Bio230 Human Anatomy

• Anatomic Position

  • Provides common self
  • Upright
  • Feet parallel to floor
  • Head level and looking forward
  • Arms at side
  • Palms facing forward
• Anterior


  Towards the front
• Posterior


  towards the back
• Superior 


  towards top, up
• Inferior


  towards bottom, down
• Medial


  towards midline
• Lateral 


  Away from midline
• Proximal


  towards the trunk
• Distal 


  away from trunk
• Proximal and distal directional terms are only used for limbs
• Superficial 


  towards outside
• Deep


  Towards inside
• superficial and deep directional terms work in layers
• Dorsal 


  Back portion of body (posterior)
• Dorsal

  for head: superior

  for torso: posterior
• Ventral


  Front part of body (anterior)
• Ventral

  for head: inferior

  for torso: anterior
• Rostral

  towards nose on head
• caudral


  towards tailbone, inferior
• Cranial


  towards head, superior
• Ipsilateral


  same side
• contralateral

  opposite side
• Coronal (frontal) plane


  divides body into anterior and posterior parts
• Transverse (horizontal) plane

  divides body into superior and inferior parts
• Midsagittal (median) plane 


  divides body into left/right halves
• Microscopic


  includes cytology (cells) and histology (tissues)
• gross

  can see with a naked eye
• The 2 types of anatomy are microscopic and gross.