1.Anatomy, as well as physiology, have several subspecialties. Can you identify these subspecialties and explain what they specifically study?
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The following are the subspecialties of Anatomy: Embryology, Development Biology, Cell Biology, Surface Anatomy, Gross Anatomy, and Systemic Anatomy. In a nutshell, Embryology talks about the development of a fetus from fertilization up to the 8th weeks. Development Biology, on the other hand, is the complete development of an individual from birth to death. Moreover, Cell biology deals with cell structure and its functions. Gross Anatomy, also called macroscopic anatomy, indicates that this is a study of larger structures. Lastly, systemic anatomy deals with the structures that make up a discrete body system.
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And for the subspecialties of Physiology, we have six of which: Neurophysiology, Endocrinology, Cardiovascular Physiology, Immunology, Renal Physiology, and Pathophysiology. Neurophysiology deals with the nerve cell’s functional properties while Endocrinology studies the controlling of body functions through hormones. Cardiovascular Physiology, however, focuses more on the heart and blood vessel functions, and Immunology studies the defense mechanisms of the body against disease-causing agents. On the other hand, Renal Physiology focuses on kidney functions and lastly, Pathophysiology studies the functional changes in terms of aging and diseases.
2.Can you give your own example on how a structure of a body part is related to its function?
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Let be the heart as an example. The heart is divided into four chambers, namely—the right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle, and left ventricle. These parts show the passageway of the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Furthermore, it also has veins that connect to the lungs, the inferior and superior vena cava, as well as the aorta to connect the heart to the body. These parts help the heart to maintain the circulation or movement of the blood to the body, and also in maintaining blood pressure. In addition to that, the layers of the heart, which contain cardiac fibers, aid in the pumping of the blood(contraction and relaxation of the heart).