ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an accessible introduction to how the body works for healthcare students and other 'curious' individuals. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or definitive account of human anatomy and physiology. Nonetheless, it is useful to have some understanding of the microscopic anatomy of the body in order to appreciate how many of the larger structures work. People often find the study of anatomy and physiology challenging because there is so much unfamiliar vocabulary used to describe the different parts of the body and the activities they undertake. Another reason people tend not to read anatomy and physiology books is because they can be extremely boring. The book shows that, in terms of normal anatomy and physiology, there are frequent references to disease and altered health states throughout since it helps to contextualise the particular body system from a healthcare perspective.
