Draft:Outline of human physiology

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human physiology.

Human physiology – science of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. Physiology focuses principally at the level of organs and systems.

Essence of human physiology

 * Homeostasis

Nervous system
Nervous System
 * Central Nervous System
 * Brain
 * Prosencephalon
 * Telencephalon
 * Rhinencephalon
 * Amygdala
 * Hippocampus
 * Neocortex
 * Basal ganglia
 * Lateral ventricles
 * Diencephalon
 * Brain Stem
 * Mesencephalon
 * Rhombencephalon
 * Metencephalon
 * Myelencephalon
 * Special senses
 * Vision
 * Hearing
 * Taste
 * Smell
 * Spinal Cord
 * Peripheral nervous system
 * Cranial nerves
 * First cranial nerve -- Olfactory nerve. Transmits the sense of smell from the nasal caivty. Located in the olfactory foramina in the cribriform plate of the ethmoid.
 * Second cranial nerve -- Optic nerve. Technically not a peripheral nerve; actually a tract of the diencephalon. Transmits visual signals from the retina of the eye to the brain.
 * Third cranial nerve -- Oculomotor nerve. Innervates the eye muscles which collectively perform most eye movements.
 * Fourth cranial nerve -- Trochlear nerve. Innervates an eye muscle.
 * Fifth cranial nerve -- Trigeminal nerve. Receives sensation from the face and innervates the muscles of mastication.
 * Sixth cranial nerve -- Abducens nerve. Innervates an eye muscle.
 * Seventh cranial nerve -- Facial nerve. Provides motor innervation to the muscles of facial expression, part of the digastric muscle, stylohyoid muscle, and stapedius muscle. Also receives the special sense of taste from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue and provides secretomotor innervation to the salivary glands (except parotid) and the lacrimal gland.
 * Eighth cranial nerve -- Acoustic nerve. Senses sound, rotation, and gravity (essential for balance and movement).
 * Ninth cranial nerve -- Glossopharyngeal nerve. Receives taste from the posterior 1/3 of the tongue, provides secretomotor innervation to the parotid gland, and provides motor innervation to the stylopharyngeus. Some sensation is also relayed to the brain from the palatine tonsils.
 * Tenth cranial nerve -- Vagus nerve. Supplies branchiomotor innervation to most laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles (except the stylopharyngeus, which is innervated by the glossopharyngeal). Provides parasympathetic fibers to nearly all thoracic and abdominal viscera down to the splenic flexure. Receives the special sense of taste from the epiglottis.
 * Eleventh cranial nerve -- Spinal accessory nerve. Controls the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles, and overlaps with functions of the vagus nerve.
 * Twelfth cranial nerve -- Hypoglossal nerve. Provides motor innervation to most of the muscles of the tongue and other glossal muscles.
 * Spinal nerves

Musculoskeletal system
musculoskeletal system
 * Human skeleton
 * Attached Muscles
 * Joints, ligaments, and bursae
 * Joints
 * Ligaments
 * Bursae

Circulatory system
Circulatory system
 * Heart
 * Arteries
 * Veins
 * Capillaries
 * Blood
 * Spleen
 * Bone marrow

Respiratory system
Respiratory system
 * Lungs
 * Trachea
 * Nasopharynx
 * Nose

Gastrointestinal system
Gastrointestinal system
 * Mouth
 * Esophagus
 * Stomach
 * Gut
 * Small intestine
 * Large intestine
 * Rectum
 * Liver
 * Pancreas
 * Gallbladder
 * Salivary glands

Integumentary system
Integumentary system
 * Skin
 * Hair
 * Nails
 * Sweat glands
 * Sebaceous glands

Urinary system
Urinary system
 * Kidneys
 * Ureters
 * Bladder
 * Urethra

Reproductive system
Reproductive system
 * Gonads
 * Sex organs

Immune system
Immune system
 * White blood cells
 * Thymus
 * Lymph nodes
 * lymph channels

Endocrine system
Endocrine system
 * Pituitary
 * Thyroid
 * Adrenals
 * Pancreas
 * Parathyroids
 * Gonads

Lymphatic system
Lymphatic system

Exocrine system
Exocrine system

History of human physiology

 * Ancient
 * Hippocrates
 * Galen
 * Middle Ages
 * Islamic medicine
 * Avicenna
 * Ibn al-Nafis
 * Renaissance
 * Andreas Vesalius
 * William Harvey
 * Herman Boerhaave
 * 18th Century
 * Pierre Cabanis
 * 19th century
 * Cell theory
 * Matthias Schleiden
 * Theodor Schwann
 * Claude Bernard
 * homeostasis
 * Walter Cannon
 * 20th century
 * comparative physiology
 * ecophysiology
 * evolutionary physiology

Related Articles

 * Biochemistry
 * Metabolic pathways