Chapter 1: Major Themes of Anatomy and Physiology

Vocabulary flashcards providing definitions for key terms, concepts, and anatomical principles discussed in Chapter 1.

Anatomy

The study of form.

Comparative Anatomy

The study of bodies of more than one species to analyze structural similarities and differences.

Radiology

The branch of medicine concerned with imaging structures inside the body.

Gross Anatomy

The study of body structures that can be seen with the naked eye.

Histology

The observation of tissue specimens microscopically.

Histopathology

The study of tissue for signs of disease.

Cytology

The study of individual cells.

Ultrastructure

The fine detail of tissue revealed by the electron microscope.

Physiology

The study of biological function.

Comparative Physiology

The study of biological functions of different species, which often serves as the basis for new drugs and medical procedures.

Cell Theory

The theory set forth by Schleiden and Schwann in the mid-1800s stating that all organisms are composed of cells.

Inductive Method

A process of making numerous observations until one feels confident in drawing a generalization from them; anatomy is a product of this method.

Hypothetico-Inductive Method

A scientific method that involves formulating a hypothesis—a possible answer to a question—and making observations or performing tests to support or refute it.

Double-Blind Method

An experimental protocol that guards against experimenter bias by hiding the identity of treatment groups versus control groups from both subject and researcher.

Peer Review

The evaluation of a completed research project by other experts in the field to help ensure honesty, objectivity, and research quality.

Scientific Fact

Information that can be independently verified by any trained person.

Law of Nature

A generalization about the predictable ways in which matter and energy behave, expressed as verbal statements or mathematical formulae.

Theory

An explanatory statement or set of statements derived from facts, laws, and confirmed hypotheses.

Evolution

The change in the genetic composition of a population of organisms over time.

Natural Selection

The principal mechanism of evolution in which individuals with hereditary advantages produce more offspring, increasing their characteristics in a population.

Selection Pressures

Environmental forces such as climate, predators, disease, competition, and food availability that favor the survival and reproduction of certain organisms.

Adaptations

Features of an organism that have evolved in response to selection pressures.

Model

An animal species selected for research on a specific biological or medical question.

Prehensile

Capable of grasping branches, as enabled by the fully opposable thumbs of early arboreal primates.

Stereoscopic Vision

Depth perception provided by forward-facing eyes, allowing 3D perception of surroundings.

Bipedalism

The habit of standing and walking upright on two legs.

Evolutionary Medicine

An emerging science that studies the differences between the environment to which $\text{Homo sapiens}$ was biologically adapted and the modern environment in which we live.

Organism

A single, complete individual.

Organ System

A group of organs with a unique collective function; the human body has $11$ organ systems.

Organ

A structure composed of two or more tissue types that work together to carry out a particular function.

Tissue

A mass of similar cells and cell products that forms a discrete region in an organ and carries out a specific function.

Cells

The smallest units of an organism that carry out all the basic functions of life.

Organelles

Microscopic structures within a cell that carry out its individual internal functions.

Reductionism

The theory that a large, complex system such as the human body can be understood by studying its simpler components.

Holism

The theory that whole organisms have emergent properties that cannot be predicted from the properties of their component parts alone.

Metabolism

The sum of all internal chemical changes in an organism, consisting of synthesis reactions (anabolism) and breakdown reactions (catabolism).

Responsiveness

The ability of an organism to sense and react to stimuli; also known as irritability or excitability.

Homeostasis

The body's ability to maintain stable internal conditions despite environmental changes.

Differentiation

The transformation of generalized, unspecialized cells into cells with specialized tasks.

Dynamic Equilibrium

The state of internal conditions fluctuating around a specific set point or average value rather than remaining strictly constant.

Negative Feedback

A homeostatic mechanism in which the body senses a physiological change and activates a process to reverse or negate it.

Vasodilation

The widening of blood vessels, used by the body to lose heat to the air when overheated.

Vasoconstriction

The narrowing of blood vessels, used by the body to retain heat when chilled.

Positive Feedback

A self-amplifying physiological cycle in which a change leads to an even greater change in the same direction.

Physiological Gradient

A difference in variables, such as chemical concentration, electrical charge, physical pressure, or temperature, between two points.