Human Anatomy and Physiology I: Module 3 Case Study

Read the case study below and then proceed to the questions. This case study is worth 10 points.

Clinical Case Study: Sea Water vs Pond Water

Carl has been training for weeks in anticipation of his participation in a popular reality show in which contestants are abandoned in the wild with only their wits to keep them alive. In preparation for this, Carl has spent several weekends camping alone in various tropical regions, with no food or clean water sources available.

During one particular training exercise, Carl was left with a very difficult decision. Unable to locate clean, fresh water, Carl was forced to choose between two vastly different, but equally impractical water sources.

Option one was water from a shallow, freshwater pond, that was very mirky and appeared to be teeming with microorganisms.

Option two was equally unappealing, salt water directly from the nearby ocean.

Already beginning to feel the effects of severe dehydration, Carl chose to drink the contaminated pond water.

Case Background:

Our kidneys are the primary organs of our Urinary System. Of their many tasks, one of the most important is regulation of osmolarity of our bodily fluids. In order to do this, our kidneys separate wastes from the blood and resupply the appropriate amount of water back to our plasma. This liquid waste is removed from the body in the form of urine. The human kidney is unable to produce urine from solutions that contain more than 2% salt. Seawater is composed of approximately 3% salt. When we drink saltwater, our kidneys must use water from other areas of our body to dilute the high concentration of salt. In addition to this, our bodies will produce more urine in an attempt to get rid of this extra salt. This frequent urination, in turn, leads to even more severe dehydration.

Case Studies Grading Rubric

Point values for each question will vary depending on how many questions are present.

For each answer, points will be awarded based on two criteria:
1. accuracy and completion (50% of point total)
2. answer is written in your own words (50% of point total)

Total points for completing the Case Study activity: 10 points

Grading method: Highest grade