Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1.2 Physiology
Physiology is a scientific discipline that deals with the processes or functions of
living things.
Two major goals for studying physiology: (1) to understand and predict the body’s
responses to stimuli and (2) to understand how the body maintains internal
conditions within a narrow range of values in the presence of continually changing
internal and external environments.
Human physiology is the study of a human.
Cellular physiology and systematic physiology are subdivisions that emphasize
specific organizational levels.
1.5 Homeostasis
Homeostasis (homeo-, the same; -stasis, to stop) is the condition in which body
functions, body fluids, and other factors of the internal environment are
maintained within a range of values suitable to support life.
Negative-feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.
NFM have three components: receptor, control center, effector
Receptor monitors the value of a variable
Control center determines the set point for the variable and receives input from
the receptor about the variable
Effector can change the value of the variable when directed by the control center
Examples of processes that utilize NF loops:
Thermoregulation (if body temperature changes, mechanisms are induced to restore
normal levels)
Blood Sugar Regulation (insulin lowers blood glucose when levels are high;
glucagon raises blood glucose when levels are low)
Osmoregulation (ADH is secreted to retain water when dehydrated and its release
is inhibited when the body is hydrated)
Positive-feedback mechanisms make deviations from normal even greater. Although a
few positive-feedback mechanisms normally exist in the body, most positive-
feedback mechanisms are harmful.
Examples of processes that utilize PF loops:
Childbirth – stretching of uterine walls cause contractions that further stretch
the walls (continues until birthing occurs)
Lactation – the child feeding stimulates milk production which causes further
feeding (continues until baby stop feeding)
Ovulation – the dominant follicle releases estrogen which stimulates LH and FSH
release to promote further follicular growth
Blood Clotting – platelets release clotting factors which cause more platelets to
aggregate at the site of injury
Directional Terms
Superior – above, up
Inferior – below, down
Anterior – front
Posterior – back
Ventral – belly, anterior
Dorsal – back
Proximal – nearest
Distal – distant
Medial – midline
Lateral – away from midline
Superficial – close to the surface of the body
Deep – toward the interior of the body
Planes
Planes – imaginary flat surface
Sectioning the body – a way to look inside and observe
Sagittal plane – runs vertically through the body; separates it into left and
right parts; literally means the flight of an arrow
Median plane – sagittal plane that passes through the midline of the body,
dividing it into equal right and left halves
Transverse plane – horizontal; runs parallel to the surface of the ground;
separates the body into superior and inferior parts
Frontal plane – coronal plane; runs vertically from right to left and divides the
body into anterior and posterior parts
Longitudinal section – a cut along the length of the organ
Transverse section – cross section; cuts completely through an organ
Oblique section – a cut made diagonally
Anatomy & Physiology Lecture – Chapter 1
Body Cavities
Thoracic cavity – surrounded by a ribcage; separated from the abdominal cavity by
muscular diaphragm
Mediastinum – center structure; a section which houses the heart, the thymus, the
trachea, the esophagus, and other structures; between the two lungs
Abdominal cavity – bounded primarily by the abdominal muscles and contains the
stomach, the intestines, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, and the kidneys
Pelvic cavity – small space enclosed by the bones of the pelvis and contains the
urinary bladder, part of the large intestines, and the internal reproductive
organs
Abdominopelvic cavity – sometimes called to abdominal and pelvic cavity since they
are physically separated
Serous Membrane
Serous membranes – line the trunk cavities and cover the organs of these cavities
Parietal serous membrane – lines the wall of the cavity
Visceral serous membrane – covers the internal organs
Thoracic cavity contains three serous membrane-lined cavities: a pericardial
cavity and two pleural cavities
Pericardial cavity – surrounds the heart; parietal pericardium, visceral
peritoneum, pericardial fluid
Pleural cavity – surrounds the lungs; visceral pleura, parietal pleura, pleural
fluid
Peritoneal cavity – surrounds certain abdominal and pelvic organs; visceral
peritoneum, parietal peritoneum, peritoneal fluid
Mesenteries – parts of the peritoneum that hold the abdominal organs in place and
provide a passageway for blood vessels and nerves to organs
Retroperitoneal organs are found “behind” the parietal peritoneum; ex. Kidneys,
adrenal glands, part of the pancreas, parts of the intestines, and the urinary
bladder
Anatomy & Physiology Lecture – Chapter 1