Why do anatomy and physiology go together

The human body has many layers of organization. Biological systems consist of organs that consist of tissues, and tissue in turn is made up of cells and connective tissue. Microscopic anatomy allows one to focus on these tissues and cells. The history of anatomy has been an evolving understanding of organs and structures in the body. Beginning in Ancient Greece and developing through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, methods of studying anatomy have advanced dramatically.

This field has moved from examination of animals and cadavers through invasive dissection to the technologically complex techniques developed in the 20th century, such as non-invasive imaging and radiology.

Generally, medical and biology students learn about the human body from anatomical models, skeletons, textbooks, diagrams, photographs, lectures, and tutorials. Medical and dental students also learn through the dissection and inspection of cadavers. A thorough working knowledge of anatomy is required for all medical professionals, especially surgeons and doctors working in diagnostic specialties such as radiology. Physiology is the study of how the components of the body function, and biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of living structures.

Together with anatomy, these are the three primary disciplines within the field of human biology. Anatomy provides information about structure, location, and organization of different parts of the body that is needed to truly understand physiology. Together, anatomy and physiology explain the structure and function of the different components of the human body to describe what it is and how it works.

Physiology is the science of the normal function of living systems. Physiology studies the processes and mechanisms that allow an organism to survive, grow, and develop.

Physiological processes are the ways in which organ systems, organs, tissues, cells, and biomolecules work together to accomplish the complex goal of sustaining life. Physiological mechanisms are the smaller physical and chemical events that make up a larger physiological process. Human physiology studies the functions of humans, their organs and cells, and how all of these functions combine to make life, growth, and development possible.

The drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry described[4] by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise De Architectura. This resistance stabilizes the body by regulating the internal environment, even as the external environment changes.

A stable internal environment is needed for normal physiological function and survival of a living system. Maintaining a stable internal environment requires constant monitoring, mostly by the brain and nervous system.

The brain, more specifically the hypothalamus, receives information from the body and responds appropriately through the release of chemical messengers such as neurotransmitters, catecholamines, and hormones. These chemical messengers signal individual organs to change their functions in order to maintain homeostasis for the whole body.

For instance, if blood oxygen levels are too low, the brain signals the muscles controlling the lungs to breathe faster to increase oxygen intake. For example, the thin flap of your eyelid can snap down to clear away dust particles and almost instantaneously slide back up to allow you to see again.

At the microscopic level, the arrangement and function of the nerves and muscles that serve the eyelid allow for its quick action and retreat. At a smaller level of analysis, the function of these nerves and muscles likewise relies on the interactions of specific molecules and ions. Even the three-dimensional structure of certain molecules is essential to their function. Your study of anatomy and physiology will make more sense if you continually relate the form of the structures you are studying to their function.

In fact, it can be somewhat frustrating to attempt to study anatomy without an understanding of the physiology that a body structure supports. Imagine, for example, trying to appreciate the unique arrangement of the bones of the human hand if you had no conception of the function of the hand.

Fortunately, your understanding of how the human hand manipulates tools—from pens to cell phones—helps you appreciate the unique alignment of the thumb in opposition to the four fingers, making your hand a structure that allows you to pinch and grasp objects and type text messages.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book is Creative Commons Attribution License 4. Skip to Content Go to accessibility page. Anatomy and Physiology 1. My highlights. Table of contents. Levels of Organization. Support and Movement. Regulation, Integration, and Control. Anatomy and physiology aren't always studied together. However, it's important to understand how the structure form, or anatomy of an organism is related to its function physiology.

Through many years, organisms have evolved because they have a higher level of fitness in the environment. The result of this natural selection is that organisms, as seen today, look the way they do because of their physiology, and vice versa. For example, at the cellular level, consider a protein, a complex macromolecule made up of a sequence of amino acids. The actual shape form is what allows it to do its job within the body. In fact, its shape is everything!

This is because it serves a purpose that solely depends on its shape. Anatomy can be studied without focusing too closely on how everything works. After all, anatomy is just the physical structure of an organism.