Introduction to PhysiologyIntroduction Physiology is the study of the functions of living matter. It is concerned with how an organism performs its varied activities: how it feeds, how it moves, how it adapts to changing circumstances, how it spawns new generations. The subject is vast and embraces the whole of life. The success of physiology in explaining how organisms perform their daily tasks is based on the notion that they are intricate and exquisite machines whose operation is governed by the laws of physics and chemistry.Although some processes are similar across the whole spectrum of biologythe replication of the genetic code for or examplemany are specific to particular groups of organisms. For this reason it is necessary to divide the subject into various parts such as bacterial physiology, plant physiology, and animal physiology.To study how an animal works it is first necessary to know how it is built. A full appreciation of the physiology of an organism must therefore be based on a sound knowledge of its anatomy. Experiments can then be carried out to establish how particular parts perform their functions. Although there have been many important physiological investigations on human volunteers, the need for precise control over the experimental conditions has meant that much of our present physiological knowledge has been derived from studies on other animals such as frogs, rabbits, cats, and dogs. When it is clear that a specific physiological process has a common basis in a wide variety of animal species, it is reasonable to assume that the same principles will apply to humans. The knowledge gained from this approach has given us a great insight into human physiology and endowed us with a solid foundation for the effective treatment of many diseases.The building blocks of the body are the cells, which are grouped together to form tissues. The principal types of tissue are epithelial, connective, nervous, and muscular, each with its own characteristics. Many connective tissues have relatively few cells but have an extensive extracellular matrix. In contrast, smooth muscle consists of densely packed layers of muscle cells linked together via specific cell junctions. Organs such as the brain, the heart, the lungs, the intestines, and the liver are formed by the aggregation of different kinds of tissues. The organs are themselves parts of distinct physiological systems. The heart and blood vessels form the cardiovascular system; the lungs, trachea, and bronchi together with the chest wall and diaphragm form the respiratory system; the skeleton and skeletal muscles form the musculoskeletal system; the brain, spinal cord, autonomic nerves and ganglia, and peripheral somatic nerves form the nervous system, and so on.Cells differ widely in form and function but they all have certain common characteristics. Firstly, they are bounded by a limiting membrane, the plasma membrane. Secondly, they have the ability to break down large molecules to smaller ones to liberate energy for their activities. Thirdly, at some point in their life history, they possess a nucleus which contains genetic information in the form of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).Living cells continually transform materials. They break down glucose and fats to provide energy for other activities such as motility and the synthesis of proteins for growth and repair. These chemical changes are collectively called metabolism. The breakdown of large molecules to smaller ones is called catabolism and the synthesis of large molecules from smaller ones anabolism. In the course of evolution, cells began to differentiate to serve different functions. Some developed the ability to contract (muscle cells), others to conduct electrical signals (nerve cells). A further group developed the ability to secrete different substances such as hormones or enzymes. During embryological development, this process of differentiation is re-enacted as many different types of cell are formed from the fertilized egg. Most tissues contain a mixture of cell types. For example, blood consists of red cells, white cells, and platelets. Red cells transport oxygen around the body. The white cells play an important role in defense against infection and the platelets are vital components in the process of blood clotting. There are a number of different types of connective tissue but all are characterized by having cells distributed within an extensive noncellular matrix. Nerve tissue contains nerve cells and glial cells.The Principal Organ SystemsThe cardiovascular systemThe cells of large multicellular animals cannot derive the oxygen and nutrients they need directly from the external environment. The oxygen and nutrients must be transported to the cells. This is one of the principal functions of the blood, which circulates within blood vessels by virtue of the pumping action of the heart. The heart, blood vessels, and associated tissues form the cardiova