intro to anatomy and terminology

• what is anatomy?

  the study of the structure of the human body

  it is split into 11 basic body systems:

  -integumentary system

  -skeletal system

  -muscular system

  -nervous system

  -cardiovascular system

  -lymphatic system

  -digestive system

  -urinary system

  -reproductive system

  -respiratory system

  -endocrine system
• subdisciplines of anatomy

  -gross anatomy

  -regional anatomy

  -systemic anatomy

  -surface anatomy

  -microscopic anatomy

  -other branches: functional anatomy, radiological anatomy, pathological anatomy, embryology
• gross anatomy

  • gross=large
  • it is the study of body structures that can be determined by the naked eye during dissection
  • e.g: bones, muscles, lungs
• systematic anatomy

  • all the organs with related functions are studied together
  • e.g: nervous system, musculoskeletal system, CVS
• regional anatomy

  • All organs present in one body cavity are studied together
  • e.g: thoracic cavity, cranial cavity, abdominal cavity, pelvic cavity
• surface anatomy

  • it is the study of shapes and markings on the surface of the body that reveal the underlying organs
• radiological imaging modalities

  • ultrasound imaging
  • magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • computed tomography (CT)
  • X-Ray
• anatomical body position

  • it acts as a point of reference for all movements:
  • standing upright with feet together
  • face looks forward
  • mouth is closed
  • hands side by side
  • palms of the hands face forwards
  • fingers are straight
  • thumbs point away from the body
  • toes point forwards
• Anatomical nomenclature - body planes

  -plane: and imaginary flat surface running through the body

  -there are four anatomical body planes
• coronal (frontal) plane

  • oriented vertically
  • divides the body into anterior and posterior parts

  
• sagittal plane

  • oriented vertically
  • divides the body into right and left parts

  
• midsagittal/median plane:

  • lies exactly in the midline verically
• midline of the body

  • an imaginary vertical line dividing the body equally

  
• parasagittal plane

  • para=near
  • a sagittal plane that lies offset from the midline
• transverse (horizontal) plane:

  • oriented horizontally
  • divides the body into superior and inferior parts

  
• examples


  examples

  
• regional terms

  • names of specific body areas

  
• 2 body divisions:

  • axial region
  • appendicular region
• axial region

  • forms the main axis of the body: head, neck, trunk
  • axial skeleton : skull, thoracic cage, vertebral column (all inside the axis)

  
• appendicular region

  • consists of the limbs
  • appendicular skeleton: upper and lower limb bones

  
• directional terms - allows us to precisely explain where one structure lies in relation to another

  • superior/inferior
  • medial/lateral
  • anterior (ventral)/posterior (dorsal)
  • cranial/caudal
  • superficial/deep
• superior

  • definition: upper part of a structure or the body; above
  • example: the head is superior to the neck
• inferior

  • definition: toward the lower part of a structure of the body; below
  • example: the thorax is inferior to the neck
• medial

  • definition: toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side of
  • example: the heart is medial to the lungs
• lateral

  • definition: away from the midline of the body; on the outer side
  • example: the lungs lie lateral to the heart
• anterior

  • definition: toward or at the front of the body; in front of
  • example: the sternum is anterior to the heart
• posterior

  • definition: toward or at the back of the body; behind
  • example: the heart is posterior to the sternum
• ipsilateral

  • definition: on the same side
  • example: the right upper limb and the right lower limb are ipsilateral
• contralateral

  • definition: on the opposite sides
  • example: the right upper limp and left lower limb are contralateral
• superficial

  • definition: toward or at the body surface
  • example: the skin is superficial to muscles
• deep

  • definition: away from the body surface; more internal
  • example: the muscles are deep to the skin
• 2 terms less used

  • proximal
  • distal
• proximal

  • definition: closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk
  • example: the forearm is proximal to the hand
• distal

  • definition: farther from the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk
  • examples: the hand is distal to the forearm and the forearm is distal to the arm
• directional terms - embryology

  • cranial: toward the head end
  • caudal: away from head end; refers to the tail (inferior)

  
• directional terms to describe movement

  20 different types
• Flexion

  • decrease the angle between 2 bones
  • examples: trunk, neck, finger, arm, hip and leg flexion
• extension

  • increases the angle between 2 bones
  • examples: trunk, neck, finger, arm and leg extension
• medial rotation

  • rotating toward the medial plane
• lateral rotation

  • rotating away from the median plane