Introduction to HAP

• anatomy - study of the structure or morphology of the body and how the body parts are organized.
• "anatomy" means "to cut apart"
• physiology - study of the functions of body parts, what they do, and how they do it.
• gross anatomy - study of the larger structures of the body.
• surface anatomy - external features of the body.
• regional anatomy - specific body region.
• sectional anatomy - cross sections of the tissues or organs.
• systematic anatomy - organ systems in the body.
• clinical anatomy - important in medical practice.
• pathological anatomy - features that change during illness.
• radiographic anatomy - structures seen using specialized imaging techniques.
• surgical anatomy - surgical diagnosis, treatment, and dissection.
• microscopic anatomy - deals with structures that we cannot see without magnification.
• cytology - study of cells.
• histology - study of tissues.
• cell physiology - chemical processes with cells and chemical interactions among cells.
• organ physiology - function of specific organs.
• systematic physiology - all aspects of the functioning of specific organ system.
• pathological physiology - effects of disease on organ functions or system functions.
• superior - uppermost or above.
• inferior - lowermost or below.
• anterior or ventral - toward the front.
• posterior or dorsal - toward the back.
• cephalad or cranial - toward the head.
• caudal - toward the tail.
• medial - nearest the midline of the body.
• lateral - toward the side or away from the midline of the body.
• proximal - near the point of attachment or origin.
• distal - away from the point of attachment or origin.
• superficial - closer to the surface of the body.
• deep - away from the body surface.
• planes - useful when describing dissections to look inside an organ or the body as a whole.
• midsagittal plane - vertically divides the body through the midline into two equal left and right portions or halves.
• sagittal plane - any plane parallel to the midsagittal or median plane vertically dividing the body into unequal right and left portions.
• horizontal or transverse plane - any plane dividing the body into superior and inferior portions.
• frontal or coronal plane - divides the anterior (ventral) and posterior (dorsal) portions of the body at right angles to the sagittal plane.
• longitudinal section - tissue cut along directions of organ; splits body to the right and left.
• cross section or transverse section - tissue cut perpendicular to length or organ; splits body to the head and tail.
• oblique section - tissue cut at angle between cross and longitudinal section; is not parallel or a right angle.
• dorsal cavity - divided into the cranial cavity, which contains the brain, and the spinal cavity, which contains the spinal cord.