Term | Definition |
liver | the body's largest internal organ |
insulin and glucagon | hormones secreted by the islets of Lagerhans that regulate sugar levels throughout the body |
fracture | a break or crack in a bone |
simple fracture | a crack or break in a bone that does not cause the bone to pierce the skin's surface |
ball-and-socket joints | movable joints which allow movement in many directions, found in your shoulders and hips |
pivot joints | movable joints which allow turning movements, such as turning your head and turning your hands over |
joint | the place where two or more bones meet |
cartilage | a smooth tissue covering the ends of bones in a movable joint, allowing them to move easily |
ligaments | strong, tough tissues that connect bones to other bones in movable joints |
hinge joints | movable joints which allow back-and-forth movement similar to hinges on a door; examples are knee, elbow, finger, and toe joints |
compound fracture | a break in a bone so severe that the bone actually breaks through the skin's surface |
skeletal muscle | muscle attached to the bones of the skeleton that can be controlled with the conscious mind; also called voluntary muscle |
central nervous system | one of the two major divisions of the nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord |
peripheral nervous system | one of the two major divisions of the nervous system, composed of the nerves and nerve tissues |
nerves | bundles of fibers that connect the central nervous system with the rest of the body |
nervous system | the body system designed to coordinate the activities of your body, made up of two major divisions |
involuntary muscle | muscle in organs and passageways of body systems that is not controlled with the conscious mind; not part of the muscular system |
tendons | tough, cord-like tissue attaching skeletal muscles to the bones |
origin | the point at which a skeletal muscle is anchored to a relatively immovable part, such as a bone |
insertion | the point at which a skeletal muscle is attached to a movable part of the body, such as another bone or the skin |
muscular system | the body system composed of over 600 muscles; makes up about half the body's weight |
pelvis | the hipbones, which connect the legs to the vertebral column; also protects the organs of the urinary and reproductive systems |
flat bones | bones, such as ribs, which protect vital organs |
irregular bones | any bone which cannot be classified as a long, short, or flat bone |
phalanges | the long bones of the fingers and toes |
vertebrae | irregular bones of the vertebral column |
short bones | bones which are roughly cube shaped; most are in the wrists and ankles |
femur | the long bone in the thigh |
marrow | the soft, fatty tissue in the porous center of a long bone |
long bones | bones which are longer than they are wide, with enlarged ends; support your body's weight and work with your muscles to provide movement |
humerus | the long bone in the upper arm |
axial skeleton | the division of the skeleton that includes the 80 bones of the head, spine, and ribs |
cranium | the part of the skull made up of 8 flat bones fused together which protects the brain |
sternum | the breastbone, to which the top ten pairs of ribs connect |
appendicular skeleton | the 126-bone division of the skeleton that includes the bones of the appendages and the bones that connect them to the axial skeleton |
clavicles | the collarbones |
scapulas | the shoulder blades |
sacrum & coccyx | the two bones formed by the fused 9 lowest vertebrae in adults |
vertebral column | the backbone, consisting of 33 vertebrae |
maxillary bones | the two bones which form the upper jawbone |
mandible | the lower jawbone, the only movable bone in the skull |
sinuses | hollow spaces that help your voice resonate and lighten your skull |
impulses | electrochemical messages transmitted by the nerves |
cerebrum | the largest part of the brain, divided into two halves called hemispheres; controls thought and reason |
epithelial
muscle
connective
nerve | 4 basic types of tissue in the body |
epithelial tissue | the tissue made of cells that fit tightly together to form protective barriers |
muscle tissue | the tissue type that provides motion |
skeletal muscle tissue | the tissue type which composes the muscles that can be voluntarily controlled |
sperm | the male reproductive cells |
eggs | the female reproductive cells |
pineal gland | the gland located in the center of the brain that serves as a clock to control waking and sleeping |
reproductive system | the body system responsible for producing new human beings |
gonads | the main organs of the reproductive system; the two ovaries in women and the two testes in men |
smooth muscle tissue | the tissue type which controls the diameter of the blood vessels, propels food along the digestive tract, and adjusts the size of the pupils in the eyes |
cardiac muscle tissue | the tissue type which is striated like skeletal muscle tissue and is found only in your heart |
uterus | a mother's womb |
placenta | a structure that attaches a developing baby to the wall of the uterus and allows exchanges between the baby's blood and the mother's blood |
umbilical cord | a structure containing three blood vessels that connects a developing baby to the placenta and uterus |
umbilicus | the navel; the place where the umbilical cord is attached to a baby |
conception, or fertilization | the point in time when a human being's life begins;
the union between the egg cell and the sperm cell |
all of them | the cells necessary for the long-term health of the body |
connective tissue | the tissue type which fulfills the purpose of linking parts of the body together |
nerve tissue | the tissue type which is found in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves; conducts impulses to and from all parts of the body |
cells | the smallest part of the body that can be said to be alive |
diabetes mellitus | a disease caused either when not enough insulin is produced or when the body does not respond properly to the insulin that is produced |
islets of Lagerhans | clusters of endocrine glands in the pancreas which secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon |
spinal cord | the bundle of nerve fibers inside the vertebral column which transmits impulses from the brain to the peripheral nervous system; controls simple reflexes such as withdrawing from pain |
sensory nerve fiber | transmits information to the brain and spinal cord |
motor nerve fiber | transmits messages from the central nervous system to the muscles and other organs |
sensory receptors | special nerve endings that detect conditions around you |
brain stem | the part of the brain that connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord; responsible for the body's automatic activities such as digestion, heartbeat, breathing, and regulating body temperature |
cerebellum | a wrinkled, fist-sized mass at the back of the brain below the cerebrum; responsible for balance and skeletal muscle coordination |
skeletal system | the body system which supports your body and gives it shape, protects vital structures, provides attachments for many of your body's muscles, and serves as a storage reservoir for your body's calcium |
left hemisphere | the half of the cerebrum which controls the right half of the body and functions in language, mathematics, science, and logic |
right hemisphere | the half of the cerebrum which controls the left half of the body and functions in intuition, imagination, and artistic and musical awareness |
endocrine system | the collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate many important bodily functions |
hormones | often called "chemical messengers"; chemical substances responsible for controlling growth, digestion, and many other automatic activities of the body; each type stimulates or hinders the activities of only one specific organ or group of organs |
parathyroid glands | glands which work with the thyroid gland to control the amount of calcium in the blood |
adrenal glands | the "emergency glands" which produce the hormone responsible for the "fight or flight" response to stress |
epinephrine | the hormone, commonly known as adrenaline, produced by the adrenal glands; puts the body on high alert to deal with emergencies |
thyroxine | a hormone which regulates the body's metabolism |