Organization of the Human Body Flashcards

Practice flashcards covering definitions, subspecialties, body systems, and anatomical terminology from the N3 Anatomy and Physiology lecture.

__________ is the science of body structures and the relationships among them.

Anatomy

__________ is the science of body functions—how body parts work.

Physiology

The subspecialty of anatomy that studies the first 8 weeks of development following fertilization of an egg is __________.

Embryology

The subspecialty of anatomy that examines structures without using a microscope is __________.

Gross anatomy

The subspecialty of physiology that studies functional changes associated with disease and aging is __________.

Pathophysiology

The six levels of structural organization in the human body are chemical, cellular, tissue, __________, system, and organismal.

organ

The __________ system protects the body, helps regulate body temperature, and helps make Vitamin D.

Integumentary

The __________ system provides a surface area for muscle attachments and houses cells that produce blood cells.

Skeletal

The __________ system generates action potentials (nerve impulses) to regulate body activities.

Nervous

The sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body is known as __________.

Metabolism

The breakdown of complex chemical substances into simpler components is called __________.

Catabolism

The building up of complex chemical substances from smaller, simpler components is called __________.

Anabolism

The development of a cell from an unspecialized to a specialized state is known as __________.

Differentiation

__________ is the condition of equilibrium in the body’s internal environment despite changes inside and outside the body.

Homeostasis

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

Negative

A __________ feedback system strengthens or reinforces a change in one of the body’s controlled conditions.

Positive

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

Symptoms

Objective changes that a clinician can observe and measure are called __________.

Signs

In the __________ position, the subject stands erect facing the observer, head level, eyes forward, feet flat and directed forward, with arms at sides and palms turned forward.

anatomical

The directional term __________ means toward the head or the upper part of a structure.

Superior

The directional term __________ means nearer to the attachment of a limb to the trunk or nearer to the origination of a structure.

Proximal

A __________ plane is a vertical plane that divides the body or organ into right and left sides.

Sagittal

The __________ cavity is the chest cavity and contains the pleural and pericardial cavities and the mediastinum.

Thoracic

The __________ is the central portion of the thoracic cavity between the lungs, extending from the sternum to the vertebral column and from the neck to the diaphragm.

mediastinum

Clinicians and nurses typically use the __________ system to document abdominal pain and findings.

4-quadrant