Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology

For Nursing and Healthcare Students

Ian Peate, Suzanne Evans, Ian Peate, Suzanne Evans

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781119576518
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Nursing
• Edition: 3

Comprehensive, illustrated, and perhaps most importantly: applicable in practice. The latest edition of this best-selling textbook proves difficult to put down.

The third edition of Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology is a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the structure and function of the human body. Written with the needs of nursing and healthcare students in mind, this bestselling textbook incorporates clinical examples and scenarios throughout to illustrate how the topics covered are applied in practice. Hundreds of full-colour illustrations complement numerous case studies encompassing all fields of nursing practice, alongside learning outcomes, self-assessment tests, chapter summaries, and other effective learning tools.

This latest edition has been thoroughly updated by a team of international contributors to reflect the current Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Education, with enhanced online learning resources including an image bank, a searchable online glossary, flashcards, interactive multiple-choice questions, and more. Offering a user-friendly introduction to anatomy and physiology, this textbook:

• Provides a variety of clinical scenarios and examples to relate theory to practice
• Outlines the disorders associated with each chapter's topic
• Presents information on medicines management for each body system
• Is written by an international team
• Features extensive supplementary online resources for both students and instructors
• Is available with accompanying study guide, Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology Workbook

Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology is the perfect introduction to the subject for student nurses, particularly those in the first year of their course, healthcare assistants and nursing associates, and other allied health students.

1
Basic Scientific Principles of Physiology

Suzanne Evans

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Test Your Prior Knowledge

• What is the difference between anatomy and physiology?
• What are atoms, ions and electrolytes?
• What is an element?
• How do we distinguish living things from non‐living things?
• What is homeostasis?

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Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter you will be able to:

• Outline the levels of organisation of the body.
• Describe the characteristics and the requirements of all living things.
• Interpret chemical symbols and equations and understand the ways in which atoms can bind together.
• Describe the pH scale and its importance to life.
• List the differences between organic and inorganic substances.

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Visit the student companion website at www.wileyfundamentalseries.com/anatomy where you can test yourself using flashcards, multiple-choice questions and more. Instructor companion site at www.wiley.com/go/instructor/anatomy where instructors will find valuable materials such as PowerPoint slides and image bank designed to enhance your teaching.

Introduction

Learning about the physiology of the body is very much like learning a foreign language – there are new vocabulary, grammar and 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:

• anatomy, the study of structure;
• physiology, 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, and so on, is structured – the two are interdependent.

Levels of Organisation

The body is a very complex organism that consists of many components, starting with the smallest of them – the atom – and concluding with the organism itself (Figure 1.1). Starting from the smallest component and working towards the largest, the body operates, and can be studied, on the following levels:

• The chemical level – the atoms, molecules and macromolecules that we are made of.
• The cellular level – the smallest living units in our bodies.
• The tissue level – the groups of cells specialised to perform specific functions, e.g. nerve or muscle tissue.
• The organ level – a structure, consisting of many tissues, specialised to perform a specific function, e.g. the heart.
• The organ system level – a system, consisting of more than one organ, specialised to perform a range of functions, e.g. the cardiovascular system.
• The organism level – the whole individual.

Characteristics of Life

All living organisms have certain characteristics in common, which are considered essential for the maintenance of life. These characteristics are:

• Sensitivity – organisms need to be able to sense and respond to changes in their environment such as changes in light levels, temperature, chemical composition, presence of threats, etc.
• Nutrition – Seeking out, ingesting and using food to supply energy and the raw materials for growth and development is a very basic requirement.
• Respiration – This is the means by which an organism obtains and uses oxygen to release energy from food to power the other activities listed here.
• Movement – The ability to change position is essential if an organism is to be able to escape threats, find food, other members of the species, etc.
• Gro...