Anatomy and Physiology Chapter 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering foundational concepts of anatomy, physiology, levels of organization, life processes, homeostasis, feedback systems, and anatomical terminology.

Anatomy

The science of body structures and the relationships among them.

Dissection

The careful cutting apart of body structures to study their relationships.

Physiology

The science of body functions, or how the body parts work.

Embryology

The study of the first eight weeks of growth and development after fertilization of a human egg.

Histology

The study of the microscopic structure of tissues.

Pathological Anatomy

The study of structural changes (gross to microscopic) associated with disease.

Endocrinology

The study of hormones (chemical regulators in the blood) and how they control body functions.

Immunology

The study of the body's defenses against disease-causing agents.

Pathophysiology

The study of functional changes associated with disease and aging.

Noninvasive Diagnostic Technique

A diagnostic technique that does not involve insertion of an instrument or device through the skin or a body opening.

Inspection

A noninvasive diagnostic technique in which the examiner observes the body for any changes that deviate from normal.

Palpation

A noninvasive diagnostic technique in which the examiner feels body surfaces with the hands.

Auscultation

A noninvasive diagnostic technique in which the examiner listens to body sounds to evaluate the functioning of certain organs.

Percussion

A noninvasive diagnostic technique in which the examiner taps on the body surface with the fingertips and listens to the resulting sound.

Chemical Level

The basic level of structural organization including atoms and molecules.

Cellular Level

The level of structural organization composed of cells, which are the basic structural and functional units of an organism.

Tissue Level

The level of structural organization composed of groups of cells and surrounding materials working together to perform a particular function.

Organ Level

The level of structural organization composed of structures of two or more different types of tissues that have specific functions and recognizable shapes.

System Level

The level of structural organization consisting of related organs with a common function.

Organismal Level

The highest level of structural organization, comprising all parts of the human body functioning together.

Integumentary System

Body system consisting of skin and associated structures that protects the body, regulates temperature, eliminates waste, and makes vitamin D.

Skeletal System

Body system consisting of bones, joints, and cartilages that supports/protects the body, aids movement, and stores minerals and lipids.

Muscular System

Body system consisting specifically of skeletal muscle tissue that participates in body movements, maintains posture, and produces heat.

Nervous System

Body system consisting of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and special sense organs that generates action potentials to regulate body activities.

Endocrine System

Body system consisting of hormone-producing glands and cells that regulates body activities by releasing hormones.

Cardiovascular System

Body system consisting of blood, heart, and blood vessels that pumps and carries oxygen, nutrients, and wastes throughout the body.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical processes that occur in the body.

Catabolism

The phase of metabolism involving the breakdown of complex chemical substances into simpler components.

Anabolism

The phase of metabolism involving the building up of complex chemical substances from smaller, simpler components.

Responsiveness

The body's ability to detect and respond to changes in its internal or external environment.

Differentiation

The development of a cell from an unspecialized to a specialized state.

Stem Cells

Precursor cells that can divide and give rise to cells that undergo differentiation.

Autopsy

A postmortem examination of the body and dissection of its internal organs to confirm or determine the cause of death.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of relatively stable conditions in the body's internal environment.

Intracellular Fluid (ICF)

The fluid contained within cells, also called cytosol.

Extracellular Fluid (ECF)

The fluid outside body cells.

Interstitial Fluid

The extracellular fluid that fills the narrow spaces between cells of tissues.

Feedback System

A cycle of events in which the status of a body condition is monitored, evaluated, changed, remonitored, and reevaluated.

Controlled Condition

A monitored variable in a feedback system, such as body temperature, blood pressure, or blood glucose level.

Receptor

A body structure that monitors changes in a controlled condition and sends input to a control center via an afferent pathway.

Control Center

A body structure that sets the set point for a controlled condition, evaluates input from receptors, and generates output commands via an efferent pathway.

Effector

A body structure that receives output from the control center and produces a response or effect that alters the controlled condition.

Negative Feedback System

A feedback system that reverses a change in a controlled condition.

Positive Feedback System

A feedback system that tends to strengthen or reinforce a change in one of the body's controlled conditions.

Disorder

Any abnormality of structure or function.

Disease

An illness characterized by a recognizable set of signs and symptoms.

Symptoms

Subjective changes in body functions that are not apparent to an observer.

Signs

Objective changes that a health-care professional can observe or measure.

Epidemiology

The science that deals with why, when, and where diseases occur and how they are transmitted among individuals in a community.

Pharmacology

The science that deals with the effects and uses of drugs in the treatment of disease.

Diagnosis

The science and skill of distinguishing one disorder or disease from another.

Anatomical Position

Standard reference position in which the subject stands erect facing the observer, head level, eyes facing forward, feet flat on the floor, and upper limbs at sides with palms facing forward.

Prone Position

A reclining body position where the body is lying facedown.

Supine Position

A reclining body position where the body is lying faceup.

Sagittal Plane

A longitudinal plane that divides the body or an organ into right and left sides.

Midsagittal Plane

A plane passing through the midline that divides the body or an organ into equal right and left sides.

Parasagittal Plane

A plane that does not pass through the midline and divides the body or an organ into unequal right and left sides.

Coronal Plane

A longitudinal plane that divides the body or an organ into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions.