Norris Maggie A. - Anatomy & physiology for dummies

Anatomy & Physiology For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932045

ISBN 978-1-119-34523-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-34530-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-34536-7 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Congratulations on your decision to study human anatomy and physiology. The knowledge you gain from your study is of value in many aspects of your life.

Begin with the most obvious: the social value of this knowledge. Human anatomy and physiology is always a suitable topic of discussion in social situations because it allows people to talk about their favorite subject (themselves) in a not-too-personal way. Thus, some particularly interesting detail of anatomy and physiology is an ideal conversation opener with attractive strangers or horrifying shirt-tail relatives. (First, though, be completely clear in your mind about the boundary between scientific anatomy and physiology on the one hand and personal clinical details on the other.) Choose the specific topic carefully to be sure of having your intended effect. For example, telling a young boy that he has the same density of hair follicles on his body as a chimp does will probably please him. Telling his teenage sister the same thing may alienate her. Use this power carefully!

A little background in anatomy and physiology should be considered a valuable part of anyones education. Health and medical matters are part of world events and peoples daily lives. Basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology gets you started when trying to make sense of the news about epidemics, novel drugs and medical devices, and purported environmental hazards, to name just a few examples. Anatomy and physiology prepare you to be a more well-rounded, knowledgeable person and will help you be a better parent, spouse, care-giver, neighbor, friend, or colleague.

Knowledge of anatomy and physiology may also benefit your own health. Sometimes, comprehension of a particular fact or concept can help drive a good decision about long-term health matters, like the demonstrated benefits of exercise, or it may help you take appropriate action in the context of a specific medical problem, like an infection, an infarction, a cut, or a muscle strain. You may understand your doctors instructions better during a course of treatment, which may give you a better medical outcome.

This book guides you on a quick walk-through of human anatomy and physiology. It doesnt have the same degree of technical detail as a textbook. It contains relatively little in the way of lists of important anatomical structures, for instance.

We expect that most readers are using this book as a complementary resource for course work in anatomy and physiology at the high-school, college, or career-training level. Most of the information overlaps with the information available in your other resources. However, sometimes a slightly different presentation of a fact or of the relationship between facts can lead to a small aha! Some technical details in your more comprehensive resources may become easier to master after that. Consider reading the relevant chapter prior to class. That way, when your instructor covers the content, itll be more likely to stick!

The goals of this book are to be informal but not unscientific; brief but not sketchy; and information-rich but accessible to readers at many levels. Weve tried to present a light but serious survey of human anatomy and physiology that you can enjoy for the sake of the information it imparts and that will help you perform well on your tests. As always, the reader is the judge of its success.

You wont find clinical information in this book. have a pathophysiology section that uses disorders and disease states to explore the details of some physiological processes, but this book contains nothing related to patient care or self-care. Its also not a health and wellness manual or any kind of lifestyle book.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If youre reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as its noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesnt exist. If youre reading this as an e-book, youve got it easy just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

When we wrote this book, we tried to keep you in mind. Were guessing that you fall into one of these categories:

• Formal student: Youre a high-school or college student enrolled in a basic anatomy and physiology course for credit, or a student in a career-training program for a certification or credential. You need to pass an exam or otherwise demonstrate understanding and retention of data, terminology, and concepts in human anatomy and physiology.