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Increase your understanding about the form and function of the human body! Starting with the relationship between anatomy and physiology, you will then learn about cell structure and their processes. Discover the functions and purposes of the skeletal, muscular, nervous, and cardiovascular systems as well as diseases that affect those systems. Becoming familiar with the terminology of the human body is essential to those pursuing health sciences or wanting to gain a greater sense of how the human body works.
Unit 1: Human Body Organization
While Anatomy and Physiology courses are required for students beginning their journeys to a career in a health science, they can also be of great value to others who are simply wanting to improve their own health and wellbeing. Just as it’s easier to navigate a foreign country if you understand the language spoken, it’s easier to navigate the human body if you understand the terminology related to the forms and functions of this fascinating area of study. If you’re lost in Italy, hopefully you have a translation app. If you’re lost and trying to figure out how one symptom might be a clue to a larger problem in a patient, this material will help you navigate your way through body systems.
What will you learn in this unit?
Unit 2: Chemistry of the Body
Remember how we talked about one cell being smaller than a period? It’s mind-blowing to think that something so small has so much control over all of our body systems. There are over 200 different types of cells in the body that make up a total of 100 TRILLION cells in one person. Think about it for a minute: that number is the number 1 followed by 14 zeroes!
Let’s take a look at how cells are designed to make sure the human body stays healthy and balanced. Understanding cell design and reproduction is key to understanding how each body system works and how they interact to sustain life.
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Unit 3: The Skeletal System
Can you image what it would be like if you didn’t have any bones and were only made up of muscle and skin? You wouldn’t be able to walk very well, type on the keyboard or, certainly, be able to dance! There are 206 bones in the adult human skeleton. When we are born, we have more than 250 bones in our bodies, and as we grow and develop, some of the smaller bones fuse together to form stronger, longer and less pliable bone. The skeleton is not only what determines the shape and size of an individual, but it allows us to walk upright and perform the activities of daily life.
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Unit 4: The Muscular System
Sit perfectly still while you look at your computer screen. You might think that none of your muscles are moving, but they are. The diaphragm, the sheet of muscle that rests under your lungs, is contracting and relaxing to facilitate your breathing when you’re at rest or in motion. Muscles also perform other functions that you may not have considered; not only does the muscular system move your limbs, it also interacts with other body systems to support vital movements around your body. Let’s see what muscles do for you.
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Unit 5: The Nervous System
Snap your fingers. Can you imagine that in the time it took you to snap, a nerve impulse could travel the length of a football field? Now, think about an amazingly fast relay race. Your nervous system is like a relay: the baton gets passed from one group of cells to the next to deliver a message with lightning speed. It’s not one individual that carries the baton the length of the football field; it’s multiple people passing the baton across the length of the impulse to make the movement or sensation happen. Once you examine all the individual parts of the nervous system and how they work together, you’ll appreciate how fascinating it is.
What will you learn in this unit?
Unit 6: The Integumentary System
The integumentary system is one of the most unappreciated in the body. Most people might guess that the brain, heart, or lungs are the most important organ in the body, but the integumentary system plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis and protecting all of these other important organs. Let’s learn what makes the integumentary system so important.
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Unit 7: Essential Knowledge About Blood
Have you ever accidentally cut yourself so badly that your blood started to pool? As horrifying as that experience can be, it’s also fascinating to consider exactly what that deep red liquid is. Blood is a tissue that is made up of millions and millions of cells and chemicals that are dissolved within it. Like other body systems, it has multiple intricate parts that work together to perform functions within its own assigned body system and coordinate activities with other body systems. It’s the levels of the various components of blood, the path they take to circulate in the body, and their relationship with our heart and lungs that contribute to maintaining homeostasis.
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Unit 8: The Cardiovascular System and The Heart
We’ve all seen images on television of someone dramatically grabbing their chest and dropping to the ground, presumably having a heart attack. These significant injuries are a result of problems within the heart that are similar to the flickering of electricity in a room or clogged pipes in a sink. As you move through this unit, you will learn about the power grid and the plumbing in the heart, what happens when they are in top condition, and what happens when there is a disruption in service.
What will you learn in this unit?
