The Body

Learn more about your body and how it works.

Body With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. In some contexts, a superficial element of a body, such as hair may be regarded as not a part of it, even while attached.

Body 2: It has been my experience that people know more about their cars than they do about their bodies! We bring our car in for the 3000-mile oil change. Rotate the tires, check all the fluids, and get it "detailed". We don't argue with our mechanic when he tells us that we need to spend $300 for a few little adjustments that could turn into major problem if left undone

The skeleton or skeletal system is the biological system providing support in living organisms. An internal skeletal system consists of rigid structures within the body, moved by the muscular system. If the structures are mineralized or ossified, as they are in humans and other mammals, they are referred to as bones. Cartilage is another common component of skeletal systems, supporting and supplementing the skeleton. The human ear and nose are shaped by cartilage.

Bone is a connective tissue and organ, found in many animals. Bones are used to support body structures, protect internal organs, and (in conjunction with muscles) facilitate movement; they are also involved with cell formation, calcium metabolism, and mineral storage. The bones of an animal are, collectively, known as the skeleton.

Muscle is one of the four tissue types. The other three types are: epithelium, connective tissue and nervous tissue. The primary purpose of muscle tissue is to contract. Muscle contraction is used to move parts of the body, as well as to move substances within the body.

A muscle spindle is a specialized muscle structure innervated by both sensory and motor neuron axons. Its functions are to send proprioceptive information about the muscle to the central nervous system, and to respond to muscle stretching.

Skeletal muscle is a type of striated muscle, attached to the skeleton. Skeletal muscles are used to facilitate movement, by applying force to bones and joints; via contraction. They generally contract voluntarily (via nerve stimulation), although they can contract involuntarily.

Connective tissue is any type of biological tissue with an extensive extracellular matrix. There are several basic types

The major components of connective tissue include ground substance, proteoglycans, collagen and elastin fibers and fibroblasts.

A ligament is a short band of tough fibrous connective tissue composed mainly of long, stringy collagen molecules. Ligaments connect bones to other bones in joints. They do not connect muscles to bones; that is the function of tendons.

Fascia is the semiflexible fibrous membrane of connective tissue that binds together the various components of the body. Pockets in the fascia contain the various organs of the body. One of these is the skeletal muscles, which the myofascia covers, supports and separates.

Epithelium is a tissue composed of epithelial cells. Such tissue tends to surround parts of the body, somewhat like a cell membrane. It is also used to form glands.

The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and processes input from the senses and initiates actions.

The immune system of a multicellular organism has several functions. It acts primarily as a defense against foreign pathogens (such as viruses, bacteria, parasites), and some poisons. It also functions in the return of extracellular fluid to the blood, and the formation of white blood cells.

The Back: The term back is scientifically used to indicate the back part of the human body. Anatomy of the (human) back There is a well-marked furrow stretching all the way down the middle line of the back from the external occipital protuberance to the cleft of the buttocks.

The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. An anatomical description of the human neck follows.

The shoulder joint is composed of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) (see diagram). Two joints facilitate shoulder movement. The acromioclavicular (AC) joint is located between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. The glenohumeral joint, commonly called the shoulder joint, is a ball-and-socket type joint that helps move the shoulder forward and backward and allows the arm to rotate in a circular fashion or hinge out and up away from the body.

The median nerve is a nerve that runs down the arm and forearm. It is one of the five main nerves originating from the brachial plexus.