Our Marvelous Bodies : : An Introduction to the Physiology of Human Health / / Gary F. Merrill.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Rutgers University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Merrill, Gary F.,
• Place / Publishing House: New Brunswick, NJ : : Rutgers University Press, , [2008]; ©2008
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (240 p.) :; 22 illustrations

Our Marvelous Bodies offers a unique perspective on the structure, function, and care of the major systems of the human body. Unlike other texts that use a strictly scientific approach, physiologist Gary F. Merrill relays medical facts alongside personal stories that help students relate to and apply the information. Readers learn the basics of feedback control systems, homeostasis, and physiological gradients. These principles apply to an understanding of the body’s functioning under optimal, healthy conditions, and they provide insight into states of acute and chronic illness. Separate chapters are devoted to each of the body’s systems in detail: nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, reproductive, and immune. Through a series of real-life examples, the book also shows the importance of maintaining careful medical records for health care professionals, scientists, and patients alike.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- LIST OF FIGURES -- LIST OF TABLES -- PREFACE -- 1. The Foundation -- 2. Understanding the Mammalian Nervous System -- 3. The Endocrine System and Physiological Communication -- 4. The Cardiovascular System and the Blood -- 5. Health and the Respiratory System -- 6. Kidneys and Renal Physiology -- 7. The Gastrointestinal System -- 8. The Reproductive System -- 9. The Immune System -- 10. Muscle Function -- 11. Integrated Physiological Responses -- 12. For the Record -- Glossary -- Notes and Suggested Reading -- Index