The endocrine system consists of a highly integrated and widely distributed group of organs, called glands, that orchestrate a state of metabolic equilibrium among the various organs of the body. Signaling by secreted molecules can be classified into three types—autocrine,…
The breast is distinguished from other organs by three important characteristics. First, its major function is to provide for the nutritional support and survival of another individual, the infant. Second, it undergoes dynamic structural changes throughout life: expansion of the…
A brief review of the development and anatomy of the female genital tract is fundamental to understanding the diseases that affect this complex organ system. Normal development of the female genital tract proceeds through a series of tightly choreographed events…
The Lower Urinary Tract The renal pelves, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra (except the terminal portion) are lined by a special form of transitional epithelium called urothelium . Urothelium is composed of five to six layers of cells with oval…
What is a human but an ingenious machine designed to turn, with “infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?” So said the storyteller in Isak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales . More accurately but less poetically, human kidneys serve…
The adult pancreas is a transversely oriented retroperitoneal organ extending from the C-loop of the duodenum to the hilum of the spleen ( Fig. 19.1A ). Although the organ gets its name from the Greek pankreas (“all flesh”), it is…
The Liver and Bile Ducts The normal adult liver weighs 1400 to 1600 g. It has a dual blood supply, with the portal vein providing 60% to 70% of hepatic blood flow and the hepatic artery supplying the remaining 30% to…
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a hollow tube extending from the oral cavity to the anus that consists of anatomically distinct segments including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, and anus. Each of these segments has unique, complementary, and…
Diseases of the head and neck range from the common cold to uncommon neoplasms of the ear and nose. The examples discussed in the following sections are organized based on the primary anatomic site at which they occur, that is,…
The lungs are ingeniously constructed to carry out their cardinal function, the exchange of gases between inspired air and blood. Developmentally, the respiratory system is an outgrowth from the ventral wall of the foregut. The midline trachea develops two lateral…