Anatomy and physiology are the paired foundational disciplines of the biomedical sciences: anatomy describes the structure of the body and the spatial relationships among its parts, while physiology explains the functions those parts perform and the mechanisms that sustain them. Anatomy is studied at several scales,…
Anatomy and physiology are the paired foundational disciplines of the biomedical sciences: anatomy describes the structure of the body and the spatial relationships among its parts, while physiology explains the functions those parts perform and the mechanisms that sustain them. Anatomy is studied at several scales, from gross or macroscopic anatomy of organs and regions, to histology at the tissue level, and cytology at the level of individual cells; it is further organised by approach, including systemic anatomy, regional anatomy, surface anatomy, and developmental anatomy. Physiology examines processes such as homeostasis, membrane transport, neural and hormonal signalling, muscle contraction, circulation, respiration, and metabolic regulation, typically analysed system by system. The two fields are inseparable because structure constrains and enables function at every level of organisation, a principle often summarised as the complementarity of form and function. Mastery of normal anatomy and physiology provides the reference framework against which pathology, pharmacology, and clinical reasoning are interpreted, which is why these basic sciences underpin medical, nursing, and allied health education. Research in the area integrates dissection, imaging, microscopy, and quantitative functional measurement to map how the body is built and how its systems operate together.
5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 5 articles above have been cited 16 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Anatomy and Physiology, linking to each citing work.