1. Anatomy as well as physiology have several subspecialties. Can you identify these subspecialties and explain what they specifically study?
Some of the more common subspecialties of anatomy are the following:
- Embryology — the study of the first eight weeks of development following the fertilization of an egg
- Development Biology — the study of the complete development of a person from fertilization of an egg up until death
- Cell Biology — the study of cellular structure and functions
- Surface Anatomy — the study of surface markings of the body to understand internal anatomy through visualization and palpation
- Gross anatomy — the study of structures that can be examined without using a microscope
- Systemic anatomy — the study of structures of specific systems of the body such as the nervous system or respiratory systems
Meanwhile, for physiology, the subspecialties that can be usually seen include, but are not limited to:
- Neurophysiology — the study of the functional properties of nerve cells
- Endocrinology — the study of the hormones and how they control body functions
- Cardiovascular physiology — the study of the functions of the heart and blood vessels
- Immunology — the study of how the body defends itself against disease-causing agents
- Renal physiology — the study of the functions of the kidneys
- Pathophysiology — the study of the functional changes associated with disease and aging
2. Can you give your own example on how a structure of a body part is related to its function?
As anatomy and physiology go hand-in-hand with one another, the function of a body part is generally reflected through its structure. For instance, a nerve cell appears to be long and thin, which is particularly useful for transmitting neural signals across the human body.