Human body

Nervous system, courtesy of 3DScience.com

As commonly defined, the human body is the physical matter of a human being, including the chemical elements, cells, and extracellular materials and the organization of these materials into tissues, organs, and systems. The human body, like the bodies of all animals, is made up of systems, that are made up of organs, that are made up of tissues, that are made up of cells.

Several fields are involved in the study of the human body. Human anatomy or anthropotomy is a specialized field within anatomy that is focused on the structure and form of the human body, such as the description of organs and organ systems Human physiology is a specialized field within physiology that encompasses the study of the functioning of the human body, including systems, tissues, and cells. Thus, physiology tends to be more dynamic, and concerned with functioning, while anatomy is more descriptive of structure. The study of tissues is the focus of histology and the study of cells is part of cytology.

Since human beings define themselves not just in biological terms, but also in social, spiritual, and religous terms, it is natural that the term "human body" can take on broader meanings than defined above. In some religions, for example, there is a concept that humans have not only a physical body, but also a "spiritual body," which may mirror the appearance of the physical body, but that also exists after the death of the physical body. An example of such is found in the Bible: "??? spiritual body".

In addition, the concept of human body is often used in context of "mind-body unity" or "mind-body" disunity, in order to convey a separation between physical and spiritual desires, or as reflected in philosophy, the "mind-body problem."

(look up the ICUS book on mind/brain, etc.)

Respiratory system, courtesy of 3DScience.com

Digestive system, courtesy of 3DScience.com

Circulatory system, courtesy of 3DScience.com

Brain, courtesy of 3DScience.com

Spine

See History of anatomy for a history of anatomy, including human anatomy.

Major systems of the human body

Cardiovascular system: blood circulations with heart and blood vessels
Digestive system: processing food with mouth, stomach and intestines
Endocrine system: communicating within the body using hormones
Excretory system: eliminating wastes from the body
Immune system: defending against disease-causing agents
Integumentary system: skin, hair and nails
Muscular system: moving the body
Nervous system: collecting, transferring and processing information with brain and nerves
Reproductive system: the sex organs
Respiratory system: the organs used for breathing, the lungs
Skeletal system: structural support and protection through bones.

External features

External body features

Common names of well known parts of the human body, from top to bottom :

Skin

Head — Forehead — Eye — Ear — Nose — Mouth — Tongue — Teeth — Jaw — Face — Cheek — Chin

Neck — Throat — Adam's apple — Shoulders

Arm — Elbow — Wrist — Hand — Fingers — Thumb

Spine — Chest — Breast — Ribcage

Abdomen — Belly button — Sex organs (Penis/Scrotum or Clitoris/Vagina) — Rectum — Anus

Hip — Buttocks — Leg — Thigh — Knee — Calf — Heel — Ankle — Foot — Toes

Internal organs

Common names of internal organs (in alphabetical order) :

Adrenal glands — Appendix — Bladder — Brain — Duodenum — Gall bladder — Heart — Intestines — Kidney —Liver— Lungs — Ovaries — Pancreas — Parathyroid gland — Pituitary gland — Prostate gland — Spleen — Stomach — Thymus gland — Thyroid gland — Testicles — Womb

Anatomy of the brain

Amygdala — Brainstem — Cerebellum — Cerebral cortex — Hypothalamus — Limbic system — medulla— midbrain — Pituitary gland — pons

See also: Human brain, List of regions in the human brain

Studying human anatomy

Certain professions, especially medicine and physiotherapy, require the study of human anatomy in depth. Textbooks usually split the body into the following regional groups:

Head and Neck - includes everything above the thoracic inlet
Upper limb - includes everything from your hand, forearm, arm, shoulder, axilla, pectoral region and scapular region.
Thorax - contains the region of the chest from the thoracic inlet to the thoracic diaphragm.
Abdomen - everything from the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvic brim or to the pelvic inlet.
The back - about the spine and its components, the intervetebral disks and bodies
Pelvis and Perineum - the pelvis consists of everything from the pelvic inlet to the pelvic diaphragm. The perineum is everything below the pelvic diaphragm.
Lower limb - the lower limb is usually everything below the inguinal ligament, including the thigh, the hip joint, the leg, and the foot.

Credits

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