Introductory Human Physiology

Book Preface

This book is designed to provide the foundation for understanding the normal function of the human body. It can be used alone or as a supplement with other resources, textbooks, or with our Coursera course, Introductory Human Physiology. Each chapter emphasizes the basic concepts that apply to each organ and organ system as well as their integration to maintain homeostasis and proper responses to perturbations such as exercise, illness, and trauma. The organ systems covered include: nervous, muscle, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, gastrointestinal, and urinary. Examples from daily life activities and clinical scenarios as well as review questions are presented to illustrate basic science principles, to facilitate integration of the course content and to foster problem solving skills.
Introductory Human Physiology is written primarily for those with a general background in biology who will gain a practical knowledge of the human body and proficiency in basic science and medical terminology. Because it emphasizes basic concepts, this book also serves as a review for health professionals and for students in preparation for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and Boards. The findings presented are those widely accepted within the field of physiology. In the interest of brevity, general references and experimental data in support of these findings are not included. The clinical information provided is for review purposes and should not be used for treatment or diagnosis.
The inspiration for this work was lecture handouts associated with a mini Introductory Physiology course (Duke University) taught by Jo Rae Wright and Emma Jakoi. For this ebook, the lecture handouts have been rewritten and their content broadened in scope to be more inclusive of the body’s organ systems as well as to add more detailed explanations, case scenarios and short applications. Jo Rae’s wisdom and joy of life are greatly missed. The authors are grateful to Lee Mewshaw who helped format this book for e-publishing. We extend a special thanks to Rick Melges for his excellent illustrations.
We hope that this book will be helpful to you.
Emma Jakoi, Ph.D
Jennifer Carbrey, Ph.D.