Sources
Sources and limitations
This page explains where the specific facts in this guide come from, why it contains few figures, and which questions it deliberately leaves to doctors.
We can't see you and don't know your history. So this guide explains how the body works in general and leaves decisions about your health to a doctor.
How we choose sources
The guide is based on textbooks of human anatomy and physiology, material that has been tested by generations of teachers and changes slowly. Information on healthy habits draws on reference materials from the World Health Organization.
We give specific figures only when they are generally accepted: the number of bones in the skeleton, the approximate area of the skin, the usual range of the resting pulse, the publication date of Vesalius's work and when the plastination method appeared. Everything else is described in general terms to avoid false precision.
We do not summarise individual new studies, and we do not rely on promotional materials, reviews or unsourced reports.
Main sources
- Textbooks of human anatomy and physiology
- Andreas Vesalius, "On the Fabric of the Human Body" (De humani corporis fabrica, 1543)
- WHO reference materials on healthy living
Limitations of the guide
This guide does not make diagnoses, choose treatments, recommend medicines or supplements, or advertise clinics. Any decisions about treatment and tests are made only by a doctor who sees you in person. It does not describe the bodies of specific people and does not publish photographs of anatomical specimens.
The texts are written for adult readers without medical training and describe the typical structure of the body. Individual people may have features that are not covered here. If you have any symptoms, see a doctor, and if a life is at risk, call 112 or 103 (or your local emergency number).
See also
- Research
Where knowledge about the body comes from, how to read popular science, and why anatomy myths are so persistent.
- Methods
How scientists studied the body in the past, how doctors look inside today, and what you can calmly observe yourself.
- Topics
Organ systems by group: support and movement, blood and breathing, digestion, nerves and senses. Plus the article catalogue.
- Home
The "body from the inside" reference: how the organ systems work and how that knowledge helps you look after your health.
Sources
- Textbooks of human anatomy and physiology
- Andreas Vesalius, "On the Fabric of the Human Body" (De humani corporis fabrica, 1543)
- WHO reference materials on healthy living
This text reflects the generally accepted understanding of how the body works as of the date it was prepared. Human biology keeps refining the details, so take any questions about your own health to a doctor rather than relying on a reference article.