Human body

The course addresses the organization of the human body from the cellular and tissue level to the organ/system level, including how this organization comes into being during development.
The systematic and topographic approaches are integrated in light of the clinical practice. The course provides the comprehensive fundamental background to understand the functions and pathologies of the different organs and systems. Some specific contents are provided in other integrated courses of the curriculum (cytology in Cells, molecules and genes I, part of Neuroanatomy and of Anatomy of the Head and Neck in Functions, Head and Neck and Neurobiology, human behaviour and clinical neuroscience) "Functional drops" are introduced in the lectures to exemplify the relationships between morphology and its functional correlates. "Diagnostic and Clinical drops" are introduced in the lectures to exemplify how disruption of normal development and structure leads to pathology, so to underline the relevance of anatomy in clinical practice.

Students are expected to be able to:
-Describe cells, cell ultrastructure, and tissues and their functional aspects in relation to the morphological organization.
-Describe gametogenesis, fertilization, the early stages of embryonic development, and the key mechanisms leading to organogenesis.
-Illustrate the main morphological events and the relevant related molecular aspects characterizing the development of the body and its various organ systems in order to acquire the vision of the adult anatomy through a dynamic developmental view and understand the basis of congenital defects
-Illustrate the structural principles underlying the functions of organs and systems
-Illustrate the general principles of the body plan at both the systematic (organs and systems) and the topographic levels (regions of the body and corresponding deep spaces)and systems).
- Possess sufficient anatomical information to proficiently attend the subsequent courses.