Major Themes of Anatomy and Physiology & General Orientation

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering major themes of human anatomy and physiology, scientific methods, body complexity, homeostasis, anatomical position, planes, directional terms, regions, cavities, and organ systems.

The study of the structure of the human body is known as __________, while the study of its function is called physiology.

anatomy

Listening to the natural sounds made by the body, such as heart or lung sounds, is called __________.

auscultation

The process of feeling a structure with the hands during a physical examination is known as __________.

palpation

The study of the structure and function of individual cells is called __________.

cytology

The process of making numerous observations until one feels confident in drawing generalizations is known as the __________ method.

inductive

A good hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable, meaning there must be a way to specify what evidence would prove it __________.

wrong

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

theory

Human DNA differs from chimpanzee DNA by a difference of only __________%.

1.6

The simplest structures considered by biologists to be alive are __________.

cells

The theory that a large, complex system like the human body can be understood by studying its simpler components is called __________.

reductionism

In human physiological standards, a reference man is defined as being 22 years old, physically active, consuming 2800 kcal/day, and weighing __________ lbs.

154

The term 'Homeostasis' was coined by the scientist __________.

Walter Cannon

A self-amplifying chain of physiological events in which a change leads to even greater change in the same direction is called a __________ feedback loop.

positive

The three essential components of a feedback loop are a receptor, an integrating center, and an __________.

effector

When core body temperature rises, cutaneous blood vessels undergo __________ to increase heat dissipation.

vasodilation

Movement of a substance from a point of higher value to a lower value occurs down a gradient and does not require __________.

energy

In medical terminology, a combination of a root and a combining vowel is referred to as a __________ form.

combining

In 1885, radiography was discovered by __________.

William Roentgen

An imaging technique that involves injecting radioactively labeled glucose to assess the metabolic state of tissue is a __________ scan.

PET

In standard anatomical position, the person stands erect with feet flat on the floor, palms facing forward, and thumbs pointing __________ from the body.

away

A plane that passes vertically through the body and divides it into equal right and left halves is the __________ plane.

midsagittal

In this diagram of anatomical planes, the plane colored in orange that cuts horizontally across the torso represents the __________ plane.

transverse

The directional term meaning 'toward the back or spine' is __________.

dorsal

The directional term __________ indicates a structure that is closer to the point of attachment or origin than another.

proximal

Structures located on opposite sides of the body (right and left) are described as __________ to each other.

contralateral

The anatomical region corresponding to the back of the neck is the __________ region.

nuchal

The anterior pit of the elbow is called the __________ region.

cubital

The central abdominopelvic region located directly superior to the umbilical region is the __________ region.

epigastric

In this diagram displaying anatomical variation of organs, the kidney located lower near the pelvis is specifically termed a __________ kidney.

pelvic

The thick wall of tissue that separates the right and left pleural cavities in the thoracic cavity is the __________.

mediastinum

The brain and spinal cord are enclosed within body cavities lined by protective membranes called the __________.

meninges

Organs that lie against the posterior abdominal wall and are covered by peritoneum only on their anterior side are termed __________.

retroperitoneal

Translucent double-layer folds of peritoneum that suspend the intestines from the posterior abdominal wall are called __________.

mesenteries

The organ system responsible for waste elimination, blood volume regulation, and stimulation of red blood cell formation is the __________ system.

urinary

In the structural hierarchy of the body, a/an __________ is defined as a structure composed of two or more tissue types that work together to perform a specific function.

organ