Human Body Systems, Disease, and Anatomy History

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering human body models, organ systems, circulatory and respiratory systems, infectious diseases, pathogen transmission prevention, defense mechanisms, and historical milestones in human anatomy.

Anatomical Models

Models (such as skeletons and plastic body parts), diagrams, working models, and virtual animations that help us see and understand how body parts and systems function.

Working Models

Models that represent how organs operate, such as a working model of human lungs demonstrating breathing in and out.

Organs

Specialized body parts that perform specific functions (e.g., eyes, ears, stomach, heart, lungs).

Organ Systems

A group of organs working together to perform a major body function.

Digestive System

An organ system where the mouth, tongue, stomach, and intestines work together to process food.

Organism

A living structure made up of several organ systems working together to survive.

Circulatory System

The body's main transport system that carries nutrients, oxygen, and waste products around the body in the blood.

Heart

A fist-sized organ made of special muscle that acts as a pump to move blood, operating through involuntary actions (heartbeats).

Arteries

Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.

Veins

Blood vessels that carry used blood back to the heart.

Capillaries

Smallest blood vessels that connect arteries and veins, allowing substances to move between blood and body cells.

Blood

Liquid carrying nutrients, oxygen, and waste products throughout the body.

Pulse

A rhythm felt where blood vessels are close to the skin, such as the wrist or side of the throat.

Respiratory System

An organ system that allows us to inhale (breathe in) oxygen and exhale (breathe out) carbon dioxide.

Windpipe (Trachea)

The tube connecting the nose and mouth to the lungs.

Lungs

Thin, delicate organs located inside the chest, protected by the ribcage.

Air Sacs (Alveoli)

Sponge-like structures in the lungs surrounded by capillaries where gas exchange occurs (oxygen enters the blood; carbon dioxide exits).

Pathogens

Tiny organisms (microorganisms) that cause infection and disease.

Viruses

A class of pathogens responsible for COVID-19, chickenpox, common cold, flu, measles, polio, hepatitis, HIV, Ebola, and Zika.

Bacteria

A class of pathogens responsible for cholera, tetanus, tuberculosis (TB), typhoid fever, and whooping cough.

Fungi

A class of pathogens responsible for ringworm, athlete's foot, and some ear infections.

Parasites

A class of pathogens responsible for malaria, bilharzia, dysentery, and sleeping sickness.

Transmission

The spread of pathogens from person to person or object to person.

Vectors

Living organisms (like mosquitoes or flies) that spread pathogens from person to person.

Vector Control

The use of insect repellent, nets, and protective clothing to prevent mosquito bites and pathogen transmission.

Physical Barriers

Defenses like skin, eyelashes, ear wax, hairs, cilia, and blood clotting that physically block or trap pathogens.

Cilia

Tiny airways hairs that move trapped mucus out of the respiratory tract.

Blood Clotting / Scabs

Physical barriers that form over cuts to block pathogens.

Chemical Barriers

Body fluids and secretions like tears, saliva, mucus, stomach acid, and skin oils that kill or trap pathogens.

Mucus

A sticky lining in airways that traps dust and microorganisms.

Stomach Acid

A chemical barrier that kills pathogens swallowed with food or drink.

Sweat and Oil Glands

Glands that produce oils on the skin that kill pathogens.

Anatomy

The study of the structure of the human body.

Herophilus

An Ancient Greek scholar who dissected human bodies and concluded that the brain (not the heart) was the body's center.

Galen

An Ancient Roman physician who developed theories from treating wounded soldiers and dissecting animals, though some of his theories were incorrect.

Ibn Al-Haytham

An Arab World scientist (950–1300 CE) who explained how eyes work.

Abu Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

An Arab World scholar (950–1300 CE) who wrote The Canon of Medicine.

Ibn Al-Nafis

An Arab World scientist (950–1300 CE) who explained how the circulatory system works.

Vesalius

A Renaissance anatomist in the 1500s who corrected Galen's mistakes through human dissections.

Modern Era (Anatomy)

Period characterized by the invention of microscopes allowing cell research, as well as X-rays and scans allowing non-invasive views inside the body today.