Introduction to Human Anatomy & Physiology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes on Major Themes of Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Anatomy

The study of the body's structure and form.

Physiology

The study of how living organisms perform their vital functions.

Inspection

An examination technique that involves looking at the physical appearance of the body.

Palpation

An examination technique that involves feeling a body structure with the hands.

Auscultation

An examination technique that involves listening to internal body sounds produced by organs such as the heart, lungs, and bowel.

Percussion

An examination technique where the examiner taps on the body, feels for resistance, and listens to emitted sounds to detect abnormalities.

Objective Assessment Techniques

Clinical skills used during physical examination to evaluate body structures and functions: inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation.

Dissection

The process of cutting and separating human body tissues in a cadaver to reveal anatomical relationships.

Comparative Anatomy

The study and comparison of multiple species to analyze anatomical form, function, and evolution.

Gross Anatomy

The examination of large body structures visible to the naked eye, also known as macroscopic anatomy.

Histology

The microscopic study of body tissues and their cellular structures.

Cytology

The microscopic study of individual cells and their internal structures.

Histopathology

The microscopic examination of tissues to detect signs of disease.

Embryology

A sub-discipline of developmental anatomy studying structural changes from a fertilized egg through the eighth week of development.

Inductive Method

A scientific process of making repeated, reliable observations until one is confident in drawing generalizations and predictions.

Hypothetico-Deductive Method

A scientific process where an investigator formulates an educated, testable, and falsifiable hypothesis to answer a scientific question.

Situs Inversus

A structural condition characterized by the complete left-right reversal of internal organ positions in the human body.

Homeostasis

The body's ability to detect change, activate opposing mechanisms, and maintain stable internal conditions.

Set Point

The ideal average value or baseline for a physiological state around which internal conditions fluctuate.

Negative Feedback

A corrective regulatory mechanism in which the effector response negates or reverses a detected stimulus, returning the body to homeostasis.

Positive Feedback

A feedback loop in which an initial stimulus produces a response that amplifies or exaggerates the change in the same direction, pushing the body further from homeostasis.

Gradient

A difference in chemical concentration, electrical charge, temperature, or pressure between two points.

Anatomical Position

A standardized posture where the subject stands erect, head and eyes facing forward, feet slightly apart, upper limbs hanging at the sides, and palms facing forward.

Abdominopelvic Quadrants

Four clinical subdivisions of the abdomen intersected at the navel: Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ), Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ), Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ), and Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ).

Parietal Serosa

The outer layer of a double-layered serous membrane that lines the walls of internal body cavities.

Visceral Serosa

The inner layer of a double-layered serous membrane that directly covers the outer surface of internal organs.