Organ Systems of the Body

An organ is a structure made up of two or more kinds of tissues, organized in such a way that
together these tissues perform a more complex function than can anyone tissue alone.
An organ system is a group of organs arranged in such a way that together they perform a
more complex function than can anyone organ alone.

The major organ systems of the body are:

INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

 Skin
 Hair
 Nails
 Sense receptors
 Sweat glands
 Oil glands
The integumentary system supports and protects, regulates body temperature, makes
chemicals and hormones, and acts as a sense organ.

SKELETAL SYSTEM

 Bones
 Joints
The skeletal system supports and protects, makes movement (with joints), stores minerals, and
makes blood cells.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

 Muscles
The muscular system brings about body movement, maintains posture, and produces heat.

NERVOUS SYSTEM

 Brain
 Spinal cord
 Nerves
The nervous system allows a person to communicate with the environment and integrates and
controls the body.

1
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

 Pituitary gland
 Pineal gland
 Hypothalamus
 Thyroid gland
 Parathyroid
 Thymus
 Adrenals
 Pancreas
 Ovaries
 Testes
The endocrine system secretes hormones into the blood that serve to communicate with,
integrate, and control mechanisms.

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

 Heart
 Blood vessels
The circulatory system transports substances through the body and establishes immunity.

LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

 Lymph nodes
 Lymphatic vessels
 Thymus
 Spleen
The lymphatic system is a subdivision of the circulatory system. It does not contain blood, but
rather lymph, which is formed from the fluid surrounding body cells and diffused into lymph
vessels. The major functions of the lymphatic system are the movement of fluid and its critical
role in the defence mechanism of the body against disease.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

 Nose
 Pharynx
 Larynx
 Trachea
 Bronchi
 Lungs

2
The respiratory system exchanges oxygen from the air for the waste product carbon dioxide,
which is eliminated from the body.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

 Mouth
 Teeth
 Salivary glands
 Tongue
 Pharynx
 Oesophagus
 Stomach
 Intestines
 Rectum
 Anal canal
 Liver
 Gallbladder
 Pancreas
 Appendix
The digestive system breaks down food, absorbs nutrients, and excretes solid waste.

URINARY SYSTEM

 Kidneys
 Ureteres
 Bladder
 Urethra
The urinary system cleans waste products from blood in the form of urine and maintains
electrolyte balance, water balance, and acid-base balance.

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEMS

 MALE
 testes
 Vas deferens
 Urethra
 Prostate
 Penis
 Scrotum

3
  FEMALE
 ovaries
 Uterus
 Uterine tubes
 Vagina
 Vulva
 Mammary glands
The reproductive system produces sex cells, allows transfer of sex cells and fertilization to
occur, permits development and birth of offspring, nourishes offspring, and produces sex
hormones.

4
 VOCABULARY OF CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

Heart: four-chambered, muscular organ. The heart is the central apparatus of blood circulation.
Aortic valve: tissue that prevent blood from flowing backwards in the left ventricle.
Opening of the coronary artery: place where the coronary artery is attached to the heart.
Aorta: principal artery.
Opening of the pulmonary veins: place where the pulmonary veins are attached to the heart.
Left pulmonary arteries: vessels carrying blood from the heart to the left lung.
Left pulmonary veins: vessels carrying blood from the left lung to the heart.
Left atrium: upper left chamber of the heart.
Mitral valve (bicuspid valve): tissue that prevents blood from flowing backward from the left
ventricle to the left atrium.
Entry of the aorta: place where the aorta is attached to the heart.
Left ventricle: lower left chamber of the heart.
Interventricular septum: partition separating the ventricles.
Right ventricle: lower right chamber of the heart.
Inferior vena cava: vessel that returns unoxygenated blood to the heart from the lower part of
the body.
Triscupid valve: tissue that prevents blood from flowing backward from the right ventricle to the
right atrium.
Opening of the coronary vein: place where the coronary vein attaches to the heart.

5
Right atrium: upper right chamber of the heart.
Semi-lunar pulmonary valve: tissue that prevents the blood from flowing backwards in the
right ventricle.
Right pulmonary veins: vessels carrying blood from the right lung to the heart.
Superior vena cava: vessel that returns unoxygenated blood to the heart from the upper part of
the body.
Right pulmonary arteries: vessels carrying blood from the heart to the right lung.

6
VOCABULARY OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

7
Respiratory apparatus: set of organs of respiration.
Nasal cavity: chamber of the nose.
Oral cavity: chamber of the mouth.
Epiglottis: fold of cartilage that closes the glottis during swallowing.
Trachea: tube connecting the larynx to the bronchi.
Cartilage: crest that separates the openings of the right and left bronchi.
Left lung: left respiratory organ.
Oblique fissure: separation between the two pulmonary lobes.
Diaphragm: large, thin muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen.
Oesophagus: part of the digestive tract between the pharynx and the cardia of the stomach.
Alveoli: small pulmonary cavity where gas exchange takes place.
Right lung: right respiratory organ.
Right bronchus: tube connecting the larynx to the lungs.
Terminal bronchiole: division of the bronchus that ends in a cluster of alveoli.
Larynx: voice organ situated between the pharynx and the trachea.
Pharynx: part of the digestive tube between the mouth and the oesophagus.

