Chapter 01 The Human Organism

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical terminology, physiological principles, organ systems, and homeostatic mechanisms from the first chapter of Seeley’s Anatomy & Physiology.

Anatomy

Scientific discipline that investigates the body’s structure, such as the size and shape of a bone.

Physiology

Scientific investigation of the processes or functions of living things.

Homeostasis

Maintenance of relatively constant internal environment within the body.

Gross Anatomy

Structures examined without a microscope.

Cytology

Cellular anatomy.

Histology

Study of tissues.

X-ray

Extremely shortwave electromagnetic radiation that moves through the body and is exposed on a photographic plate to create a radiograph.

Ultrasound

High-frequency sound waves that pass into the body and bounce back to a receiver; visualized as a sonogram.

Computed Tomography (CT)

Computer-analyzed x-ray images that can produces a 3D image of a body part by stacking slices.

Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)

An imaging technique where a radiopaque dye is injected into the blood to enhance differences when compared to a noninjected scan.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Directs radio waves at a person inside a large electromagnetic field to be analyzed by a computer; more effective at detecting some cancers than a CT scan.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Scans that identify the metabolic states of tissues by detecting radioactively labeled glucose usage.

PATHOLOGY

Structural and functional changes caused by disease.

Chemical level

The structural level involving the interaction of atoms and molecules.

Cell level

The structural and functional unit of living organisms.

Organelles

Combinations of molecules for structures that carry out specific functions within a cell.

Tissue level

A group of similar cells and the materials surrounding them, including epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous types.

Organ system level

A group of organs functioning together.

Organism level

Any living thing, whether composed of one cell or many.

Integumentary System

Provides protection, regulates temperature, and helps produce vitamin D; consists of skin, hair, nails, and sweat glands.

Skeletal System

Provides protection and support, allows movements, produces blood cells, and stores minerals; consists of bones, cartilages, ligaments, and joints.

Endocrine System

A major regulatory system that influences metabolism, growth, and reproduction via glands that secrete hormones.

Lymphatic System

Removes foreign substances from blood and lymph, combats disease, and maintains tissue fluid balance.

Metabolism

The ability to use energy to perform vital functions and all chemical reactions of the body.

Responsiveness

The ability to sense changes in the interior and exterior environment and adjust.

Differentiation

The change from general to specific during development.

Morphogenesis

The change in shape of tissues, organs, or the entire organism.

Set Point

The ideal normal value around which variables fluctuate in homeostasis.

Receptor

The component of a feedback loop that monitors the value of a variable by detecting a stimulus.

Negative Feedback

A mechanism that counteracts a change in a variable by decreasing the change to return it to the set point.

Positive Feedback

A mechanism where a deviation occurs and the response is to make the deviation greater.

Supine

Lying face upward.

Prone

Lying face downward.

Proximal

Closer to the point of attachment to the body than another structure.

Distal

Farther from the point of attachment to the body than another structure.

Sagittal Plane

Divides the body into left and right portions.

Thoracic Cavity

Divided into pleural cavities for the lungs and the mediastinum for the heart, thymus, trachea, and esophagus.

Visceral Serous Membrane

The inner membrane wall that covers an organ.

Parietal Serous Membrane

The outer membrane wall that lines the cavity.

Mesentery

Regions of double-folded visceral peritoneum that provide a pathway for nerves and blood vessels to reach digestive organs.

Retroperitoneal

Organs behind the peritoneum, such as the kidneys, adrenal glands, and urinary bladder.