1. Anatomy as well as physiology have several subspecialties. Can you identify these subspecialties and explain what they specifically study?
Anatomy and physiology have several subspecialties that correspond to different specific areas of study.
For anatomy, the following are its subspecialties:
(1) Embryology is the study of the first 8 weeks of development after the fertilization of an egg.
(2) Development Biology is the study of the complete development of an individual from fertilization of an egg to death.
(3) Cell Biology is the study of structures and functions of a cell.
(4) Histology is the study of the microscopic structures of tissues and their four types: epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous tissues.
(5) Surface Anatomy is the study of the external features of the body without the need for dissection done through visualization and palpation.
(6) Gross Anatomy is the study of structures of the body that can be seen with the naked eye.
(7) Systemic Anatomy is the study of the structures of specific systems, such as the digestive system or nervous system.
(8) Regional Anatomy is the study of specific body regions, such as the head.
(9) Imaging Anatomy is the study of the structures of the body that can be visualized by imaging techniques, like x-rays and CT scans; and
(10) Pathological Anatomy is the study of the gross to microscopic structural changes associated with disease.
As for physiology, the subspecialities are as follows:
(1) Neurophysiology is the study of the functions of nerve cells.
(2) Endocrinology is the study of functions of the endocrine system, focusing on the hormones it secretes and how they control and affect body functions.
(3) Cardiovascular physiology is the study of the functions of the heart and blood vessels.
(4) Immunology is the study concerning the body’s immune system, specifically its defenses against pathogens and other disease-causing agents.
(5) Respiratory physiology is the study of the functions of the air passageways and lungs and how they control gas exchange in the body.
(6) Renal physiology is the study of the functions of the body’s kidneys.
(7) Exercise physiology is the study of the changes in cell and organ functions due to muscular activity, or exercise; and lastly,
(8) Pathophysiology is the study of the functional changes associated with different diseases and aging.
2. Can you give your own example on how a structure of a body part is related to its function?
An example of the relationship between a body part’s structure and function that I can think of is the heart’s chambers, specifically the left ventricle. It is undeniable that the ventricles, as they function to pump blood out of the heart, have thicker walls than the atria, which receive blood back to the heart. Furthermore, the left ventricle is the chamber which is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, which shows that its structure is related to the more workload that it needs to function for systemic circulation.
References
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2014). Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (14th ed.). Wiley.