Introduction of Biochemistry

DEFINITION

The term Biochemistry (bios^G = life) was first introduced by a German chemist Carl Neuberg in 1903. Biochemistry may be defined as a science concerned with the chemical nature and chemical behavior of the living matter. It takes into account the studies related to the nature of the chemical constituents of living matter, their transformations in biological systems and the energy changes associated with these transformations. Such studies have been conducted in the plant and animal tissues both. Broadly speaking, biochemistry may thus be treated as a discipline in which biological phenomena are analysed in terms of chemistry. The branch of biochemistry, for the same reason, has been variously named as Biological Chemistry or Chemical Biology. 

In fact, biochemistry originated as an offshoot from human physiology when it was realized that the chemical analysis of urine, blood and other natural fluids can assist in the diagnosis of a particular disease. Hence in its infancy, biochemistry was accordingly known as Chemical Physiology.

But physiology now covers the study of normal functions and phenomena of living beings. And biochemistry is concerned particularly with the chemical aspects of these functions and phenomena. In other words, biochemistry is but one of the many ways of studying physiology. The two may be compared by watching the monkeys in a zoo which means studying the physiology of behaviour. But if the behaviour of animal molecules is FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOCHEMISTRY studied, rather than the whole animals, it would form the study of biochemistry.

Modern biochemistry has two branches, descriptive biochemistry and dynamic biochemistry. 

Descriptive biochemistry is concerned with the qualitative and quantitative characterization of the various cell components and the dynamic biochemistry deals with the elucidation of the nature and the mechanism of the reactions involving these cell components. While the former branch is more a concern of the organic chemist, the latter branch has now become the language of modern biochemistry.

However, as the knowledge of biochemistry is growing speedily, newer disciplines are emerging from the parent biochemistry. Some of the disciplines are enzymology (science of the study of enzymes), endocrinology (science dealing with the endocrine secretions or the hormones), clinical biochemistry, molecular biochemistry etc. Along with these branches certain link specialities have also come up such as agricultural biochemistry, pharmacological biochemistry etc. 

Biochemistry: - It is the branch of natural science which deals with the study of biochemical substance is known as biochemistry.  

Clinical Biochemistry: - It is the branch of medical science which deals with the study of biochemical substance which are directly involved in life is known as clinical biochemistry.

E.g. –Protein, Glucose, lipid etc.

Endocrinology: - As explained above it is advisable to have special area and special instruments for the purpose of hormone analysis.                                                          

Toxicology: - The separate section is to allot for the toxicology especially to assay the drugs like Phenobarbital Phenytoin, Digoxin and so on.

Tumour Markers: - The tumour markers estimation and their value help the clinicians for diagnose the disease of particular organ, treatment and prognosis.

Blood: - Blood is a fluid connective tissue that is pumped by the heart through the vessels (arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins) of the cardiovascular system.

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