much of what we know about bodily function has been gained through) comparative physiology
Study of different species to learn about bodily functions
Comparative physiology is the basis for the development of new drugs and medical procedures.
Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes are the people who invented…
The Scientific Method
A proof in science requires…
Reliable observations
Has been tested and confirmed repeated
Not falsified by any credible observation
In science all truth is ____
tentative
“proof beyond reasonable doubt”
Falsifiability
if we claim something is scientifically true,
then we must be able to specify what evidence it would
take to prove it wrong
Inductive Method
First prescribed by Bacon,
Is a process of making numerous observations until one feels confident in drawing generalizations and predictions from them
What we know about anatomy is from the inductive method
Hypothetico-Deductive Method steps
- Ask a question
- Formulate a hypothesis
- Experiment
- Analyze data
- Share results with peers
- Conduct more research
Two Different Approaches to the Scientific Method
Hypothetico-Deductive Method
AND
Inductive Method
Reductionism
theory that a large, complex system such as the human
body can be understood by studying its simpler
components
Holism
there are ‘emergent properties’ of the whole organism
that cannot be predicted from the properties of the
separate parts
Starting from the smallest unit and going to the largest unit, what is the the order of the Hierarchy of Complexity
Atom
Molecules
Organelles
Cells
Tissue
Organ
Organ System
Organism
How many organ systems are there? What are they?
11
Integumentary
Skeletal
Muscular
Nervous
Endocrine
Cardiovascular
Lymphatic (Immune)
Respiratory
Digestive
Urinary
Reproductive
What is homeostasis? (The answer is the first part of the homeostasis paragraph we were told to memorize for unit 1)
Homeostasis is the ability of a system to resist change. In the human body, our organs function to resist change in the internal environment, the interstitial fluid surrounding our cells.
What is the purpose of homeostasis?
To create a stable internal environment around our cells
Feedback loop
Mechanisms that make adjustments to maintain homeostasis.
Interstitial space
The gel state around our cells
What is the relationship between cells and organs?
Nutrients must be brought to the cells, moved into the cells, metabolism occurs, waste products secreted out of cells space and excreted from body.
What are the 3 components of a feedback loop?
Receptor
Integrating Center
Effector
What is another name for the Integrating Center step in a feedback loop?
Control center
Receptor
Senses change in the body. Detects a stimulus
Stimulus
Change in the internal environment
Integrating Center (Control Center)
control center that processes the sensory information, ‘makes a decision’, and directs the response
Effector
carries out the final corrective action to restore homeostasis
The hypothalamus is the “boss” for both the
ANS and the endocrine system
Dynamic equilibrium
State of the body fluctuates within limited range around a set point
Loss of homeostasis causes
illness and/or death
Homeostasis is the foundation of _____
medicine
What parts of the brain deal with the relationship between stress and homeostasis?
My understanding of this is that the cerebral cortex understands that you are stressed and it sends a signal to the hypothalamus (a part of the brain that deals with the endocrine and autonomic nervous system).
The hypothalamus sends out signals to the body to release hormones (endocrine system) and to regulate homeostasis by raising or lowering blood pressure, heart rate, etc. (autonomic nervous system)
Negative Feedback Loop
AC unit example
Helps to return the variable to the “set point”
This is Dynamic equilibrium
Almost everything in your physiology is maintained within a “normal range”
Positive Feedback Loops
Described as a “Self-amplifying event”
Stimulus —> Response —> Stimulus —> Response —>
occurs with childbirth, blood clotting, protein digestion, fever, and the generation of nerve signals
Which is more dangerous, Negative or Positive Feedback Loop?
Positive Feedback Loops
A fever is a good example of this
Evolution
change in genetic composition in a population of an
organisms over time
Natural Selection
some individuals within a species have hereditary
advantage over their other species
selection pressures
natural forces that promote the reproductive
success of some individuals more than others // adaptation
Who was the founder of classical genetics?
Gregor Mendel
Deduced that genes come in pairs and are inherited as
distinct units
What sparked modern molecular biology?
The discovery in 1953 of the double helix
twisted-ladder like structure of deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA)
Epigenetics
The study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence
Another definition for it:
“stably heritable phenotype resulting from changes in a
chromosome without alterations in the DNA sequence”
