Chapter 1

Disease

A condition in which the body fails to function normally.

Pathology/Pathophysiology

Anything that upsets normal structure or function.

Signs

Definitive, objective, obvious indicators of an illness.

Physiology

Focuses on the function and vital processes of the various structures making up the human body. The study of how anatomical structure actually functions.

Four subspecialties of Physiology

Human, animal, cellular and neurophysiology.

Five common conditions of Metabolic Syndrome/Syndrome X

Hyperglycemia, Hypertension, Abdominal Obesity, High Triglycerides, Low blood levels of HDL (good cholesterol).

Microscopic Anatomy

Specialized field of anatomy that studies the structures that can only be seen and studied with magnification aids such as a microscope.

Common Pulse Points of the body

Superficial/temporal, Carotid, Brachial, Radial, Femoral, Dorsalis Pedia.

Two major systems of measurement

The United States Customary System (USCS or English) and The systeme International (SI or Metric).

Cytology

The study of cellular structures.

Anatomy

The study of the internal and external structures of the human body.

Macroscopic Anatomy

The study of the structures of the body visible to the naked, or unaided, eye. Also called gross anatomy.

Histology

The study of tissue samples.

Symptoms

More subjective and difficult to measure consistently. Something that can't be felt, seen or heard by anyone other than the pt.