|
|
|
Gaining a better understanding of how important the topic of organ and tissue donation and transplantation is really important. This section will help to give you a working knowledge about organs and tissues that can be donated and transplanted, the functions that those organs and tissues perform, and how transplanting those organs and tissues can save lives and enhance the quality of life for recipients.
First, it is important to understand the difference between "organs" and tissues".
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, defines an organ as:
" A natural part or structure in an animal or a plant, capable of performing some special action (termed its function), which is essential to the life or well-being of the whole; as, the heart, lungs, etc., are organs of animals."
This same source defines tissue as:
"An aggregation of morphologically similar cells and associated intercellular matter acting together to perform one or more specific functions in the body. There are four basic types of tissue: muscle, nerve, epidermal, and connective.
|
|
