The ventral cavity is much larger and contains all the organs not contained in the dorsal cavity. The ventral cavity is divided by the diaphragm into smaller cavities: the thoracic cavity, which contains the heart and lungs, and the abdomino pelvic cavity, which contains the organs of the abdomen and the pelvis. The abdominal organs are the stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and most of the intestines. The pelvic cavity contains the reproductive organs, the bladder, the rectum, and the lower portion of the intestines. PDF / EPUB File Name: Anatomy_and_Physiology_For_Dummies_-_Erin_Odya.pdf, Anatomy_and_Physiology_For_Dummies_-_Erin_Odya.epub

Not that human anatomy and physiology aren’t specie-al. Humans’ bipedal posture and style of locomotion are very specie-al. There’s nothing like a human hand anywhere but at the end of a human arm. Most specie-al of all, possibly, is the anatomy and physiology that allows (or maybe compels) humans to engage in science: humankind’s highly developed brain and nervous system. It’s entirely within the norms of evolutionary theory that people would be most interested in their own specie-alties, so more humans find human anatomy and physiology more interesting than the anatomy and physiology of the alga. From here on, we’re restricting our discussion to the anatomy and physiology of our own species. How anatomy and physiology fit into science

Adam Bede

Abdominal cavity: Contains the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, small intestines, and most of the large intestine

Problems can come up when the specialists who use the jargon want to communicate with someone outside their field. The specialists must translate their message into more common terms to communicate it. Problems can also come up when someone approaching a field, such as a student, fails to make progress understanding and speaking the field’s jargon. This book aims to help you make the necessary progress. Thoracic cavity:The chest or thorax; contains the heart, lungs, and their associated structures, as well as the esophagus and several glands Ventral cavity: Anterior portion of the torso; divided by the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity and abdominopelvic cavity The longer answer to the question of why scientists don’t say what they mean starts with a little chat about jargon. Contrary to the belief of some, jargon is a good thing. Jargon is a set of words and phrases that people who know a lot about a particular subject use to talk together. There’s jargon in every field (scientific or not), every workplace, every town, even every home. Families and close friends almost always use jargon in conversations with one another. Plumbers use jargon to communicate about plumbing. Anatomists and physiologists use jargon and technical terminology, much of which is shared with medicine and other fields of biology, especially human biology. Flash cards, mnemonic drills, practice tests — be creative and practice, practice, practice! The more you know about the format of any upcoming exam, the better. Sometimes instructors share tidbits about what they plan to emphasize, but sometimes they don’t. In the end, if you’ve done the work and put in the time to study and practice with information outside of class, the exact structure and content of an exam shouldn’t make much difference. Sleuth out clues

Latin and Greek prefixes and suffixes

This table represents some common Latin and Greek roots used in anatomy and physiology: English Form If you’re talking anatomy and physiology, you’re talking about the human body and its organs. The 11 systems in the following table provide the means for every human activity — from breathing to eating to moving to reproducing: System Some people think that knowing about what goes on inside the human body can sap life of its mystery—which is too bad for them. Anybody who's ever taken a peak under the hood knows that the human body, and all its various structures and functions, is a realm of awe-inspiring complexity and countless wonders. The dizzying dance of molecule, cell, tissue, organ, muscle, sinew, and bone that we call life can be a thing of breathtaking beauty and humbling perfection. Anatomy and physiology narrow the science of biology by looking at the specifics of one species, Homo sapiens.

We want to make sure that you know where we’re coming from when we use certain terms. If you don’t look at the body from the correct perspective, you’ll have your right and left confused. This section shows you the anatomical position, planes, regions, and cavities, as well as the main membranes that line the body and divide it into major sections. Getting in position It happens time and again in anatomy and physiology: One concept or connection mirrors another yet to be learned. But because you’re focusing so hard on this week’s lesson, you lose sight of the value in the previous month’s lessons.

This table represents some common Latin and Greek prefixes and suffixes you should know when studying anatomy and physiology: English Form Human anatomists and physiologists have divided the human body into organ systems, groups of organs that work together to meet a major physiological need. For example, the digestive system is one of the organ systems responsible for obtaining energy from the environment. Other organ systems include the musculoskeletal system, the integument, the nervous system, and on down the list. The chapter structure of this book is based on the definition of organ systems. Level V: The organism level Phylum Chordata: Animals that have a number of structures in common, particularly the notochord, a rodlike structure that forms the body’s supporting axis. Some biologists specialize in the anatomy and physiology of animals at various hierarchical levels (horses, fish, frogs) or particular organs (mammalian circulatory systems, olfaction in fish, insect hormones). Some focus solely on humans, others concentrate on other species, and still others examine the areas of overlap between humans and other animal species. These various areas of study contribute to human knowledge of biology in general and of clinical medicine in particular. The work of anatomists contributes to medical advances, such as improved surgical techniques and the development of bioengineered prostheses. Following are ten key things you can start doing today to ensure success not only in anatomy and physiology but in any number of other classes. Write down important stuff in your own words

Why does science have so many funny words? Why can’t scientists just say what they mean, in plain English? Good question, with short and long answers. Creating better communication Human pathophysiology is the science of human anatomy and physiology gone wrong. (The prefix path- is Greek for suffering.) It’s the interface of human biology and medical science. Clinical medicine is the application of medical science to alleviate an anatomical or physiological problem in an individual human. 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

Not feeling terribly clever at the moment you need a useful mnemonic? Surf on over to MedicalMnemonics, which touts itself as the world’s database of these useful tools. Discover your learning style remember.eps Anatomy is form; physiology is function. You can’t talk about one without talking about the other. The anatomy and physiology of everything else For anatomists and physiologists from Aristotle to Charles Darwin, the images they had were the sketches they made for themselves. Some of them were pretty good at it: Darwin’s sketches of beaks of the finches of the Galapagos Islands were both beautiful and scientifically valuable.