Intro to Human Anatomy
• Organs & Organ Systems
• Specialized Cells & Tissues
• Feedback Loops & Homeostasis
• A group of organs that perform closely related functions is an organ system.
• There are eleven organ systems in the body. You are responsible for knowing the name, structure and function of all eleven organ systems:
Human Anatomy
1. Nervous – receives, processes and responds to stimuli about the world around us
2. Integumentary – connects organs, holds the body together, and protects it
3. Skeletal – works with muscular to enable movement and protects the organs
4. Muscular – works with skeletal to enable movement
5. Circulatory – circulates blood around body to deliver nutrients and remove waste
6. Respiratory – provides body with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide
7. Digestive – breaks down food into parts the body can use
8. Excretory – cleans blood and rids body of the waste
9. Endocrine – controls body processes via hormones
10. Reproductive (male and female) – generates offspring
11. Lymphatic / Immune – protects body from disease
• You are also responsible for knowing the name, specific location, and function of the following internal organs:
Human Anatomy
• Trachea
• Bronchi & bronchioles
• Esophagus
• Ureters
• Bladder
• Urethra
• Ovaries
• Testes
• Fallopian Tubes
• Uterus
• Hypothalamus
• Brain
• Spinal Cord
• Heart
• Lungs
• Diaphragm
• Kidneys
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Stomach
• Small Intestine
• Large Intestine / Colon
• Rectum
• You are also responsible for knowing the general structure and function of the following:
Human Anatomy
• Blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets)
• Skin
• Glands
• Bones / Cartilage
• Ligaments
• Tendons
• Muscles (be able to differentiate between cardiac, smooth, and skeletal)
• Peripheral Nerves
• Blood Vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries)
• Lymph Nodes and Vessels
Nervous System
Function: Recognizes and coordinates the body’s response to changes in its internal and external environments
Structures: • Brain
Processes incoming stimuli from sensory neurons and organs
Sends outgoing stimuli to muscles to cause movement or tissues to cause release of chemicals
Protected by the skull
• Spinal Cord Highway for nerve impulses to/from the brain Protected by vertebrae
• Peripheral nerves Carry impulses to/from the brain
Integumentary System
Function: Serves as a barrier against infection and injury; helps to regulate body temperature; provides protection against ultraviolet radiation from the sun
Structures: • hair, nails, sweat and oil glands• Skin
Holds together the body
Creates a barrier against germs, UV radiation, and other harmful agents of the external environment
Creates a barrier to water loss
Helps regulate body temperature
Skeletal System
Function: Supports the body; protects internal organs; allows movement; stores mineral reserves; provides a site for blood cell formation
Structures: • Bones
Form and shape the body Protect organs Enable movement (muscles pull them)
• Cartilage A type of bone that is flexible
• Ligaments Connect bone to bone
• Tendons Connect bone to muscle
Muscular System
Function: Works with skeletal system to produce voluntary movement; helps to circulate blood and move food through the digestive system
Structures: • Skeletal muscle
Connects to bone, enables movement via contraction which pulls on bone
• Smooth muscle Forms organs that squeeze (ex: stomach) Involuntary movement
• Cardiac muscle Makes up heart Regular beats due to pacemaker
Circulatory System
Function: Brings oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells; fights infection; removes cell wastes; helps to regulate body temperature
Structures: • Heart
Muscle that squeezes blood around the body via the blood vessels
Two halves: one half pumps deoxygenated blood from the body to the lungs to pick up oxygen and release CO2; the other half pumps oxygenated blood coming from the lungs to the body
• Blood Transport system for dissolved gasses (oxygen,
CO2), nutrients, waste, immune cells
Circulatory System
Function: Brings oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells; fights infection; removes cell wastes; helps to regulate body temperature
Structures: • Blood vessels
Tubes that blood travels through
Arteries – carry blood away from the heart (oxygenated if going to the body, deoxygenated if going to the lungs)
Veins – carry blood towards the heart (oxygenated if coming from the lungs, deoxygenated if coming from the body)
Capillaries – microscopic vessels that connect arteries and veins (where oxygen leaves blood and CO2 enters the blood)
Respiratory System
Function: Provides oxygen needed for cellular respiration and removes excess carbon dioxide from the body
Structures: • Lungs• Nose, pharynx, larynx• Trachea• Bronchi• Bronchioles
Digestive System
Function: Converts food into simpler molecules that can be used by the cells of the body; absorbs food; eliminates wastes
Structures: • Mouth, pharynx• Esophagus• Stomach• Small Intestine• Large Intestine (Colon)• Rectum
Excretory System
Function: Eliminates waste products from the body in ways that maintain homeostasis
Structures: • Skin• Lungs• Kidneys• Ureters• Urinary Bladder• Urethra
Endocrine System
Function: Controls growth, development and metabolism; maintains homeostasis
Structures: • Glands (pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid,
adrenals)• Hypothalamus, • Pancreas• Ovaries (in females)• Testes (in males)
Reproductive System
Function: Produces reproductive cells; in females, nurtures and protects developing embryo
Structures: • Testes,epididymis, vas
deferens, urethra, and penis (in males)
• Ovaries, Fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina (in females)
Lymphatic/Immune System
Function: Helps protect the body from disease; collects fluid lost from blood vessels and returns the fluid to the circulatory system
Structures: • White blood cells• Thymus, Spleen• Lymph nodes and lymph vessels
Our organs are made out of four different types of tissue, and each tissue is made out of groups of different types of cells all working together.
Connective Tissue gives shape to organs and holds them together. It is made out of cells like bone and cartilage.
Nervous Tissue transmits messages throughout your body so that you are aware of what is going on around you and so you can respond to your environment. It includes various types of nerve cells.
Muscle Tissue enables you to move by contracting to pull on bones or tighten organs. It includes three different types of muscle cells.
Epithelial tissue helps to protect you from germs, injury, and fluidloss by forming layers that cover organ surfaces such as the surface of the skin, the airways, the reproductive tract, and the inner lining of the digestive tract.