MEDICAL BIOLOGY, ANATOMY, HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY - Ya.I. Fedoniuk 2010

INTRODUCTION

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY AS SCIENCES STUDYING THE STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS SUPPORTING HUMAN NEEDS

Anatomy and its relationship with other disciplines

Anatomy is an integral part of Morphology. Morphology also encompasses Histology (The Study of tissues), Cytology (the Study of Cells), and Embryology (the study of embryonic development).

Anatomy is the science that studies the form and Structure OF THE human body and its components—Organs and systems—as well as their development and Functions.

Distinctions are made among descriptive anatomy (describing organs studied through cadaver dissection), systemic anatomy (studying the body by systems, such as skeletal, muscular, visceral, etc.), topographic anatomy (studying the relationships between organs in a specific body region), and plastic anatomy (studying body proportions and forms). The latter is referred to as applied anatomy for artists and sculptors.

Functional Anatomy examines individual organs and Organ Systems in relation to their functions. Dynamic anatomy investigates not only The structure of the musculoskeletal apparatus but also the mechanics of movement, which is essential for a proper understanding of human physical development. Age-related changes in organs and tissues are explored by developmental (age) anatomy. Finally, comparative anatomy compares the bodily structures of humans and various animal classes.

Anatomy is closely linked to anthropology, which studies Human Body Structure from an evolutionary and historical perspective.

The primary research method in Normal Anatomy is dissection and preparation. Modern anatomy utilizes numerous other Research Methods employing advanced optics, X-rays, plastics, and achievements in chemistry and physics.

Normal anatomy is studied by systems:

I. Musculoskeletal apparatus

1. Osteology - the study of bones

2. Arthrosyndesmology - the study of bone joints

3. Myology - the study of Muscles

II. Splanchnology (the study of viscera)

1. Digestive System

2. Respiratory system

3. Urinary System

4. Reproductive System

III. Cardiovascular system (cardioangiology)

1. Heart

2. Arterial System

3. Venous system

4. Lymphatic system

IV. Nervous system (neurology)

1. Central somatic nervous system

2. Peripheral somatic nervous system

3. Autonomic nervous system

V. Hematopoietic and Immune systems

VI. Organs of internal secretion (endocrinology)

VII. Sense Organs (aesthesiology)

Human anatomy is an absolute foundational science for understanding The Human Body. We begin to grasp who we are only by understanding what we are. All the interconnections within the body can be fully comprehended only by comparing anatomical data with the findings of related disciplines.

Humans are the highest product of the evolution of living matter. Therefore, to understand human structure, one must draw upon biology—the science of the laws governing the origin and development of living nature. Just as humans are a part of living nature, the science that studies human structure, namely anatomy, is an integral branch of biology.

To understand the body's structure through the lens of the relationship between form and function, anatomy relies on physiology. Anatomy and physiology examine the exact same object—the structure of the living Organism—but from different Perspectives: anatomy looks at form and biological Organization, whereas physiology focuses on function and the processes taking place within it. These are kindred sciences that form the Alpha and Omega of medical knowledge.

Anatomy that investigates not only external but also internal form and organ structure using a microscope is known as microscopic anatomy. It is closely linked with histology, the science of tissues, which studies the patterns of structure and development of tissues and organs, as well as with cytology, the science of The Cell. Cytology explores the structural patterns, development, and activity of the cells that make up tissues and organs. Embryology studies The Development of the embryo.

With the invention of the Electron microscope, it became possible to investigate submicroscopic structures and even molecules of living matter, which is the domain of chemistry. At the intersection of cytology and chemistry, a new science emerged—cytochemistry.

Thus, anatomy, histology, cytology, and embryology together constitute the science of the form, structure, and Development of the organism, collectively known as morphology.