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Unit 1 Health Informatics Career Pathway
Body Organization and Related Medical
Terms
When healthcare workers discuss body systems, the parts of the body
are its anatomy and how the body works is its physiology (fi h-zee-AH-
luh-jee) [physi = nature, ology = the study of]. Anatomy and physiology
work together. The shape and location of a body part tells you a lot about
what it does.
The anatomists who drew and studied the parts of the body hundreds
of years ago spoke Greek and Latin, which explains the origins of our
medical terms. Today, pathophysiologists (path-oh-fi hz-ee-AHL-uh-
jihsts) study pathologies, or diseases and disorders that occur when the
body isn’t functioning properly. All healthcare workers must understand
anatomy and physiology so they can recognize what is normal and where
a problem may exist. A medical coder’s knowledge of anatomy will help
them identify a code for a procedure that doesn’t match the body part
mentioned in the record. Many discoveries and treatments are developed
by studying the body and its functions.
Your body structures are put together in a very organized way.
Each level of organization builds on the next to form a larger structure
(Figure 5.7). At the smallest level are atoms, which bond together to form
molecules (MAHL-uh-kyoolz). For example, hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O)
atoms combine to form a molecule of water (H
2
O). Groups of molecules
form organelles, which are the structures within cells. Cells join together
to form tissues. Different types of tissues work together as a body organ.
A body system is a group of organs that perform a vital function in the
body. All of these parts function together to form a living organism.
Molecular biologists study life at the cellular level. The information
they discover about how genes, DNA, bacteria, and viruses work in a
cell help healthcare professionals diagnose, prevent, and treat diseases.
Biotechnology uses information about how microorganisms work to stay
on the cutting edge of these types of discoveries.
The Cell and Its Organelles
A cell is considered the smallest living thing. It is so small that it
usually can’t be seen without a microscope. Even though it is small, a
cell is capable of performing all the activities that defi ne life. Biologists
say something is living if it can take care of its own structures, interact
with its environment, grow, and reproduce. Cellular biologists study
how the chemical reactions of cells can be supported or manipulated.
Therefore, chemistry is very important in healthcare careers that require
an understanding of how the body works. Some of the cellular structures
will be covered in more detail in chapter 21.
The word cell comes from the Latin word cellula, which means
“small room.” You can think of each cell in your body as a room in a
factory, creating a product or doing a job for that factory. Cells may
have specialized roles as nerve, bone, blood, epithelial, or muscle cells.
Although each room in your factory has the same basic structure and
furniture, different rooms need special equipment for their specifi c jobs.
Different types of cells also have the same basic parts, or organelles, but
anatomy
the physical structures or
parts of the body
physiology
the functions or inner
workings of the body
organelle
a part of a cell that has a
specifi c task
cell
a small group of organelles
that fulfi ll a specifi c purpose
and are held together by a
membrane