INSTRUCTOR MANUAL
For
Human Physiology:
An Integrated Approach
SEVENTH EDITION
Dee Unglaub Silverthorn
Richard Damian Hill
, CHAPTER
Introduction to Physiology
1
Teaching Summary
This chapter introduces your students to key themes in physiology and physiological re-
search. Emphasize to your students that learning basic patterns, themes, and the “big picture”
will simplify learning the details of physiology. Here are some ideas for teaching this chapter:
• Throughout this text, the focus is on integration of physiological function. Look for links
in the text and in the lecture outlines. These will key you into topics previously discussed
that you may choose to integrate into a current lecture.
• If you are interested in comparative physiology, this is a good place to point out that
humans are animals, with special physiological adaptations that allow us to survive in a
terrestrial habitat.
• If you plan to emphasize problem-solving skills, talking about experimentation and
experimental design at the beginning of a course shows students how important this skill is
in real life.
• Almost all students have difficulty reading and constructing graphs. Teach them the basics
in the first week of class.
• Many students lack the ability to handle large amounts of detailed information. Teaching
them how to map and encouraging them to continue mapping throughout the class will
provide them with a tool for organizing material.
Student Learning Outcomes
When students complete this chapter, they should be able to:
LO 1.1 Define physiology.
LO 1.2 List the levels of organization from atoms to the biosphere.
LO 1.3 Name the 10 physiological organ systems of the body and give their functions.
LO 1.4 Distinguish between mechanistic explanations and teleological explanations.
LO 1.5 List and give examples of the four major themes in physiology.
LO 1.6 Define homeostasis. What happens when homeostasis fails?
LO 1.7 Name and describe the two major compartments of the human body.
LO 1.8 Explain the law of mass balance and how it applies to the body’s load of a
substance.
LO 1.9 Define mass flow using mathematical units and explain how it relates to mass
balance.
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. 1
, LO 1.10 Define clearance and give an example.
LO 1.11 Distinguish between equilibrium and steady state.
LO 1.12 List the three components of a control system and give an example.
LO 1.13 Explain the relationship between a regulated variable and its setpoint.
LO 1.14 Compare local control, long-distance control, and reflex control.
LO 1.15 Explain the relationship between a response loop and a feedback loop.
LO 1.16 Compare negative feedback, positive feedback, and feedforward control. Give an
example of each.
LO 1.17 Explain what happens to setpoints in biological rhythms and give some examples.
LO 1.18 Explain and give examples of the following components of scientific research:
independent and dependent variables, experimental control, data, replication,
variability.
LO 1.19 Compare and contrast the following types of experimental study design: blind
study, double-blind study, crossover study, prospective and retrospective studies,
cross-sectional study, longitudinal study, meta-analysis.
LO 1.20 Define placebo and nocebo effects and explain how they may influence the
outcome of experimental studies.
What’s New?
• Glossary: removed interactomics, lipidome
• Updated search numbers in Running Problem
• Added DOI numbers to literature citation information
Teaching Outline
Physiology Is an Integrative Science
Figs. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 (Focus On: Mapping)
Key Words: physiology, anatomy, integration of function, emergent properties, levels of
organization, cell, cell membrane, tissue, organ, organ system, integumentary system,
musculoskeletal system, digestive system, respiratory system, urinary system, reproductive
system, immune system, nervous system, endocrine system
► With increasing complexity in design and organization comes increased integration.
► Boyd CAR and Noble D (Eds.). The logic of life: The challenge of integrative physiology.
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1993.
► Another example of integration is the regulation of calcium concentrations in the body.
The endocrine system acts on bones, kidneys, and intestines to ensure that plasma calcium
concentrations remain within a certain range.
► A change in special cells that act as sensory receptors can trigger a cascade of neurally or
endocrine-mediated responses that may affect many cells of the body.
2 INSTRUCTOR'S RESOURCE MANUAL FOR HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, 7e Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
, First day activity: Begin the first day by asking students what they know rather than by
telling them what they should know. Some topics to ask them about might include:
What is physiology? How is it different from anatomy?
Name the 10 physiological organ systems.
What are the characteristics of living organisms?
Which organ systems carry out which functions of life?
If your students have had chemistry and introductory biology and you do not plan to teach
Chs. 2–4 to your class, ask them some review questions, such as:
Where does energy for life processes come from? How is energy stored in animals?
List the four primary tissues of the body, their characteristics, and some examples.
Draw a cell, add as many organelles as you can, and give their functions.
List the steps of protein synthesis, including as many details as you can.
► Physiologists are interested in everything from the molecular level to how physiological
adaptations affect an organism’s ability to adapt to and survive in particular environments.
► Some students will separate muscular and skeletal systems. The question sometimes arises
about whether the lymphatics are a system. They are an anatomical system, but physio-
logically, the lymphatics function as part of three systems: circulatory (returning excess
fluid and escaped proteins from interstitial space to the plasma), digestive (transporting
fats from the intestine to the circulation), and immune (lymph nodes contain clusters of
immune cells).
Function and Mechanism
Key Words: function, teleological approach, mechanistic approach, processes/mechanisms,
translational research
► Discuss teleological vs. mechanistic approaches to science and life. See Richardson DR.
A survey of students’ notions of body functions as teleologic or mechanistic. Advances in
Physiology Education 258(6): S8, 1990.
1. Ask the students “Why does blood flow?” or “Why do we breathe?” Analyze
responses and determine if they’re teleological or mechanistic.
2. Have students ask one of these questions to nonscience friends outside of class.
Compile a list of teleological and mechanistic responses.
► Be careful not to write test questions that begin with “Why…” when you expect the
students to answer with a mechanistic answer. Instead, ask “Explain the mechanism that is
the basis for blood flow.”
► Not all structures or processes have an obvious or known function. Some may be
remnants of organs that are no longer useful (the appendix, the hormone calcitonin in
humans), or it may simply be that we do not yet understand what their function is.
► This is a good place to point out to students that we do not fully understand the mecha-
nisms for all physiological processes. There are still a large number of “black boxes”
where we do not know what is going on, and these are the areas of active research. You
may also want to warn them that “facts” that they learn in this course will change in the
future as we solve the mysteries of physiology. There is a tendency for students to learn
facts and then feel that they are immutable, when this is not the case.
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Physiology 3
