Anatomy

• Anatomy


  Cutting up, cutting through
• The term anatomy is derived from a Greek word meaning "to cut up"
• Most of the terms that form the language of anatomy are of Greek or Latin derivation
• Anatomy


  • Has an international vocabulary that is the foundation of medical terminology
  • Many terms indicate the shape, size, location, function, or resemblance of one structure to another
  • Some muscles have descriptive names to indicate their main characteristics
• What is Anatomy?


  • Study of human structure
  • Structure dictates function
  • Study of the body's structure and the relationship of its constituent parts to each other
  • Clinical anatomy is the study of the macroscopic structure and function of the body as it relates to the practice of medicine and other health sciences
• The various systems of the human body

  • Osteology (study of bony system or skeleton)
  • Syndesmology (study of articulations or joints)
  • Myology (study of muscles)
  • Angiology (study of vascular system comprising the heart, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and lymph glands)
  • Neurology (study of the nervous system, may include organs of sense)
  • Splanchnology (study of the visceral system)
• The digestive or alimentary system (gastroenterology)


  • Consists of the organs and glands associated with ingestion, mastication (chewing), swallowing, digestion, food absorption, and solid waste elimination
• The respiratory system (pulmonology)


  • Consists of the air passages and lungs that supply oxygen to the blood for cellular respiration and eliminate carbon dioxide from it
• The urinary system (urology)

  • Consists of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra, which filter blood and subsequently produce, transport, store, and intermittently excrete urine (liquid waste)
• The reproductive or genital system (gynecology, andrology)


  • Consists of the gonads (ovaries and testes) that produce oocytes (eggs) and sperms, the ducts that transport them, and the genitalia that enable their union
• The endocrine system (endocrinology)


  • Consists of discrete ductless glands, isolated and clustered cells of the gut and blood vessel walls, and specialized nerve endings that secrete hormones
• Specialized Branches of Anatomy

  • Pathological anatomy – the study of structural changes caused by disease
  • Radiographic anatomy – the study of internal structures visualized by X-ray
  • Molecular biology – the study of anatomical structures at a sub-cellular level
  • Comparative Anatomy – Comparison between different species
• Anatomical Position


  Refers to the body position as if the person were standing upright with the head, gaze (eyes), and toes directed anteriorly (forward), arms adjacent to the sides with palms facing anteriorly and thumbs pointing away from the body, and lower limbs close together with feet parallel
• Anatomical Planes


  • Median plane – a single vertically oriented plane that divides the body into equal right and left halves
  • Sagittal planes – parallel to the median plane but not necessarily in the midline, dividing the body into unequal right and left halves
  • Coronal planes – perpendicular to the median plane, dividing the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions
  • Transverse, axial, or cross-sectional planes – perpendicular to the median and coronal planes, dividing the body into upper and lower parts
• Longitudinal Section


  Runs lengthwise or parallel to the long axis of the body or any of its parts, and the term applies regardless of the position of the body
• Transverse Section


  Cross sections, slices of the body or its parts cut at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the body or any of its parts
• Terms of relationship and comparison

  • Superior (cranial) – nearer to head
  • Inferior (caudal) – nearer to feet
  • Anterior (ventral) – nearer to front
  • Posterior (dorsal) – nearer to back
  • Medial – nearer to median plane
  • Lateral – farther from median plane
  • Proximal – nearer to trunk or point of origin
  • Distal – farther from trunk or point of origin
  • Superficial – nearer to or on surface
  • Deep – farther from surface
  • Dorsum – dorsal surface of hand or foot
  • Palm – palmar surface of hand
  • Sole – plantar surface of foot
• Terms of relationships


  • Anterior/posterior
  • Proximal/distal
  • Cranial/caudal
  • Dorsal/ventral
  • Internal/external
  • Palmar/dorsal
  • Ipsilateral/contralateral
• Directionality


  • Superior (cranial) – toward the head
  • Inferior (caudal) – toward the feet
  • Medial – toward the midline
  • Lateral – away from the midline
  • Proximal – toward the trunk
  • Distal – away from the trunk
  • Superficial – near the surface
  • Deep – away from the surface
• Body Position


  • Supine – person lies on their back, arms by the side, palms facing upwards, and feet put together
  • Prone – person lying on their face, chest, and abdomen
  • Lithotomy position – person lying on their back with legs up and feet supported in straps, used during delivery
• Terms Related to Movement


  • Most movements are defined according to the anatomical position, with movements occurring within and around axes aligned with specific anatomical planes
  • While most movements occur at joints where two or more bones or cartilages articulate with one another, several non-skeletal structures exhibit movement (e.g., tongue, lips, and eyelids)
  • Some joints have no movement (sutures of the skull), some have only slight movement (Intervertebral joint), and some are freely movable (shoulder joint)
• Flexion and Extension


  • Flexion indicates bending or decreasing the angle between the bones or parts of the body, usually an anterior movement
  • Extension indicates straightening or increasing the angle between bones or body parts, usually a posterior movement
• Lateral Flexion


  Movement of the trunk in the coronal plane
• Abduction and Adduction


  • Abduction is the movement of a limb away from the midline of the body in the coronal plane
  • Adduction is the movement of a limb toward the midline of the body in the coronal plane
• Movements of fingers and toes

  Abduction is applied to the spreading of these structures, and adduction is applied to the drawing together of these structures
• Opposition and Reposition


  • Opposition is the movement by which the pad of the 1st finger (thumb) is brought to another digit
  • Reposition is the movement of the 1st digit from the position of opposition back to its anatomical position
• Rotation


  • Rotation is applied to moving a body part around its long axis
  • Rotation can occur within the vertebral column, at a pivot joint, or a ball-and-socket joint
  • Medial rotation is the movement that results in the anterior surface of the part facing medially (internal)
  • Lateral rotation is the movement that results in the anterior surface of the part facing laterally (external)
• Pronation and Supination


  • Pronation of the forearm is a medial rotation of the forearm in such a manner that the palm faces posteriorly
  • Supination of the forearm is a lateral rotation of the forearm from the pronated position so that the palm comes to the face anteriorly
• Circumduction


  Circular cone-like movement of the body segment involving the combination of angular movements in sequence - Flexion, Abduction, Extension, and Adduction
• Protrusion and Retrusion


  • Protrusion is movement anteriorly, Retrusion is movement posteriorly
  • Protraction is to move forward, Retraction is moving backward
• Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion


  • Dorsiflexion is flexion at the ankle joint (e.g., walking uphill or lifting the front of the foot and toes off the ground)
  • Plantarflexion is bending the foot and toes toward the ground (e.g., standing on your toes)
• Inversion and Eversion


  • Inversion is the movement of the foot so that the sole faces in a medial direction
  • Eversion is the opposite movement of the foot so that the sole faces in a lateral direction
• Elevation and Depression


  • Elevation is raising or moving a part superiorly
  • Depression is lowering or moving a part inferiorly
• All electromagnetic waves (X-rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, and radio waves) can be used for diagnostic imaging
• Protraction of the scapula


  Shoulder is moved forward, as when pushing against something or throwing a ball
• Retraction of the scapula

  Scapula being pulled posteriorly and medially toward the vertebral column
• Dorsiflexion


  Flexion at the ankle joint (e.g., walking uphill or lifting the front of the foot and toes off the ground)
• Plantarflexion


  Bends the foot and toes toward the ground (e.g., standing on your toes)
• Inversion


  Movement of the foot so that the sole faces in a medial direction
• Eversion


  Opposite movement of the foot so that the sole faces in a lateral direction