Author Profile

Dr. Lindy Whitehouse MD, PhD, Senior Professor and Chair of Systems Biology at the Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences (IAMS), Cambridge, UK. Dr. Whitehouse is celebrated for translating complex cellular processes into highly intuitive clinical frameworks. Earning her MD from McGill University and a PhD in Cellular Biophysics from the University of Oxford, she has spent over 25 years bridging the gap between bench-top molecular research and practical, patient-centered medicine. Her textbook is known for a distinctive "single-author voice" that flows like a continuous, engaging narrative rather than a disjointed collection of facts. She is famous for utilizing conversational, real-world analogies to explain highly complex systems (such as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system or cardiac action potentials). Lindy's textbook places a heavy emphasis on pathophysiology and clinical correlations, ensuring medical students grasp not just how a healthy organ operates, but exactly how it malfunctions in disease states.

About The Book

The term "medical physiology" encompasses the foundational study of how the human body functions in health and disease. Because it is a core subject for medical and healthcare professionals, several definitive textbooks are widely used to cover the molecular, cellular, and systemic processes of the human body. Medical physiology is the scientific study of how the human body function, specifically focusing on the mechanical, physical, and biochemical processes that keep us alive. Unlike anatomy, which looks at the structure of body parts, physiology explains how those structures work together to maintain a stable internal environment, a process known as homeostasis. Medical physiology serves as the foundation for all clinical practice. Doctors and scientists use it to understand how drugs interact with receptors, how the body adapts to extreme stress, and how to develop targeted therapies for chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes. Medical physiology is the absolute foundation of pharmacy education. Pharmacists do not just dispense medication; they must understand exactly how a drug alters the human body, which is impossible without first knowing how the body functions normally. Medical Physiology meticulously crafted to bridge the gap between fundamental physiological sciences and modern pharmacotherapeutics. As future pharmacists, your ability to dispense medications, counsel patients, and optimize drug regimens relies on a profound understanding of the human body's intricate, interconnected systems. In pharmacy practice, physiology is more than a foundational science; it is the very canvas upon which pharmacology is painted. To understand why a specific antihypertensive alters cardiac output, or how a diuretic modifies renal tubular transport, you must first master the healthy, dynamic state of these systems. This book is designed to provide that exact mastery, with a deliberate shift in focus toward the clinical application of physiological principles.

Table of Contents

Preface
1.
UNDERSTANDING PHYSIOLOGY............................................................1
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Cell
1.3 Structure of Cell
1.4 Cytoskeleton
1.5 Intercellular Connections
1.6 Intercellular Communications
1.7 Cell Division
1.8 Genetics
1.9 Genes
1.10 Transport Across Cell Membrane
1.11 Body Fluids
2.
BLOOD..................................................................................................38
2.1 Functions of Blood
2.1 Blood Volume
2.3 Plasma
2.4 Erythrocytes
2.5 Anemia
2.6 Hemoglobin
2.7 Hematological Investigation
2.8 Leukocytes (Wbcs)
2.9 Reticuloendothelial System (Monocyte Macrophage System)
2.10 Immunity
2.11 Blood Transfusion
3.
NERVE–MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY............................................................81
3.1 Neuron
3.2 Electrical Properties of A Nerve
3.3 Nerve Impulse
3.4 Nerve Injury
3.5 Neuroglia
3.6 Neuromuscular Junction
3.7 Muscle Physiology
3.8 Skeletal Muscle
3.9 Smooth Muscles
3.10 Sports And Exercise Physiology
4.
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM...............................................................136
4.1 Structure of Heart
4.2 Nerve Supply To Heart
4.3 Cardiac Muscles
4.4 Blood Circulation
4.5 Conducting System of The Heart (Junctional Tissue)
4.6 Origin And Spread of The Cardiac Impulse
4.7 Electrocardiogram
4.8 Cardiac Cycle
4.9 Heart Sounds
4.10 Pulse
4.11 Hemodynamics
4.12 Blood Pressure
4.13 Regulation of The Heart Rate
4.14 Circulatory Shock
4.15 Regional Circulation
5.
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.......................................................................192
5.1 Functional Anatomy
5.2 Histology of The Respiratory Tract
5.3 Respiratory Membrane
5.4 Pulmonary Ventilation
5.5 Pulmonary Function Tests
5.6 Pulmonary Circulation
5.7 Ventilation–Perfusion Ratio
5.8 Mechanics of Respiration
5.9 Respiratory Pressure Changes
5.10 Dysbarism (Decompression Sickness, Caisson’s Disease)
6.
GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM............................................................218
6.1 Histology
6.2 Blood Supply
6.3 Nerve Supply
6.4 Gastrointestinal Reflexes
6.5 Gastrointestinal Movements
6.6 Mastication (Chewing)
6.7 Deglutition (Swallowing)
6.8 Movements of Stomach
6.9 Gastric Emptying
6.10 Movements of The Small Intestine
6.11 Movements of The Large Intestine
6.12 Defecation
6.13 Gastrointestinal Secretions
6.14 Salivary Secretion
6.15 Stomach
6.16 Gastric Secretion
6.17 Gastric Function Tests
6.18 Liver And Bile
6.19 Pancreatic Secretion
7.
EXCRETORY SYSTEM..........................................................................264
7.1 Structure of Kidney
7.2 Nephron
7.3 Renal Circulation
7.4 Juxtaglomerular Apparatus
7.5 Formation of Urine
7.6 Countercurrent Mechanism
7.7 Urinary Bladder
7.8 Diuresis And Diuretics
7.9 Renal Function Tests
8.
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.............................................................298
8.1 Divisions of The Nervous System
8.2 Parts of Brain
8.3 Synapse
8.4 Reflex Action
8.5 Receptors
8.6 Sensory System
8.7 Spinal Cord
8.8 Pathophysiology of Pain
8.9 Motor System
8.10 Hypothalamus
8.11 Thalamus
Bibliography........................................................................................345
Index...................................................................................................352