Introduction
The human body is a complicated system made of many sub-systems. These sub-systems work independently, but they contribute to the overall function of the body as a whole. The body has many organs, and these organs are adapted to carry out different functions (Bruce, 2012). The individual functions of the individual organs of the body ensure that the body is at some equilibrium; all needs of the body are met.
General and Special Senses
These are the physiological abilities of an organism that supply information for perception. Classification of senses, action, and conjecture are interrelated topics. Although they overlap, they are studied in different fields. There is an organ devoted to each sense in the nervous structure system of sensation.
General senses include exteroceptors, interoceptors and proprioceptors. Exteroceptors are the senses that monitor the outside world, and they help the body to adapt to the outside world. These senses are very important as organisms live in an environment in which they need to adapt; exteroceptors help organisms in this adaptation (Sherwood, 2012). Interoceptors are senses that monitor the way the body carries out its internal functions.
These senses determine whether the body is in a state of homeostasis, and when it is not, these senses send information to the brain. These senses are crucial in the survival of an organism. Proprioceptors are useful because they monitor the joint position. These senses are useful in that they maintain the natural structure of the body of an organism.
General Senses are further subdivided to include Baroreceptors, Chemoreceptors, Mechanoreceptors, Nociceptors, and Thermoreceptors. Baroreceptors are sets of mechanoreceptors, they monitor pressure changes in tubular organs. These organs include the bowel, ureters and vessels. Chemoreceptors help an organism in monitoring the chemical compositions (O2, CO2, and pH) of their body fluids.
This is important because the chemical compositions of the fluids have to balance so that an organism can maintain its state of homeostasis. Mechanoreceptors are usually located in the skin, and they monitor body contact and pressure. Nonireceptors usually monitor the damage of body tissues, and they are found in areas that have been harmed. Lastly, thermoreceptors are found in the body’s skin, and they monitor the regulation of body temperature (Sherwood, 2012).
Special senses include the senses that people are conscious of, and these senses are used in almost all activities of organisms. These senses include equilibrium (maintained by the balance between right and left ear), gustation (taste: different parts of the tongue help in this sense), hearing (the ear advances this sense), olfaction (smell: the nose is responsible for this sense) and vision (the eye and its parts takes care of this sense of sight). These senses are very important, and they are the senses that physicians first use to determine whether the body of an organism is working properly (Bruce, 2012).
The Endocrine System
The endocrine system consists of glands that generate and secrete hormones. Hormones are chemical substances that are produced in the body, and they regulate the action of cells or organs. Hormones control the chemical, physical and sexual body processes. The hormones get into the bloodstream; these hormones are capable of affecting organs throughout the entire body (Neal, 2001).
The endocrine system makes use of hormones to carry out its different functions. Hormones transmit information among cells; they act as messengers to transmit information between different body organs. Hormones are fashioned by the body, some hormones are specific to the gender of the individual.
There are different endocrine glands and these glands are found at different places. The pituitary gland is situated at the lower side of the brain (Neal, 2001). The pituitary gland secretes hormones that help in various body processes, and it also shuts down the secretion of these hormones and slows the secretion by other glands.
Thyroid gland, found in the neck, is the gland used to regulate metabolism. Thyroid glands are responsible for the regulation of body weight. These glands also control temperature. Thyroid glands need iodine so as to produce thyroid hormones (Rushton, 2004). Therefore, a person who does not have iodine cannot produce thyroid hormones and this causes deficiency. Thyroid glands swell, so as to compensate. The swelling of thyroid glands is a condition called goiter.
One major function of the pancreas is the production of digestive enzymes. This happens in the small intestine. Pancreas also acts as a tubular gland. It also acts as a ductless gland since the islets of Langerhans exude chemicals that vary the sugar intensity of the blood. When one’s body fails to make enough insulin, the blood sugar rises, and this leads to a condition known as diabetes mellitus (Rushton, 2004).
Conclusion
The sensory receptors help an organism to adapt to the environment within which the organism lives. The bodies of various organisms have functions that are controlled by hormones produced by various glands (Martini, 2006). Therefore, the body system is very complicated, but it helps in all the functions of the body.
References
- Bruce, J. (2012) Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach. New York: Pearson Education.
- Martini, F. (2006) Human anatomy. Pennsylvania: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings.
- Neal, M. (2001) How the Endocrine System Works. New York: John Wiley & Son.
- Rushton, L. (2004) The Endocrine System. New York: Infobase Publishing.
- Sherwood, L. (2012) Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems. New York: Cengage Learning.