Claude Bernard summary

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Claude Bernard, (born July 12, 1813, Saint-Julien, France—died Feb. 10, 1878, Paris), French physiologist. He taught at several major French institutions and was named a senator in 1869. He discovered the role of the pancreas in digestion, the glycogenic function of the liver in carbohydrate metabolism, and blood-supply regulation by the vasomotor nerves. He helped establish the principles of experimentation in the life sciences, including the need for a hypothesis. His concept of the internal environment of the organism led to the present understanding of homeostasis. Bernard also studied the effects of such poisons as carbon monoxide and curare. He was awarded the grand prize in physiology three times by the Académie des Sciences.

pancreas Summary

Pancreas, compound gland that discharges digestive enzymes into the gut and secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon, vital in carbohydrate (sugar) metabolism, into the bloodstream. In humans the pancreas weighs approximately 80 grams (about 3 ounces) and is shaped like a pear. It is located in

The role of lysosomes in intracellular digestionDigestion in protozoan organisms such as amoebas and paramecia takes place when a food particle is encased in a food vacuole. The vacuole and a lysosome unite, forming a digestive vacuole, and the products of digestion are absorbed across the vacuolar membrane. Indigestible wastes are ultimately expelled.

digestion Summary

Digestion, sequence by which food is broken down and chemically converted so that it can be absorbed by the cells of an organism and used to maintain vital bodily functions. This article summarizes the chemical actions of the digestive process. For details on the anatomy and physiology for specific

blood Summary

Blood, fluid that transports oxygen and nutrients to the cells and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste products. Technically, blood is a transport liquid pumped by the heart (or an equivalent structure) to all parts of the body, after which it is returned to the heart to repeat the process.

medicine Summary

Medicine, the practice concerned with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease. The World Health Organization at its 1978 international conference held in the Soviet Union produced the Alma-Ata Health Declaration, which was designed to serve governments as a