Ch.1 What Anatomy Really Means
Chapter 1 Overview Notes: You are to read the text’s chapter and look through the Powerpoint notes on Blackboard as well.
Anatomy literally means “to cut” – tomy and “apart” – ana, since in the early days anatomists used cadavers to cut apart and see inside.
Physiology literally means the “study of nature” so we study the nature or functions of the body systems.
We have to understand that the structure of any body part – muscle cell contracts the organ, protein fibers contract the muscle cell – all the way down to the molecular level, will affect the function of that part or molecule!
We learn the anatomy of the body, even at the cellular level, in order to understand their functions!
Imagine that you are entering a bicycle race, and must choose between two bikes: a sleek racing bike or a heavy-duty bike, guaranteed to handle any terrain. Both vehicles are unmistakably bicycles, but the specific structure of each allows it to perform a specific function. Which bike do you choose? What do you need to know before making a decision?
So we see that physiology, too, can focus at the subcellular, cellular, tissue, organ, organ system, or multiorgan system level. If one loses its function then all other levels above that could be affected! For instance, a single genetic change in DNA at the molecular level in blood’s hemoglobin can cause sickle-cell anemia, which causes several organ and system level symptoms! Through studying both anatomy and physiology, we will gain the foundational understanding to move forward into practical and clinical learning.
You’ll see and study the organ systems in Figure 1-2, the anatomy is there as well as basic functions for you to preview. Also, to help you, in the Powerpoint notes there is a Table of major functions for each system. At the end of each system’s chapter you will also see (and should review) the effects each system has on the others. This should help you get a big picture view of A & P as we
Anatomy literally means “to cut” – tomy and “apart” – ana, since in the early days anatomists used cadavers to cut apart and see inside.
Physiology literally means the “study of nature” so we study the nature or functions of the body systems.
We have to understand that the structure of any body part – muscle cell contracts the organ, protein fibers contract the muscle cell – all the way down to the molecular level, will affect the function of that part or molecule!
We learn the anatomy of the body, even at the cellular level, in order to understand their functions!
Imagine that you are entering a bicycle race, and must choose between two bikes: a sleek racing bike or a heavy-duty bike, guaranteed to handle any terrain. Both vehicles are unmistakably bicycles, but the specific structure of each allows it to perform a specific function. Which bike do you choose? What do you need to know before making a decision?
So we see that physiology, too, can focus at the subcellular, cellular, tissue, organ, organ system, or multiorgan system level. If one loses its function then all other levels above that could be affected! For instance, a single genetic change in DNA at the molecular level in blood’s hemoglobin can cause sickle-cell anemia, which causes several organ and system level symptoms! Through studying both anatomy and physiology, we will gain the foundational understanding to move forward into practical and clinical learning.
You’ll see and study the organ systems in Figure 1-2, the anatomy is there as well as basic functions for you to preview. Also, to help you, in the Powerpoint notes there is a Table of major functions for each system. At the end of each system’s chapter you will also see (and should review) the effects each system has on the others. This should help you get a big picture view of A & P as we