What is Anatomy and Physiology?
Are you looking over the required classes for your chosen major and see a long and intimidating class title that has you concerned, confused, and compelled? You are not alone. Anatomy and Physiology. Sounds hard. Sounds really hard. It is, but what exactly is it?
Well, according to my expert source of Wikipedia, human anatomy is, “. . . is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things, and is the study of anatomical structures within the human body.“
That same source states that physiology is, “. . . the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed.”
In other words, the anatomy and physiology curriculum in that big and intimidating class on your required roster is the study of the most basic and essential pieces and functions of the human body.
Because of the basic and necessary nature of the anatomy curriculum, it is required for pretty much anyone hoping to pursue a career even slightly associated with the medical field: paramedics, firefighters, veterinarians, nurses, etc. It’s definitely not just doctors who have the need of the anatomy and physiology curriculum.
Anatomy and physiology covers a vast amount of information and will require hours and hours of study, work, memorization, and reading. This work load combined with the required nature of the course will make it important for you to get all the anatomy and physiology help that you can get.
There are a number of sources of anatomy and physiology help like an on campus tutor, a study group (you could start one if there is not already one created), charts and diagrams, and supplementary books.
The easiest source of anatomy and physiology help that you can find, and the best complement to any anatomy curriculum study guides will be an e-book.
A human anatomy e-book is a very inexpensive way to supplement the information you learn in your class. It is also easily transportable. The e-book can be downloaded to a laptop, an iPhone, and iPad, a Kindle, or any other technological file holder that you have. How convenient would it be to have your study guide and course load help-meet just a click away?
Whatever source of help you find to help you better understand anatomy and physiology and the requirements that will be placed upon you in your class, make sure that you do what you have to for your personal success in this challenging, but ever rewarding choice of study.
What is anatomy and physiology? It is the opening to a world of information that will change the way you view the world and your role in it. It is the beginning of a new life and a new variety of opportunity.
Not everybody can tread the treacherous path of medical education, and not all of the students who begin their anatomy and physiology curriculums will do well in them. You can, though. Never lose the motivation and drive that brought you to this point.
Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology
Anatomy and physiology classes have been viewed as a kind of plague in medical education for a while now. Human anatomy courses are difficult and require skills of rote memory and memory recall like no other course in any line of study.
The necessity of this kind of information is obvious, but that doesn’t make learning it any easier. What makes these classes so hard? Here are a few of the major obstacles faced in fundamentals of anatomy and physiology courses, and some simple tips on how to overcome those.
1. Confusing Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory Manual: Each skills lab for anatomy and physiology classes will come with a laboratory manual. These manuals are thick and frustrating and more often than not, a source of confusion to the student rather than a source of information and guidance.
This can be overcome by purchasing a supplement to your human anatomy and physiology laboratory manual. There are loads of books at any bookstore, and an even greater variety of e-books on the subject at lower costs.
2. Anatomy and Physiology Questions Not Being Answered: Because the courses in anatomy and physiology are required for all medical minded students, the classes are usually quite large, thus making the teacher quite busy. This allows for very little face time with the teacher, and therefore, very little personal attention and guidance.
This can be overcome by seeking out a tutor. Most campuses have tutors on hire at a low cost or even for free as a service for the students. Take your anatomy and physiology questions to these people. They are paid to help you, and they have passed these courses and will know how to answer your questions in a simple manner.
3. Not Understanding the Need for the Class: Sometimes when students jump into their first anatomy class, they are overwhelmed by how hard and challenging the material is. A lot of the time, they quit the class, change their major, and deprive the medical community of a professional that could have done a world of good. This is because those students don’t understand the need for the knowledge they can gain from the anatomy class. They undercut the value of anatomy and physiology information.
This can be overcome by simply not falling into that trap. Just because your anatomy and physiology class is hard and laborious to study and pass does not mean that the rest of your study course will follow that trend.
You may walk into class thinking, ‘What is physiology?’. If you can stick it out, you will find yourself with a step up over many of the other students in your field with a mindset that will prepare you for hard work and success.
What is Human Physiology?
Human physiology is the study of a very complex and essential system in our body. The immune system provides protection to our bodies from infections and substances that could potentially make us sick.
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| body’s Immune Response |
Our body’s immune system includes three lines of defense. The first line of defense from invaders is our skin and mucus membranes. Because the skin serves such an important function as the first line of defense, the skin as whole is sometimes considered an organ.
