Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology for Student Nurses

Ian Peate, Muralitharan Nair, Ian Peate, Muralitharan Nair

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118276280
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Nursing

The mind and the body, when working in harmony, is a fantastic system capable of extraordinary things.

With an applied, interactive, and highly visual approach, Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology for Student Nurses provides students with an exciting and straightforward understanding of anatomy and physiology, enabling them to deliver high quality care in any setting. This book covers the structure and functions of the human body, with clinical applications throughout.

Key features:

• A clear, straightforward book on anatomy and physiology for all students in nursing and allied health.
• Fully interactive, with an activity section at the end of each chapter, featuring multiple choice questions, diagram labelling, test your learning questions, crosswords, and 'find out more'.
• Generous, full colour illustrations throughout
• Clinical considerations and scenarios throughout showing how the material can be applied to daily practice
• A companion website where you'll find further exercises, illustrations, and interactive MCQs www.wiley.com/go/peate

1

Basic scientific principles of physiology

Peter S Vickers

Contents

Introduction

Levels of organisation

Characteristics of life

Bodily requirements

Atoms

Atomic number

Carbon atom

Molecules

Chemical bonds

Ionic bonding of atoms

Ions

Covalent bonds

Polar bonds

Electrolytes

Elements

Properties of elements

Compounds

Chemical equations/chemical reactions

Acids and bases (pH)

Blood and pH values

Homeostasis

Organic and inorganic substances

Examples of organic substances

Examples of inorganic substances

Units of measurement

Conclusion

Glossary

References

Activities

Test your knowledge

• What are the three basic components of an atom?
• What are the essential requirements of all organisms (including humans)?
• Why is it important for atoms to be able to bind together?
• What is a pH scale?

Learning outcomes

On completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to:

• Describe the levels of organisation of a body
• Describe the characteristics of life
• Understand and explain an atom and how it relates to molecules
• Describe and understand the ways in which atoms can bind together
• Describe elements and their characteristics
• Understand how to read chemical equations
• Describe the pH scale and its importance to life
• List the differences between organic and inorganic substances
• List the various ways in which we measure things.

Introduction

Learning about the physiology of the body is very much like learning a foreign language – there is new vocabulary, new grammar and new concepts to learn and understand. This first chapter introduces you to this new language so that you can then use your knowledge to understand the physiology of the different parts of the body that are discussed in all the other chapters of this book.

First of all there are two terms to learn and understand – namely, anatomy and physiology:

• Anatomy is the study of structure
• Physiology is the study of function.

However, structure is always related to function because the structure determines the function, which in turn determines how the body/organ, etc. is structured – the two are interdependent.

Levels of organisation

The body is a very complex organism which consists of many components, starting with the smallest of them – the atom – and concluding with the many organs that are found within the body (Figure 1.1). Starting from the smallest component and working towards the largest, the body is organised in this way:

• The atom – e.g. hydrogen, carbon
• The molecule – e.g. water, glucose
• The macromolecule (large molecule) – e.g. protein, DNA
• The organelle (found in the cell) – e.g. nucleus, mitochondrion
• The tissues – bone, muscle
• The organs – e.g. heart, kidney
• The organ system – e.g. skeletal, cardiovascular
• The organism – e.g. human, cat.

Characteristics of life

All living organisms have certain characteristics in common. Although these characteristics may differ from organism to organism, they are important for the maintenance of life. These characteristics are:

• Reproduction – both at the micro- and the macro-level, reproduction is essential. At the macro-level it is the reproduction of the organism and at the micro-level it is the reproduction of new cells to maintain the efficiency and growth of the organism
• Growth – essential for the growth and development of an organism
• Movement – both change in position and motion are parts of movement. This characteristic is essential to allow the organism to seek out nutrition and partners for reproduction, as well as to escape predators

Figure 1.1 Levels of organisation of the body (Tortora and Derrickson 2009)

• Respiration – respiration is important for obtaining oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide (or obtaining carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen if a green plant), known as external respiration, as well as releasing energy from foods (internal respiration)
• Responsiveness – this allows the organism to respond to changes, for example in the environment or to other stimuli
• Digestion – this is the breakdown of food substances, so that the organism can produce the energy necessary for life
• Absorption – the movement of substances (including digested food) through membranes and into body fluids, including blood and lymph, which then carry the substances to the parts of the organism requiring them
• Circulation – the movement of substances through the body in the body fluids
• Assimilation – the chan...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Copyright acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1: Basic scientific principles of physiology
• 2: Cells: cellular compartment, transport system, fluid movements
• 3: The immune system
• 4: Tissue
• 5: The skin
• 6: The nervous system
• 7: The endocrine system
• 8: The skeletal system
• 9: The muscular system
• 10: The cardiac system
• 11: The respiratory system
• 12: The circulatory system
• 13: The digestive system and nutrition
• 14: The renal system
• 15: The reproductive systems
• 16: The special senses
• 17: Genetics
• Index