physiology

Information about physiology



Physiology (from Greek: φυσις, physis, “nature, origin”; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms.

Physiology has traditionally been divided between plant physiology and animal physiology but the principles of physiology are universal, no matter what particular organism is being studied. For example, what is learned about the physiology of yeast cells may also apply to human cells.

The field of animal physiology extends the tools and methods of human physiology to non-human animal species. Plant physiology also borrows techniques from both fields. Its scope of subjects is at least as diverse as the tree of life itself. Due to this diversity of subjects, research in animal physiology tends to concentrate on understanding how physiological traits changed throughout the evolutionary history of animals. Other major branches of scientific study that have grown out of physiology research include biochemistry, biophysics, paleobiology, biomechanics, and pharmacology.

History

Physiology can trace its roots back more than two millennia to classical antiquity, with the critical thinking of Aristotle and his emphasis on the relationship between structure and function. Claudius Galenus (A.D. 126-circa 199), known as Galen, was the first to use systematic and carefully designed experiments to probe the function of the body. The ancient Indian books of Ayurveda, Sushrut samhita, Charak samhita and Ashtang hrudayam also described human anatomy and physiology.

During the Middle Ages the ancient Greek medical traditions were further developed by physicians in the Muslim world, most notably Avicenna, who introduced experimentation and quantification into the study of physiology, and Ibn al-Nafis (1213-1288), who was the second after the great ancient Indian Charak to correctly describe the anatomy of the heart, the coronary circulation, the structure of the lungs, and the pulmonary circulation. He was also the first to describe the relationship between the lungs and the aeration of the blood.

Following from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance brought an increase of physiological research in the Western world that triggered the modern study of anatomy and physiology. Anatomist William Harvey described blood circulation in the 17th century,[1] demonstrating the fruitful combination of close observations and careful experiments to learn about the functions of the body, which was fundamental to the development of experimental physiology. Herman Boerhaave is sometimes referred to as a father of physiology due to his exemplary teaching in Leiden and textbook 'Institutiones medicae' (1708).

In the 19th century, physiological knowledge began to accumulate at a rapid rate, most notably with Matthias Schleidan and Theodor Schwann's "Cell theory" which radically stated in 1838 that organisms are made up of units called cells, along with Claude Bernard's (1813-1878) many discoveries that ultimately led to his concept of, interieur (internal environment) which would later be taken up and championed as 'Homeostasis' by American physiologist Walter Cannon (1871-1945).

Areas of physiology

Human and animal

Main article: Human physiology
Human physiology is the largest subfield of physiology, although model organisms are often used even in studies designed to increase knowledge of human physiology.

Plant

Plant physiology has differing subdivisions. For example, since plants do not have muscles and nerves, neither myophysiology nor neurophysiology applies.

Microorganisms

In microorganism physiology, some areas of both plant and animal physiology are relvant, in addition to areas of physiology specific to microorganisms, below:
  • Microbial physiology, a subfield of microbiology, is the study of how microorganisms function
  • Similarly, bacteria physiology, a subfield of bacteriology, is the study of how bacteria function
  • Microbe-host interactions deals with the physiology of microorganisms and higher organisms in intimate contact, sometimes in symbiotic or transient relationships.
  • Likewise, bacteria–host interactions deal with the physiology of bacteria and higher organisms, as in bacteria in the human body[2]
  • Biofilm physiology is the study of how microorganisms function together in a specialized community, or biofilm

See also

References

1. ^ Zimmer, Carl. 2004. Soul Made Flesh: The Discovery of the Brain - and How It Changed the World. New York: Free Press.
2. ^ The Influence of Cooperative Bacteria on Animal Host Biology cited on 2007-04-14

External links

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General subfields within biology
Anatomy - Astrobiology - Biochemistry - Bioinformatics - Botany - Cell biology - Ecology - Developmental biology - Evolutionary biology - Genetics - Genomics - Marine biology - Human biology - Microbiology - Molecular biology - Origin of life - Paleontology - Parasitology - Pathology - Physiology - Taxonomy - Zoology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the function, or physiology, of plants.[1] Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (biochemistry of plants), cell
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Plantae
  • Chromalveolata
  • Heterokontophyta
  • Haptophyta
  • Cryptophyta
  • Alveolata

