Review: Introduction to the Human Body

Here is what we have learned from Introduction to the Human Body:

  • The human body is a single structure but it is made up of billions of smaller structures of four major kinds: cells, tissues, organs, and systems.
  • An organ is an organization of several different kinds of tissues so arranged that together they can perform a special function.
  • A system is an organization of varying numbers and kinds of organs so arranged that together they can perform complex functions for the body.
  • Ten major systems include the skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and the reproductive system.
  • Body functions are the physiological or psychological functions of body systems. Survival of the body depends on the body's maintaining or restoring homeostasis, a state of relative constancy, of its internal environment.
  • Human life process includes organization, metabolism, responsiveness, movements, reproduction, growth, differentiation, respiration, digestion, and excretion. All these processes work together, in fine-tuned balance, for the well-being of the individual and to maintain life.
  • Life depends on certain physical factors from the environment, which include water, oxygen, nutrients, heat, and pressure.
  • Useful terms for describing body parts and activities include:
    • Directional terms
    • Terms describing planes of the body
    • Terms describing body cavities