Chapter 11 Flashcards
What is the built-in-maintence of a stable environment in the body?
homeostasis
What body system functions as a mean of communication between your body and the outside world?
integumentary system
What body system rids the body of metabolic wastes?
excretory system
What body system allows for the continued existence of human life?
reproductive system
What is the system of the body designed specifically for homeostasis?
integumentary system
What is the largest and most visible organ of the body?
skin
What is the part of the skin that is exposed to the environement?
epidermis
What are the flattened, dead, outermost cells of the epidermis?
squamous epithelial cells
What are living cells in the epidermis that repidly reproduce?
germinative cells
What is a buildup of epidermal cells?
callus
What is a condition that results when the immune system attacks the epidermal cells?
psoriasis
What is the tough, water-proof protein fiber that is manufactured in the cytoplasm, strengthening and hardening the cell?
keratin
What is a pigment that is responsible for skin color?
melanin
What is the pigment that gives the skin an olive tint?
carotenoids
What is the pigment that gives the skin a reddish or pinkish tint?
hemoglobin
What is the characteristic of being unable to produce melanin?
albinism
What is the most complex layer of the skin?
dermis
What are the two protein fibers in the dermis that give it the ability to stretch and its elasticity?
elastin and collagen
What is the fatty layer of the loose connective tissue that binds the skin to the underlying organs?
subcutaneous layer
What is a natural process that protects the body from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun?
tanning
What is a serious problem for sunbathers where the cells reproduce more rapidly than normal?
skin cancer
What are the two most common types of skin cancer?
basal-cell carcinoma and squamous-cell carcinoma
What is another important characteristic of the skin that aids homeostasis?
hair
What part of the hair is a tube lying vertically in the dermis designed to manufacture hair?
hair follicle