Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 2
Where to Go from Here 3
Chapter 1: Focusing on the Framework of Anatomy and Physiology 5
Looking at the Science of Anatomy and Physiology 6
Fitting anatomy and physiology into science 6
Breaking down the subsets of anatomy 6
Familiarizing Yourself with Anatomical Jargon 7
Arranging Organisms by Levels of Organization 10
Level I: The cellular level 10
Level II: The tissue level 10
Level III: The organ level 12
Level IV: The organ system level 12
Level V: The organism level 12
Metabolism: Keeping Body Processes in Motion 12
Seeing why your cells metabolize 13
Understanding the process behind cellular metabolism 14
Balancing Bodily Reactions with Homeostasis 18
Regulating body temperature 18
Maintaining a fluid balance 19
Examining blood glucose concentration 20
Gauging variables that keep the body balanced 21
Chapter 2: Examining Cell Biology Basics 23
How Cells Spend Their Time 23
Creating new cells 24
Manufacturing tissues 24
Constructing and moving products 24
Transmitting signals around the body 25
Exploring Eukaryotic Cells 25
Enclosing it all with the cell membrane 27
Relinquishing control to the nucleus 29
Giving the organelles a place to hang in the cytoplasm 29
Seeing how mitochondria provide energy to cells 29
Producing protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) 30
Taking out the trash with lysosomes 30
Macromolecules, the Building Blocks of Life 31
Naming the nucleic acids and nucleotides 31
Energizing organisms with polysaccharides 32
Peeking at proteins 32
Discovering How Genetic Material Makes You Who You are 33
Cycling through Life, Cell-Style 34
Progressing through interphase 34
Pushing ahead to DNA replication 34
Entering mitosis 35
Forming Tissues from Cells 37
Linking structures with connective tissue 37
Reviewing types of epithelial tissue 38
Chapter 3: Scoping Out the Body’s Structural Layers 41
The Skinny on Your Skeleton 42
Examining the skeleton’s makeup 42
Surveying joints and their movements 45
The 411 on the Muscular System 48
Seeing what your skeletal muscles do 48
Taking a look at tissue types 51
Making muscles contract: The sliding filament model 56
An Introduction to the Integument 58
Studying up on the structure of the integument 59
Accessorizing your skin 62
Chapter 4: Getting to the Heart of the Circulatory System 65
Analyzing the Cardiac Anatomy 65
Examining the shape of the heart 66
Looking at the heart’s tissues 68
Observing how blood flows to (and from) the heart 69
Meet Your Blood Vessels 70
Beginning at the arteries 71
Moving on to the capillaries 72
Traveling through the veins 74
Discovering What’s in Your Blood 76
Plasma: Your protein carrier 76
Red blood cells: In charge of moving O2 and CO2 77
Platelets: The clotting cells 78
White blood cells: The body’s defenders 78
Focusing on the Physiology of Circulation 78
The cardiac cycle: Conducting electricity 79
On the beating path: Blood flow through the heart and body 81
Measuring the importance of blood pressure 83
Hemostasis: Stopping the flow 84
Chapter 5: Taking a Deep Breath with the Respiratory System 85
Surveying the Duties of the Respiratory System 85
Nosing around Your Respiratory Anatomy 86
An entrance to the system: The nose 87
Passing through the pharynx 87
Winding through the windpipe, or trachea 88
The lungs: The pair that just don’t quit 89
Exchanging gases at the respiratory membrane 90
The comptroller of ventilation: The diaphragm 91
Discovering the Ins and Outs of Breathing 92
Breathing under normal conditions 92
Seeing how stress affects breathing 94
Controlling your breathing 94
Chapter 6: Getting on Track with the Digestive System 97
Your Digestive System in a Nutshell 98
Moving through the Structures of the Digestive Tract 99
Allowing entry: The mouth 99
Sending food to the stomach: The pharynx and esophagus 100
Lining it up: The walls 101
Breaking it all down: The stomach 102
Importing and exporting: The intestines 103
Doing the Chemical Breakdown 105
The liver 106
The pancreas 108
Digestive fluids, enzymes, and hormones 109
Chapter 7: Passing through the Urinary System 111
Running Down the Urinary System’s Responsibilities 111
Surveying the Structures of the Urinary System 113
Creating urine: The kidneys 113
Holding and releasing: The urinary tract 115
The Yellow River 117
Looking at the composition of urine 117
Filtering the blood 118
Reabsorbing selectively 119
Expelling urine 120
Maintaining Homeostasis 120
Connecting fluid balance and blood pressure 121
Regulating blood pH 122
Chapter 8: Making Babies: The Reproductive System 125
Surveying the Functions of the Reproductive System 125
Making Gametes 126
Crossing over with meiosis 127
Producing female gametes: Ova 127
Developing male gametes: Sperm 129
Merging ova and sperm to determine sex 129
The Egg-citing Female Reproductive System 130
A woman’s reproductive organs 130
A woman’s (approximately) monthly cycle 133
Furthering Fertilization: The Male Reproductive System 136
A man’s reproductive organs 137
Seminal fluid and ejaculation 138
Pausing for Pregnancy 139
Achieving fertilization 139
Succeeding with implantation 140
Adapting to pregnancy 140
Going through labor and delivery 142
Chapter 9: Exploring the Nervous, Endocrine, and Immune Systems 143
Controlling it All: The Nervous System 144
Surveying the neural tissues 144
Traveling the integrated networks 147
Sending Messages Chemical-Style with the Endocrine System 149
Homing in on hormones 150
Grouping the glands 152
Defending Your “Self” with the Immune System 155
Loving Your Lymphatic System 156
Identifying immune system cells 158
Chapter 10: Ten Phabulous Physiology Phacts 161
Only Humans Have Opposable Thumbs 161
Human Milk is the Best Milk 162
You’re (Surprisingly) as Hairy as a Gorilla 162
You Can Process Fear and Emotion 163
You Smell Like You See 163
Your Mouth is More Efficient Than a Chimp’s 164
Millions of Microbes Owe You Their Lives 164
Oxygen Can be Dangerous 164
You Can Control Your Breathing but Fido Can’t 165
Hemoglobin Dominates Your Red Blood Cells 166
Index 167