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    • Ascomycota (sac fungi)
    • Saccharomycotina (true yeasts)
    • Taphrinomycotina
    • Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts)
    Basidiomycota (club fungi)
    • Urediniomycetes

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    Cell biology (also called cellular biology or formerly cytology, from the Greek kytos, "container") is an academic discipline that studies cells. This includes their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with
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    Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. The principal level of focus of physiology is at the level of organs and systems.
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    species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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    tree of life is a mystical concept, a metaphor for common descent, and a motif in various world theologies and philosophies.

    Conceptual and mythological "trees of life"

    Various forms of trees of life
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    timeline of the evolution of life outlines the major events in the development of life on the planet Earth. For a thorough explanatory context, see the history of Earth, and geologic time scale. The dates given in this article are estimates based on scientific evidence.
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    Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living organisms.[1] The word "biochemistry" comes from the Greek word βιοχημεία biochēmeia, which means "the chemistry of life.
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    Biophysics (also biological physics) is an interdisciplinary science that applies the theories and methods of physics to questions of biology.

    Biophysics research today is comprised of a lot of specific biological studies, which don't share a unique identifying
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    Paleobiology (sometimes spelled palaeobiology) is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and findings of the earth science paleontology. It is occasionally referred to as "geobiology.
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    Biomechanics is the research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms or the application and derivation of engineering principles to and from biological systems. The research and analysis can be carried forth on multiple levels, from the molecular, wherein biomaterials
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    Pharmacology is the study of how drugs interact with living organisms to produce a change in function.[1] If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals.
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    Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
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    Galen (Greek: Γαληνός, Galēnos; Latin: Claudius Galenus; AD 129[1] –ca. 200 or 216) of Pergamum was a prominent ancient Greek physician, whose theories dominated Western medical science for over a
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    Middle Ages form the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern Times.
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    Islamic medicine or Arabic medicine refers to medicine developed in the medieval Islamic civilisation and written in Arabic.

    Overview

    Islamic medicine was a genre of medical writing originally intended as an alternative to the Greek-based medical system.
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    Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā
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    In the scientific method, an experiment (Latin: ex- periri, "of (or from) trying") is a set of observations performed in the context of solving a particular problem or question, to support or falsify a hypothesis or research concerning phenomena.
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    The term quantification has several meanings, general and specific. Primarily it covers all those acts which quantify observations and experiences by converting them into numbers through counting and measuring. It is thus the basis for mathematics and for science.
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    Anatomy (from the Greek ἀνατομία anatomia, from ἀνατέμνειν
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    heart is a muscular organ responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in the annelids, mollusks, and arthropods.
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    The coronary circulation is the circulation of blood in the blood vessels that supply blood to and from the heart muscle itself. Although blood fills the chambers of the heart, the muscle tissue of the heart, or myocardium, is so thick that it requires coronary blood vessels to
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    lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity.[1]]]

    The lung is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing vertebrates, the most primitive being the lungfish.
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    Pulmonary circulation is the portion of the cardiovascular system which carries oxygen-depleted blood away from the heart, to the lungs, and returns oxygenated blood back to the heart. The term is contrasted with systemic circulation.
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    Aeration is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid or substance.

    Methods of aeration of liquids

    Aeration of liquids (usually water) is achieved by:

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    Blood is a specialized biological fluid consisting of red blood cells (also called RBCs or erythrocytes), white blood cells (also called leukocytes) and platelets (also called thrombocytes) suspended in a complex fluid medium known as blood plasma.
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    Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento; Spanish: Renacimiento), was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.
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    Western world, the West or the Occident (Latin occidens -sunset, -west, as distinct from the Orient) [1] can have multiple meanings dependent on its context (e.g., the time period, or the social situation).
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