Human Physiology for Allied Health Professionals
- Last updated
- Jul 13, 2022
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Physiology is the scientific study of the normal function in living systems with a focus on how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical or physical functions in a living system. Human Physiology for Allied Health Professionals helps students learn more about how homeostasis is maintained in normal and extreme environments.
- 1: An Introduction to the Human Body
- This chapter begins with an overview of anatomy and physiology and a preview of the body regions and functions. It then covers the characteristics of life and how the body works to maintain stable conditions. It introduces a set of standard terms for body structures and for planes and positions in the body that will serve as a foundation for more comprehensive information covered later in the text. It ends with examples of medical imaging used to see inside the living body.
- 3: The Cellular Level of Organization
- Cellular and developmental biologists study how the continued division of a single cell leads to such complexity and differentiation.
- 4: Muscle Tissue
- Muscle tissue is a soft tissue that composes muscles in animal bodies, and gives rise to muscles' ability to contract. This is opposed to other components or tissues in muscle such as tendons or perimysium. Muscle tissue varies with function and location in the body. In mammals the three types are: skeletal or striated muscle; smooth or non-striated muscle; and cardiac muscle, which is sometimes known as semi-striated.
- 6: Anatomy of the Nervous Tissue
- The nervous system is responsible for controlling much of the body, both through somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) functions. The structures of the nervous system must be described in detail to understand how many of these functions are possible. There is a physiological concept known as localization of function that states that certain structures are specifically responsible for prescribed functions. It is an underlying concept in all of anatomy and physiology, but the nervous sys
- 7: The Somatic Nervous System
- The somatic nervous system is the part of the peripheral nervous system and is associated with skeletal muscle voluntary control of body movements.
- 9: The Endocrine System
- To survive, animals must constantly adapt to changes in the environment. The nervous and endocrine systems both work together to bring about this adaptation. In general the nervous system responds rapidly to short-term changes by sending electrical impulses along nerves and the endocrine system brings about longer-term adaptations by sending out chemical messengers called hormones into the blood stream.
- 11: The Cardiovascular System - The Heart
- There is no single better word to describe the function of the heart other than “pump,” since its contraction develops the pressure that ejects blood into the major vessels: the aorta and pulmonary trunk. From these vessels, the blood is distributed to the remainder of the body. Although the connotation of the term “pump” suggests a mechanical device made of steel and plastic, the anatomical structure is a living, sophisticated muscle.
- 14: The Respiratory System
- The respiratory system consists of specific organs and structures used for the process of respiration in an organism. The respiratory system is involved in the intake and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between an organism and the environment.
- 16: Metabolism and Nutrition
- This chapter will take you through some of the chemical reactions essential to life, the sum of which is referred to as metabolism. The focus of these discussions will be anabolic reactions and catabolic reactions. You will examine the various chemical reactions that are important to sustain life, including why you must have oxygen, how mitochondria transfer energy, and the importance of certain “metabolic” hormones and vitamins.
- 18: Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance
- Homeostasis, or the maintenance of constant conditions in the body, is a fundamental property of all living things. In the human body, the substances that participate in chemical reactions must remain within narrows ranges of concentration. Too much or too little of a single substance can disrupt your bodily functions. Because metabolism relies on reactions that are all interconnected, any disruption might affect multiple organs or even organ systems.
