Physiology

PHYSIOLOGY

Physiology (fiz-ē-ol′ō-jē; the study of nature) is the scientific dis-cipline that deals with the processes or functions of living things. It is important in physiology to recognize structures as dynamic rather than fixed and unchanging. The major goals of physiology are (1) to understand and predict the body’s responses to stimuli and (2) to understand how the body maintains conditions within a narrow range of values in the presence of continually changing internal and external environments. Human physiology is the study of a specific organism, the human, whereas cellular physiology and systemic physiology are subdivisions that emphasize specific organizational levels.