Nurses and other health care professionals need to know about the human body. In order to better care for patients, it helps to be educated in human physiology and to have a general idea of anatomy. Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to expand your knowledge of the human body by looking online for good information. Here are 13 slideshows that can help you learn more about the human body:
An Atlas of the Human Body: This is a great slideshow from The New York Times. It includes interesting pictures and slides from Dr. David L. Bassett and View-Master inventor William B. Gruber. Includes amazing images of dissected body parts, and even entire bodies, which had been left to science. Advanced preservation techniques are evident in some cases. You can see different aspects of the body, and get a feel of how it is constructed. Look at the placement of muscles, blood vessels and more. Includes up-close images of different bones and organs as well. A fascinating journey — especially since these images were taken in the 1960s.
Useless Body Parts: Not everything in your body has a useful function. Indeed, some muscles and bones are virtually useless. But we have them anyway. In some cases, there were uses for these parts before our current stage of evolution. However, the presence of some body parts continues to baffle scientists. This slideshow from CBS 13 details some of the useless body parts we have, as well as explain possible reasons that we have them, and — in some cases — which of our primate relatives still in the wild have these parts. An interesting look at how our body may not always be so perfectly constructed. Besides, it gives you a good idea of what you could do without if you had to.
Inside the Human Body: If you are interested in what your organs should look like healthy, and what they look like damaged, this is a great slide show. Dr. Mehmet Oz offers insight into what you look like on the inside. See what bad health habits can do to your body, especially fat. You can see for yourself what happens when you do not take proper care of your body, and you become sick, or if your body is clogged up by fat. Another interesting slide is the one that shows a healthy lung as opposed to a cancerous lung. A fascinating journey into the reality of what you could be doing to harm your own body. And possibly a reason to start living healthier right now.
Digestive Disease Myths Pictures Slideshow: Common Misconceptions: This is an amazing and engaging slideshow from MedicineNet. This shows your digestive system, and tackles myths that surround our understanding of what we put into our bodies. For instance, spicy foods don’t cause ulcers. Another myth is that you are supposed to have a bowel movement everyday in order to be considered “regular”. It’s an interesting look at some of the misconceptions that have grown up around the digestive system, and offers solid, medical information that you can use to make better decisions about what goes into your body, and not be put off by spurious information.
Assembling Bodies: BBC News offers an interesting tour of how we view the human body. This slide show is narrated by Anita Herle, a Senior Curator for Anthropology at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at Cambridge University in England. This slide show examines how people have viewed the body through time, and includes anatomical illustrations, painting, sculptures and other images showing how our understanding and concept of the body has evolved over time, from the most primitive cultures through modernity. You can follow our understanding of and interest in the human body as it has developed, medically and culturally, over a period of centuries.
The Way We Work: This book by David Macauley is an beautifully illustrated journey into human anatomy. Meant for children, this book offers easy to understand information about the basics of how our bodies work. The accompanying slide show offers scenes from the book, including information. Enjoy the lovely illustrations, and learn more about your body. A fun way to see how everything works together so that you are functioning properly as a human being. It’s a way to look at the body as a beautiful machine, and see how all the systems work together. Get a look at each system in the body, and learn what it is meant to do as part of the whole.
Electrolyte Balance in the Human Body: One of the realities of life is that we require electrolytes in order to have proper balance in the body. Electrolytes help the electric tissues of the body, which include neurons and muscle tissue. As a result, it is important to have a good electrolyte balance. This slide show offers a look at electrolytes and their importance in the human body, as well as how the proper balance can be maintained. Also includes information on how electrolytes can become imbalanced in the body. A factual and organized presentation designed to help health care providers provide good information for their patients.
Bodies New York Slideshow: If you are interested in how our bodies really look, this slideshow offers interesting images and information. This slideshow offers images from the BODIES…New York exhibition. This exhibit shows carefully dissected, preserved and displayed bodies so that you can see how the body works. An interesting look at anatomy, detailing muscle and bone placement. Pictures of the body in different positions shows how muscles are positioned during different activities. It’s very interesting to have first hand knowledge of how it works. This slideshow is a great preview of a great exhibit — and a good resource itself.
How your brain works: If you are interested in learning about how your brain functions, this slideshow from the Mayo Clinic is a great resource. Learn, in depth, about the different functions of the brain. Learn about the construction of its brain, and its structures. You can gain an understanding of what each part of the brain does, and how it functions. Also see how the brain controls different parts of the body, and its place in the nervous system. Learn how neurons and synapses work, and gain an understanding of how your brain helps you think and feel. A helpful journey through the mechanical workings of the brain, and its importance in your body.
Mechanobiology of the Skeleton: If you are interested in how the skeleton works, this slideshow is a great resource. It goes through how bones are formed, and the structures inside of them. The bones in the body have an interesting structure inside of them. You can learn about the way bones grow and form, and find out why bones are so strong — even though they are relatively light. These slides were presented at the Keystone Symposium by Charles H. Turner, and presented on the Science magazine web site. It’s an interesting look at how bones are formed, the biology of what goes on inside of bones, and what happens when disease strikes.
Heart Disease Pictures Slideshow: MedicineNet offers another great slideshow. This one tackles heart disease. How does heart disease form? What does it look like when a heart is affected by heart disease? This slideshow is an informative look at the real story of heart disease. Illustrates plaque buildup, and shows images of what can lead to a heart attack. Also, this slide show features great images and diagrams, along with pictures of actual arteries and other parts of the heart when they have been clogged. It might even help you decided to eat better and exercise more, since you can see exactly what you are doing to your heart.
Lungs: If you are interested in the structure of the lungs, this is a great slide show. Includes a helpful look at how the lungs are set up, including an inset showing the important alveoli. See the different parts of the lungs, and where they are located. You can also see x-ray images of different problems in the lungs. See what the x-ray of an aortic rupture looks like, or examine pneumothorax. Slides include an explanation of the conditions shown, and explain the basic workings and structure of the lungs. An interesting look, from Healthline, at the lungs, and a couple of the problems you might encounter. If you are a health care professional, this is especially useful in helping you see how these conditions appear on an x-ray.
Dried Human Blood: Interested in what blood looks like under the microscope? This fascinating and beautiful slideshow is short, but interesting. Look at dried human blood as it appears in a microscope. You might be surprised at how it looks, and the different structures that are present in blood.
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