difference between physiology and Anatomy?

[Smooth Operater]

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Hey guys! My school offer both physiology and anatomy courses, but I am wondering what are the differences? Can someone enlighten me on this? Thanks!

 

[D-Rob]

anatomy teaches you about structure, physiology is how it all fits and works together.

 

[Medikit]

Anatomy is an incredibly boring class where you put a lot of random words in your head that you associate with body parts whose uses you haven't really learned. Physiology is an incredibly awesome class where you learn about the myraid of complexities that allow the body to function. I am in no way biased.

 

[lizbjrddnr]

Anatomy is an incredibly boring class where you put a lot of random words in your head that you associate with body parts whose uses you haven't really learned. Physiology is an incredibly awesome class where you learn about the myraid of complexities that allow the body to function. I am in no way biased.

🙂 Wow- I had a completely opposite take on those classes. I loved anatomy- learning the Latin bases for words helped some- but the human body is amazing to see (did your class have an associated cadaver lab? maybe that's the difference). My teacher also included functions in the anatomy class as well, so it wasn't just memorization.
As for physiology, which I'm taking right now- I find it rather dry and boring- it's all about mechanisms and enzymes and stuff like that- I prefer what I can see with my own eyes. And of course, there's no lab for physiology.
This might all indicate my preference for macro- as opposed to a more micro-scale biology. But anyway.

So, to the OP, I would recommend taking anatomy (especially if there is a lab that goes along with it) and then physiology. Both will be excellent preparation for med school courses, as an intro to the material.

 

[LSU-Tech]

Anatomy is the branch of science that deals with the structures of body parts. Physiology is the branch of science that deals with the functions of body parts. My school combines anatomy and physiology into one class. My professors say this is because the structures of body parts are so closely associated with their functions. For example, the organization of body parts in the human hand with it’s long jointed fingers, make it easy to grasp objects; The hollow chambers of the heart are adapted to pump blood; the shape of the mouth enables us to receive food; and the teeth are shaped to break solid foods into smaller pieces. I hope this clears it up for you. I learned so much in anatomy and philology. It gave me the opportunity to make sense of a lot of confusing material I had learned in my general biology’s.

 

[alec689]

Physiology and anatomy would both be useful for the MCAT/Med School. If you enjoy courses that are more conceptual, where there are a lot of mechanisms, etc., you'll probably also enjoy Physiology. If you like courses that are a little more factually based, you'll enjoy Anatomy.

As previous posters have pointed out, Anatomy and Physiology are becoming increasingly combined in college courses because it has become more and more difficult to separate structure and function.

I personally found Physiology very useful for the MCAT. Learning the hormones ahead of time was a big help. But I would take the class that has the better reputation at your university. A good professor can make any class interesting!

 

[CoverMe]

Hey guys! My school offer both physiology and anatomy courses, but I am wondering what are the differences? Can someone enlighten me on this? Thanks!

The ironic thing being the fact that THIS post is on the same page as the "why are people so mean" post... and UNBELIEVABLY a half-dozen people chimed in with NICE answers. WTF?!?!?!?!

You all are much nicer than me... My top suggestions would be

1) When you're reading the page that lists all the classes they're offering, go ahead and read the course descriptions as well. 😱

2) Buy a dictionary.

3) Try google

4) Exactly how much hand-holding would you like, can we do your homework for you too?

5) The fact that you would take TIME to type and log the post, when you could have found the answer YOURSELF in a fraction of the time is worrisome.

 

[abcxyz0123]

The ironic thing being the fact that THIS post is on the same page as the "why are people so mean" post... and UNBELIEVABLY a half-dozen people chimed in with NICE answers. WTF?!?!?!?!

You all are much nicer than me... My top suggestions would be

1) When you're reading the page that lists all the classes they're offering, go ahead and read the course descriptions as well. 😱

2) Buy a dictionary.

3) Try google

4) Exactly how much hand-holding would you like, can we do your homework for you too?

5) The fact that you would take TIME to type and log the post, when you could have found the answer YOURSELF in a fraction of the time is worrisome.

does the post really bother you that much? the fact that you took the time to write this is worrisome.

 

[CoverMe]

the fact that SDN is becoming positively POLLUTED with these types of threads is irritating, yes.

 

[Smooth Operater]

Thanks for all the kind helps guys. How about histology? Is it stufy of organ system development, structure and function at the microscopic level ?


btw, I am a pre-dent 🙂 thanks guys.

 

[AStudent]

Anatomy: "what is it?"
Physiology: "what does it do?"
Histology: "what is it and what does it do in the cell?"

 

[Medikit]

As for physiology, which I'm taking right now- I find it rather dry and boring- it's all about mechanisms and enzymes and stuff like that- I

That's all the good stuff

 

[Stojan]

Physiology cannot be studied if you don’t have a proper understanding of Anatomy. While Anatomy describes the structure of the organism, Physiology interprets the bodily functions.
When studying medicine, Anatomy and Physiology are the building blocks to making an accurate and quality diagnosis about the patient’s condition.
The French physician Jean Fernel, who introduced the term physiology said:
“Anatomy is to physiology as geography is to history; it describes the theatre of events”

 

[aldol16]

Anatomy and physiology go hand in hand. Offering them separately isn't doing students any favors. Anatomy is incredibly boring without the physiology and physiology may not make complete sense without the underlying anatomy. Hard to make sense of how all the chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL fit together without an understanding of portal anatomy and even anatomy of the thoracic duct.

 

[TheDataKing]

Closing thread - please check dates before bumping threads that are 15 years old 🙂