8
 VOCABULARY OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Digestive system: set of organs involved in the digestion of food.

Pharynx: part of the digestive tract between the mouth and the oesophagus.
Oesophagus: part of the digestive tract between the larynx and the cardia of the stomach.
Stomach: pocket-like part of the digestive tract, where food is mixed and stored.
Pancreas (tail): gland connected to the digestive tract, which produces digestive enzymes.
Duodenum: beginning of the small intestine.
Small intestine: part of the digestive tract between the stomach and the large intestine.
Descending colon: part of the large intestine in which food travels downward.
Sigmoid: last part of the descending colon.
Anus: end of the large intestine, through which the human body expels solid waste.
Rectum: last part of the large intestine, between the sigmoid colon and the anus.

9
Appendix: hollow diverticulum fastened to the caecum.
Caecum: blind gut formed by the part of the large intestine between the small intestine and the
ascending colon.
Ascending colon: part of the large intestine where food travels upward.
Transverse colon: part of the large intestine where food travels horizontally.
Gallbladder: small sac that contains the bile.
Liver: digestive gland that produces bile.
Tooth: organ set in the jaws and used to cut and crush food.
Tongue: organ of taste.

10
 VOCABULARY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Nervous system
Fast-acting control system that triggers muscle contraction or gland secretion
Central Nervous system
Brain and spinal cord; integration and command center
Peripheral nervous system
Cranial and spinal nerves; communication lines between the CNS and the rest of the body
Somatic nervous system
Conscious control of skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system
Regulates smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands/visceral motor nerve fibers
Neuroglia
Nonexcitable cells of neural tissue that support protect, and insulate the neurons; glial cells
Neurons
Cell of the nervous system specialized to generate and transmit electrical signals/amitotic/high
metabolic rate
Nerves

11
A bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system
Dendrites
Branching neuron process that serves as a receptive, or input, region; transmits an electrical
signal toward the cell body
Axon
Neuron process that carries impulses away from the nerve cell body; efferent process; the
conducting portion of a nerve cell
Myelin sheath
Segmented protein-lipoid sheath around most long or large diameter axons; protects and
electrically insulates the axons; increase speed of nerve impulse transmission
Neurilemma
The thin membrane spirally enwrapping the myelin layers of certain fibers, especially of the
peripheral nerves, or the axons of some unmyelinated nerve fibers.
White matter
White substance of the central nervous system; myelinated nerve fibers
Gray matter
Gray area of the central nervous system; contains neuronal cell bodies and their dendrites
Sensory neurons
Neuron conveying information originating from sensory receptors or nerve endings; an afferent
neuron, may be a general or special sensory neuron
Motor Neurons
Nerve cell that conducts impulses to a muscle, gland, or other effector.
Interneurons
Nerve cell located between motor and sensory neurons that shuttles signal through CNS
pathways where integration occurs
Synapse
Functional junction or point of close contact between two neurons or between a neuron and a
effector cell
Neurotransmitter
Chemical messenger released by neurons that may, upon binding to receptors of neurons or
effector cells, stimulate or inhibit those neurons or effector cells
Neurotoxin
Any substance that is capable of causing damage to nerves or nerve tissue.

12
 VOCABULARY OF URINARY SYSTEM

Urinary system: set of organs producing urine in human beings, comprised chiefly of the
kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.

Left suprarenal gland: cap covering the upper part of the left kidney.

Common iliac vein: vein carrying un-oxygenated blood from the limbs and lower organs to the
heart.

Celiac trunk: branching of the aorta feeding the abdominal viscera.

Left kidney: left blood-purifying organ.

Left renal vein: vein connecting the left kidney and the inferior vena cava.

Abdominal aorta: part of the aorta feeding the organs of the abdomen.

13
Urethra: small tube through which a human being expels liquid waste.

Urinary bladder: pocket in which urine collects.

Iliac vein and artery: blood vessels in the flank region.

Ureter: tube carrying urine from the kidney to the bladder.

Renal pelvis: part of the kidney situated at the junction of the calyces and leading to the ureter.

Malpighi's pyramid: glomerulus’s of the kidney.

Calyx: excretory cavity in the pelvis of a kidney.

Medulla: matter forming the central part of a kidney.

Cortex: matter of the cortex of the suprarenal gland.

Section of the right kidney: graphic representation of the interior of the right blood-purifying
organ.

Section of the right suprarenal gland: graphic representation of the interior of the suprarenal
gland.

14