Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology (2022-23)

As the science and arts of medicine and health care become increasingly complex, so too does the education of those who pursue careers in nursing and other healthrelated fields. Human anatomy and physiology is often a first course in many education programs, and is the basis for so many of the more specialized courses. Teachers of introductory anatomy and physiology thus take on a special challenge: We must distill and express the complexities of human structure and function in a simple way, without losing the essence and meaning of the material. That is the goal of this textbook: to make this material readily accessible to students with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of educational preparation. No prior knowledge of biology or chemistry is assumed, and even the most fundamental terms are defined thoroughly. Essential aspects of anatomy are presented clearly and reinforced with excellent illustrations. Essential aspects of physiology are discussed simply, yet with accuracy and precision. Again, the illustrations complement the text material and foster comprehension on the part of the student. These illustrations were prepared especially for students for whom this is a first course in anatomy and physiology. As you will see, these are images in which detail is readily apparent. All important parts have been labeled, but the student is not overwhelmed with unnecessary labels. Illustrations of physiology lead the student step-by-step. Wherever appropriate, the legends refer students to the text for further description or explanation. Each illustration also has a question for the student; the illustration questions in a chapter form an ongoing self-test. (The answers are given in Appendix G.) The text has three unifying themes: the relationship between physiology and anatomy, the interrelations among the organ systems, and the relationship of each organ system to homeostasis. Although each type of cell, tissue, organ, or organ system is discussed simply and thoroughly in itself, applicable connections are made to other aspects of the body or to the functioning of the body as a whole. Our goal is to provide your students with the essentials of anatomy and physiology, and in doing so, to help give them a solid foundation for their future work, and an appreciation for the incredible living organism that is the human body. The sequence of chapters is a very traditional one. Cross-references are used to remind students of what they have learned from previous chapters. Nevertheless, the textbook is very flexible, and, following the introductory four chapters, the organ systems may be covered in almost any order, depending on the needs of your course. Each chapter is organized from the simple to the more complex, with the anatomy followed by the physiology. The Instructor’s Guide presents modifications of the topic sequences that may be used, again depending on the needs of your course. Certain more advanced topics may be omitted from each chapter without losing the meaning or flow of the rest of the material, and these are indicated, for each chapter, in the Instructor’s Guide. Clinical applications are set apart from the text in boxed inserts. These are often aspects of pathophysiology that are related to the normal anatomy or physiology in the text discussion. Each box presents one particular topic and is referenced at the appropriate point in the text. This material is intended to be an integral part of the chapter vi