School of Health Sciences Kumamoto University

Major

Division of Morphological and Physiological Sciences

Dept. of Anatomy and Pathology

This department studies the morphological feature of organs, tissues and cells which form the foundation of cause of various types of illness. The methods of learning are gross analysis based on anatomy, microscopic analysis using tissues and cells, ultrastructural analysis and immunohistochemical analysis. Surgical pathology provides the knowledge of how to make specimens needed for above analyses and study of diagnostic standards needed for cytoscreening. Students learn the skills of fixing, slicing and staining of specimen at laboratories in histology and surgical pathology. The knowledge students learn at this department is essential in disease diagnosis and the determination of effect of treatment.

Dept. of Physiology

In this field, students study the subject of biomechanics, learning the workings of the human body that is the basis of medicine.
Furthermore, in order to obtain the information necessary for diagnosis and treatment of diseases, students study the subject of physiological function examinations to learn the theories and methods for examination by direct contact with the human body.
Both subjects involve learning systematically through lectures and practical training about theories and techniques which will link examination results with disease states.
Specifically, students learn to read electrocardiograms, heart sound charts, echocardiograms, etc., in order to examine the heart and blood vessels. They also learn how to inspect lung volume, bronchial states, and the gas exchange status between alveoli and blood.
In addition, students learn how to examine the states of nerves and muscles by investigating potential changes caused by the brain, nerves, muscles, etc., and the responses of the living body to stimuli.
Also in this field, students study ultrasonic and magnetic resonance imaging scans to visually examine internal organs.