Human Anatomy

Human Anatomy

A First Look at Anatomy 

   •Anatomy is the study of structure.

•The word anatomy is derived from Greek and means “to cut up” or “to cut open.”

  –Anatomists examine the relationships among parts of the body along with the structure of individual organs.

      

                     Anatomy 

•Anatomy is the study of the internal and external structures of the human body.

•The human body is complex and amazing; to truly understand it you must know how it is put together.

•Anatomy is a Greek word meaning “to cut apart.”

Specialties within the field of anatomy include Microscopic Anatomy and Macroscopic (Gross) Anatomy

                   •Physiology

–The scientific discipline that studies the function of body structures.

–Structure and function cannot be completely separated.

–Form is related to function.

                   

            Microscopic Anatomy

•Specialized field of anatomy

•The study of structures that can only be seen and studied with magnification aids such as a microscope

–The study of cellular structures is called cytology.

–The study of tissue samples is called histology.

           Macroscopic Anatomy

•Also called gross anatomy

•The study of the structures of the body visible to the naked, or unaided, eye

•Examples include:

–The study of the skeletal system

–Looking at an X-ray (radiology)

Putting It All Together

•Anatomy focuses on structures and how something is put together.

•Physiology is the study of how these different structures work together to make the body function as a whole.

The design of the structure is often related to its function .

•Human anatomy and physiology forms the foundation for all medical practice.

Anything that upsets normal structure or function can be called pathology or pathophysiology

Levels of  Structural Organization

The human body exhibits 6 levels of structural 

complexity :

1- Chemical  level , the simplest level of structural

 ladder .At this level atoms combine to form molecules 

such as water, sugar, & proteins

2- Cellular level the smallest units of  living things .

3- Tissue level , groups of similar cells that have a 

common function (4 basic types)

   4- Organ  level, an organ is a structure composed

   of  2 or more tissue types that performs a specific function 

.

   5-  Organ System is a group of organs that work

 together  to accomplish a common purpose (each organ has

 its own job to do)

   6- Organismal level , represents the highest level 

of structural organization (total  of 11 organ systems)