Is it legit to say that physiology is studying the "mechanisms" that provides the body with Vitality?

[Elia Gomez]

Is it legit to say that physiology is studying the "mechanisms" that provide the body with Vitality?

Edited March 1, 2016 by Elia Gomez

[iNow]

Not really, no. Too much woo, not enough true.

[Phi for All]

Is it legit to say that physiology is studying the "mechanisms" that provides the body with Vitality?

 

What is vitality, scientifically?

[Elia Gomez]

 

What is vitality, scientifically?

 

I meant simply, life.

Not really, no. Too much woo, not enough true.

would you please elaborate, thank you

[Phi for All]

would you please elaborate, thank you

 

I believe he meant the word "vitality" isn't the scientific term most used to describe life. It's a great word, but it has too many other contexts that don't fit. "Vital" means absolutely necessary, which we know is NOT true of all physiology (appendix, etc). "Vitality" is defined as being strong and active, which is also not required for life. And how strong is strong? How active is active?

 

"Woo" is often defined as too much wiggle-room in an explanation, which gets filled in with guesswork and speculation. A lot of new age stuff is like that, using a sound bit of science and then attaching all kinds of un-evidenced assumptions to it so they sound more scientific.

[iNow]

Thank you, Phi. That is a good summary. Part of me is also curious what the OP feels is missing from the existing definition of physiology. What is the gap you're trying to fill?

 

phys·i·ol·o·gy

ˌfizēˈäləjē/Submit

noun

the branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.

the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions

 

 

Regardless of the answer, encourage you to avoid sloppy ambiguous words. In that sense, the term vitality is a lot like the term spirituality... lacks meaning and is so ill-defined as to essentially be useless.

[Elia Gomez]

Thanks a lot for the explanations.

Part of me is also curious what the OP feels is missing from the existing definition of physiology. What is the gap you're trying to fill?

Actually iNow, it's not that i feel something is missing from the existing definition. I'm a pre-medical student, and this is the first time I'm introduced to physiology. And, I just wanted to make sure I understood what this branch of science is exactly concerned with, and thus be able to appreciate the relevance and importance of the topics we study.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply to my post.

[Phi for All]

Regardless of the answer, encourage you to avoid sloppy ambiguous words. In that sense, the term vitality is a lot like the term spirituality... lacks meaning and is so ill-defined as to essentially be useless.

 

Totally agree. I would even venture to say that ambiguous words are worse than useless. They can leave too much open to interpretation and subjectivity, something science tries to minimize as much as possible.

[iNow]

Thanks again for taking the time to reply to my post.

No worries, and sorry for being somewhat curt in my initial reply. It's just that the word "vitality" makes me think of an infomercial trying to sell the products of a scam artist.

[Elia Gomez]

No worries, and sorry for being somewhat curt in my initial reply. It's just that the word "vitality" makes me think of an infomercial trying to sell the products of a scam artist.

I totally agree with you now, I really didn't think much about the word vitality, And since English isn't my first language, I didn't consider the other contexts this word may have, and that can contribute to making the word vague. It's just that I couldn't find the appropriate word to express (being alive) or (being a living thing). maybe I should have just said "life". However, the whole thing (my post) wasn't meant to be about my choice of the word that expressed possessing the property of life -not saying that it's ok to use vague or obscure words-, But what I mainly questioned about the definition in the original post, was the overall idea; whether we can say physiology studies the mechanisms and processes that occur in the body of an organism?.

I had someone telling me that "studying mechanisms of living" was far from any possible definition of physiology. and that physiology on the other hand was "studying the functions of parts of the body". I couldn't see much difference between the two definitions. So I decided to ask online.

I hope it doesn't seem like i'm so caught up in semantics.

[iNow]

what I mainly questioned about the definition in the original post, was the overall idea; whether we can say physiology studies the mechanisms and processes that occur in the body of an organism?

I think this is exactly right, but there are members here far more informed on this topic than me that may post with an alternative view worth considering.

 

I had someone telling me that "studying mechanisms of living" was far from any possible definition of physiology. and that physiology on the other hand was "studying the functions of parts of the body". I couldn't see much difference between the two definitions. So I decided to ask online.

"Mechanisms of living" could mean going skydiving instead of watching television. It could mean avoiding the bullet of a criminal in a dark alley. It could mean ensuring adequately supply of air while scuba diving.

 

"Parts of the body," however, means limbs and joints and cells and tubules. I find this second statement more appealing accurate, myself. Mechanisms of living seems too broad. Not all things that are included in that set are "physiological," but essentially everything included in the phrase "function of parts of the body" are.

 

In the end, it probably depends on context, where you're using the term, and personal preference.

[CharonY]

"Parts of the body," however, means limbs and joints and cells and tubules. I find this second statement more appealing accurate, myself. Mechanisms of living seems too broad. Not all things that are included in that set are "physiological," but essentially everything included in the phrase "function of parts of the body" are.

 

In the end, it probably depends on context, where you're using the term, and personal preference.

 

I disagree. Bodily parts are typically used in the context of larger organisms. Physiology is a general term used to describe biological functions at various scales with a focus on the underlying mechanisms. The study of cell or microbial physiology (which technically do not have bodies in the common sense of the word) refers to other elements than plant or animal physiology, for example. Similarly, the function of an organ could be described in the context of body parts, whereas metabolic pathways, which are crucial elements of cellular physiology would not be.

 

So to summarize, I would characterize physiology as the study of the mechanism of biological functions, or how elements work together to perform biological functions. What they are, specifically, depends on the scale you are looking at.

 

Edit: because some recent posts typo-shamed me.

Edited March 2, 2016 by CharonY

[iNow]

You've artfully explained clearly what I clumsily attempted. Thank you.

[Elia Gomez]

 

I disagree. Bodily parts are typically used in the context of larger organisms. Physiology is a general term used to describe biological functions at various scales with a focus on the underlying mechanisms. The study of cell or microbial physiology (which technically do not have bodies in the common sense of the word) refers to other elements than plant or animal physiology, for example. Similarly, the function of an organ could be described in the context of body parts, whereas metabolic pathways, which are crucial elements of cellular physiology would not be.

 

So to summarize, I would characterize physiology as the study of the mechanism of biological functions, or how elements work together to perform biological functions. What they are, specifically, depends on the scale you are looking at.

 

Edit: because some recent posts typo-shamed me.

THANKS alot! very good explanation.

[Xalatan]

Physiology is the study of how the body functions.