Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology (Texas Science)

Book Preface

Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology, Th ird Edition, was written and designed for learners pursuing careers in the allied health fields. It is written in clear, concise, and easily understandable scientific language and presupposes no previous biology exposure. This text will guide you along a journey of understanding how the human body operates on a daily basis from birth to death. The writing style and presentation will assist introductory learners with limited backgrounds in the sciences to comprehend the basic concepts of human anatomy and physiology, and the fascinating working mechanisms of our bodies. Several features are incorporated into each chapter to help you master the content. Review the “How to Use This Book” section on page xxvi for a detailed description and benefit of each feature.

Organization of the Text

Introductory Chapters

The text begins with an introduction to the human body, explaining anatomic terms and the organization of the body from the cellular to the tissue level, how tissues form organs and how organs comprise the various systems of the body. The chemical basis of life is covered in Chapter 2, explaining how elements bond to form molecules like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and nucleic acids, which are the building blocks of cellular structures. After a discussion of the structure and functions of cells in Chapter 3, Chapter 4 explains how cells convert the foods we eat, via metabolism, into a new form of cellular chemical energy, ATP. Th is chapter also discusses how cells divide by mitosis, how we pass on our genetic characteristics by meiosis, and the structure of the DNA molecule. After this thorough yet understandable explanation of how cells operate, Chapter 5 describes the anatomy and function of body tissues.

Body System Chapters

Having laid the groundwork for understanding the cellular and tissue levels of organization of the body, the text takes the student on a journey through the various systems of the body. Each system chapter has an introduction to set the stage for explaining in general terms what the system does and the organs it contains. Each organ is discussed in terms of its anatomy and physiology, beginning with the first organ and concluding with the final organ of that system. Beginning on the outside, the first system discussed is the integumentary system in Chapter 6. The skeletal (Chapter 7), articular ( Chapter 8), and muscular (Chapter 9) systems are discussed next. These systems operate closely together to allow us to move and respond to changes in our external environment.

The nervous system (Chapters 10 and 11) controls and integrates all other body systems. Chapter 12 discusses the endocrine system, which operates very closely with