The second line of defense of our immune system involves an efficient web of various defense mechanisms. This second line of defense utilizes several methods to protect the body by fighting against microbes such as pathogens that have passed through the skin and mucus membranes. These microbes can infect the body and cause fever and other inflammatory responses.
The immune system’s third line of defense is designed to fight against certain pathogens that can cause diseases. Certain immune system cells are equipped to produce antibodies to ward off bacteria. While other immune system cells are equipped with the ability to destroy infected cells.
Human physiology is amazingly complex and the body’s immune system is a tremendously effective tool in fighting off unhealthy bacteria and dangerous microbes.
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| microbes |
The immune system is a miraculous phenomenon that operates silently in the background. We are keenly aware of each breathe that we take and we hear our heart beating. But the immune system is toiling away non-stop to protect us from millions of potentially deadly attacks each minute of the day.
Anatomy and Physiology
In the world of living organisms, humans have developed the most sophisticated systems and therefore human beings are the most advanced species living on earth. The human body is essentially one integrated unit that consists of millions of cells and functioning systems that keep life processes going.
1. Human cells are known to be the simplest parts of all living matter. As small as cells are, cells have the incredible ability to sustain life and reproduce new cells.
As we all learn in Biology 101 in high school, human cells begin their existence as a single fertilized cell. After being given life through fertilization, human cells have a great capacity to duplicate.
2. Human tissue is a much more sophisticated system than cells are. Actually tissue is a group of a large number of like cells that perform specific functions in the body.
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| Human tissue |
3. Organs in the human body are substantially more complicated functioning units than even systems such as tissues. Organs are a collection of many different types of tissues. The purpose of organs is to support the body by performing a wide variety of special functions needed to sustain life.
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| human organs |
The heart is an example of an organ in the body. The heart is an essential organ that pumps blood to and from the body.
4. Systems are considered the most complex of the functioning units in the body. A system is made up of group of organs for the purpose of performing essential functions in the body.
The circulatory system is an example of a system in the body. The circulatory system’s main function is to transport blood to all parts of the body.
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| Human circulatory system |
Physiological functions in the body are essential to sustaining living organisms like humans. The body’s sophisticated functions are ultimately built upon the complex arrangement of human cells.
Similar cells are grouped together to form more complex systems like tissues. Tissues are then group to function in evermore complex operations such as organs. Organs are group together to function in systems.
All of these mechanisms are needed to sustain human organisms, which are the most complex organisms on the planet.
What Are the Uses of a Human Anatomy Figure?
What is a human anatomy figure?
There are two main reasons why people start learning anatomy; to study as part of an existing or future career plan or to expand their general knowledge in this area.
As part of the study of the human body, many tools and methods are required in order to best facilitate the learning and understanding of how the body is made up and how it operates.
While working on a real human body is the ideal way to learn, obviously this is not always possible or practical as either you have to work on a cadaver or examine a live specimen where you can only examine the outside of the body in the main.
So, what other tools do people interested in anatomy have to study with?
Along with pre-prepared course materials, there are many human anatomy text books, wall charts, and also now 3D software, the latter of which makes learning a very interactive experience and which you can view from the convenience of your laptop or tablet.
Another very useful tool is the human anatomy figure or anatomical figure. A human body figure is a lifelike model of the human body – often quite large and about 1/3 of the size of a real body. It comes in different forms depending on what you want elements of the body you want to study.
Some models will show the body’s musculature and some the skeleton for example. Many models are layered meaning that you can remove one layer to see for example the deeper musculature underneath.
These figures are great for looking at the human body in a good amount of detail and come in different models, e.g. for students, artists and medical grade.
Who uses human anatomical figures and why?
Figures of human anatomy are used by many people in many different fields.
For medical students, a figure of the human body is a hugely useful tool for studying and really learning in detail about the body and how it works. For teachers or lecturers, it can be a fantastic tool with which to demonstrate the body’s workings. For doctors and other medical professionals, human anatomy figures can be really useful for showing patients exactly what is wrong with them.
Another field that uses human anatomy figures is that of art. Many artists use a human drawing figure in order to easily visualize and copy the shape of the human body in their human figure drawing works. Sculptors can also use these figures on which to lay clay to practice body sculpting.
Other fields who use a human anatomy figure include sports therapists, masseurs, chiropractors and others in the field of art including CGI developers and illustrators who find it very beneficial to work with a human drawing figure.
A human anatomy figure is a great study aid
If you are a student or professional in the field of medicine or sports, or are a professional or amateur artist, then having a human body model for studying and drawing human figures is one of the most practical tools you can use.
