Human Physiology   7/e   Vander/Sherman/Luciano
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Chapter 1: A Framework for Human Physiology


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Chapter 1: The Framework for Human Physiology

  1. MECHANISM AND CAUSALITY

    1. The mechanist view of life, the view taken by physiologists, holds that all phenomena are describable in terms of physical and chemical laws.
    2. Vitalism holds that some additional force is required to explain the function of living organisms.

  2. A SOCIETY OF CELLS

    1. Cells are the simplest structural units into which a complex multicellular organism can be divided and still retain the functions characteristic of life.
    2. Cell differentiation results in the formation of four categories of specialized cells.

      1. Muscle cells generate the mechanical activities that produce force and movement.
      2. Nerve cells initiate and conduct electric signals.
      3. Epithelial cells selectively secrete and absorb ions and organic molecules.
      4. Connective-tissue cells connect, anchor, and support the structures of the body.

    3. Specialized cells associate with similar cells to form tissues: muscle tissue, nerve tissue, epithelial tissue, and connective tissue.
    4. Organs are composed of the four kinds of tissues arranged in various proportions and patterns; many organs contain multiple small similar functional units.
    5. An organ system is a collection of organs that together perform an overall function.

  3. THE INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT AND HOMEOSTASIS

    1. The extracellular fluid surrounding a cell is the cell's internal environment.
    2. The function of organ systems is to maintain the internal environment relatively constant (homeostasis). This is achieved by homeostatic control systems.
    3. Each cell performs the basic cellular processes required to maintain its own integrity plus specialized activities that help achieve homeostasis.

  4. BODY-FLUID COMPARTMENTS

    1. The body fluids are enclosed in compartments.

      1. The extracellular fluid is composed of the blood plasma and the fluid between cells (interstitial fluid). Of the extracellular fluid, 80 percent is interstitial fluid, and 20 percent is plasma.
      2. Interstitial fluid and plasma have essentially the same composition except that plasma contains a much higher concentration of protein.
      3. Extracellular fluid differs markedly in composition from the fluid inside cells (intracellular fluid).
      4. Approximately one-third of body water is in the extracellular compartment, and two-thirds is intracellular.

    2. The compositions of the compartments reflect the activities of the barriers separating them.

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