ABSTRACT

If you learn to see clearly and to move freely in the half-lights of human physiology, you will see better and blunder less when you have to act in the quarter-lights of exercise physiology.

with apologies to Augustus D Waller, MD 1888 St Mary’s Hospital Medical School

Introduction In this chapter we will look at a range of physiological systems that serve particular types of function. The human body can be described as comprised of a number of discrete organ/physiological systems. Some of these have been discussed in other chapters of this section of the book (Box 3.1).