ABSTRACT
This chapter examines factors which influence the health and well-being of humans and other animals. We look at how our understanding of animal body systems and the ways in which they interconnect have developed slowly through history. Animals cannot manufacture their food in the way that plants do and so, for most animals, their way of life and continuing existence are limited by their ability to consume as widely as possible. Most humans, however, are able to make choices about what they eat and the ways in which they live, and the decisions they make will impact upon their health and development.
