Anatomy and Physiology For Dummies, 3rd Edition (For Dummies (Lifestyle))

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The whole enchilada. The real you. As we study organ systems, organs, tissues, and cells, we’re always looking from the organism level. Chapter 2 What Your Body Does All Day In This Chapter Ovaries, uterine tubes, uterus, vagina, and vulva in females; testes, seminal vesicles, penis, urethra, prostate, and bulbourethral glands in males If you examine a sample of any human tissue under a microscope, you see cells, possibly millions of cells. All living things are made of cells. In fact, having a cellular level of organization is inherent in any definition of organism. We discuss the cellular level of organization in some detail in Chapter 3. Level II: The tissue level

An organ is a part of the body that performs a specialized physiological function. For example, the stomach is an organ that has the specific physiological function of breaking down food. By definition, an organ is made up of at least two different tissue types; many organs contain tissues of all four types. Although we can name and describe all four tissue types that make up all organs, as we do in the preceding section, listing all the organs in the body wouldn’t be so easy.

Adam Bede

Suitable for different grades of medical school students, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and nursing or preparing for medical schools students. It is also used as a revision source for doctors in postgraduates.

When you’re answering practice questions, pay special attention to the ones you get wrong. Write reflections about why you answered incorrectly and what you need to remember about the right answer. Gain better knowledge through mnemonics It’s the best resource for helping you make anatomy and physiology your minion, with memorization tactics, test-prep suggestions, and hundreds of practice tests. In the 1970s, computer technology took off, taking medical imaging technology with it. Digital imaging techniques began to be applied to convert multiple flat-slice images into one three-dimensional image. The first technology of this sort was called computed axial tomography (commonly called a CAT or CT scan), in which multiple X-ray images are combined into cross-sectional pictures of structures inside the body. These detailed and extensive images were unlike anything that had been available to anatomists before. CT technology is still an active area of development. Major technology manufacturers maintain robust product lines of CT instruments and accoutrements for use in clinics and clinical research. Simply put, the mnemonic is the thing you commit to memory as a means for remembering the more technical thing for which it stands.But don’t restrict it to late-night cramming just before each test. Meet with your group at least once a week to go over lecture notes and textbook readings. If it’s true that people only retain about 10 percent of what they hear or read, then it makes sense that your fellow group members will recall things that slipped immediately from your mind. Outline what’s to come Human anatomy and physiology are closely related to biology, which is the science of living beings and their relationship with the rest of the universe, including all other living beings. If you’ve studied biology, you understand the basics of how organisms operate. Since the early 1990s, neuroscientists have been using a type of specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, called functional MRI (fMRI), to acquire images of the brain. Functional imaging enables scientists to watch a patient’s or research subject’s thoughts as he or she is thinking them! This aspect of medical imaging has profound implications. Okay, it’s test time! Take advantage of the test itself. You may find that the answer to an exam question that stumps you is revealed — at least partially — in the phrasing of a subsequent question. Stay alert to these blessed little gifts even when you think that you already understand all the anatomical structures and physiological processes. You won’t be the first student to change an answer after working your way through an exam. Review your mistakes Medical and crime shows have made body cavities all too familiar, and anatomically speaking, these spaces are very important, providing housing and protection for vital organs. The following list identifies the cavities of the human body.