Top Anatomy And Physiology Flashcards

Anatomy comes from the Greek words for “cutting up,” whereas physiology comes from the Greek words for “study of bodies.” Together, they refer to cutting up and studying bodies! In the early days of medical science, philosophers cut up the bodies of humans and animals to see what was inside them, just as medical students do today.

The two fields are closely related, but they focus on slightly different things: anatomy studies the structure and arrangement of the body, whereas physiology studies its activity and functions. For example, a neuro-anatomist (anatomist of the brain) could tell you which areas of the brain are physically connected to other areas, whereas a neuro-physiologist could tell you under what circumstances each area is most likely to be active. Obviously, in order to understand human and animal bodies you have to know both anatomy and physiology, and neither field makes much sense without a solid understanding of the other.
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