Links and Connections

Davidoff

The Common Vein Copyright 2014

The human body is an exceedingly complex structure – a masterpiece of intricacies constructed from simple biological and chemical units.  However, its functional integrity would be highly compromised without the vast series of structural and chemical links that connect its cells, tissues, and organs.  In this way, the concept of links and connections underlies biology and medicine and is critical to the work of a physician.

The interdependence of biological structural units first takes form at the atomic level with a variety of bonding interactions, including covalent and ionic bonds.  Covalent bonds, which arise from electron-sharing between two atoms, are easily distinguished from ionic bonds, which require electrostatic attractive forces between two oppositely charged ions.  Both types of bonds are actually the result of a careful balancing act, as the positive nuclei of the two atoms experience repulsive forces.  In fact, such electrostatic forces must be continually considered as one progresses up the ladder of structural complexity toward intermolecular interactions and the formation of compounds. Untitled Document

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Having risen above the atomic and molecular levels one may next consider the cell, which is the fundamental unit of biological structures.  Incidentally, it is also the site of myriad linkages, as connections between organelles like the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus allow the cell’s system of transport and packaging to take form.  In this way, one sees the first example of links and connections as critical for establishing structures of particular function within an organism.

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// ul”).tabs(); });// ]]> Untitled Document Intestinal Epithelial Cell – Golgi Apparatus and Intercellular Borders

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While such intracellular connections are of great import, the linkages between individual cells must also be considered, as they allow for the formation of tissues and organs with distinct functional characteristics.  Two examples of such connections are shown below.

 

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// ul”).tabs(); });// ]]> Untitled Document Cardiac Syncitium

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The manifestation of these intercellular associations is the development of progressively greater, more complex structures, as tissues interact to form distinct organs.  The image below, for instance, depicts this type of interaction, as solid plates of bone are joined to each other at the coronal and sagittal sutures, allowing the skull to take form.Untitled Document

 

// ul”).tabs(); });// ]]> Untitled Document Coronal and Sagittal Sutures of the Skull

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The highly varied array of organs within the body allows for great multiplicity of function within an organism.  However, the value of such diversity would be negated without the system of linkages that allows the organs to communicate with one another.  This system consists of both structural connections, such as the network of tubules shown below, and chemical links established and maintained by the endocrine and exocrine systems of the body.

// ul”).tabs(); });// ]]> Untitled Document Tubular Links between the Organs

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// ul”).tabs(); });// ]]> Untitled Document Pituitary Gland – Connecting the Body through Hormones

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