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The Definition of Anatomy & Physiology

Thursday, July 02, 2009
Related Tags: anatomy | physiology | body | bce | gray
 

Instructions

Anatomy

  • Step 1:
    Anatomy, from the roots "ana" (apart) and "tom" (cut), is the study of the form of the body. Gross anatomy can be seen with the naked eye. Microscopic anatomy, or histology, is the study of tissues under a microscope.

Physiology

  • Step 1:
    Physiology is the study of the function of the human body. While anatomy names the muscles in the body and their locations, physiology describes how they attach to bones and how their movement is controlled.

First Thinkers

  • Step 1:
    Hippocrates (460 to 375 BCE) urged healers to stop attributing diseases to the gods and look for rational remedies. Aristotle (384 to 322 BCE) believed disease could have either supernatural causes--"theologi"--or natural ones, called "physici"--the origin of the modern word "physician."

First Drawings

  • Step 1:
    In 1543, Vesalius published the first atlas of anatomical drawings, which began a rich tradition that reached its pinnacle with "Gray's Anatomy" in 1856, which is still often used today.

Classes

  • Step 1:
    Today, anatomy and physiology are often taught together as one class, stretched out over 2 semesters in college. A typical curriculum includes memorizing every bone, muscle, joint and major blood vessel in the body.

Resources

Photo/Video Credit

From Gray's Anatomy (public domain).

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