1.6 Terminology and Body Plan

• Etymology 

  • derivation of words
• Foramen Magnum

  • latin word for “hole,” and “large”, respectively 
  • a large hole in the skull through which
• Suffix -itis

  • means an inflammation
• Anatomical Position 

  • a person standing erect with the face directed forward, the upper limbs hanging to the sides, and the palms of the hands facing forward
• Supine

  • when a person lying face upward
• Prone 

  • when a person lying face downward
• Directional Terms

  • describe parts of the body relative to each other
• Superior (cephalic)

  • is up
  • toward the head; closer to the head than another structure
• Inferior (caudal)

  • is down 
  • means toward the tail; which would be located at the end of the vertebral column if humans had tails
• Anterior

  • is front 
  • means “that which goes before”
• Posterior 

  • is back
  • means “that which follows”
• Proximal 

  • means “nearest”
  • used to refer to linear structures
• Distal

  • means “distant”
  • used to refer to linear structures
• Medial

  • means “toward the midline” 
• Lateral

  • means “away from the midline” 
•  Superficial 

  • describes a structure close to the surface of the body
• Deep 

  • is toward the interior of the body
• Central region

  • consists of head, neck, trunk
• Trunk 

  • divided into the thorax (chest), abdomen (region between the thorax and pelvis), and pelvis (the inferior end of the trunk associated with the hips)
• Upper limbs

  • divided into upper arm, forearm, wrist, hand
• Lower limbs

  • thigh, lower leg, ankle, foot
• Planes

  • to describe the body as having imaginary flat surfaces 
  • divides, or sections, the body, making it possible to “look inside” and observe the body’s structures
• Median plane 

  • a sagittal plane that passes through the midline of the body, dividing it into equal right and left halves
• Sagittal Plane

  • runs vertically through the body, separating it into right and left portions
  • literally means “the flight of an arrow” and refers to the way the body would be split by an arrow passing anteriorly to posteriorly
• Transverse plane 

  • runs parallel to the ground, dividing the body into superior and inferior portions
• Frontal plane

  • runs vertically from right to left and divides the body into anterior and posterior parts
• Longitudinal Section

  • a cut through the long axis of the organ
• Transverse Section

  • a cut at right angles to the long axis
• Oblique section

  • a cut is made across the long axis at other than a right angle
• Thoracic Cavity 

  • surrounded by the rib cage
  • divided into right and left parts by a median partition called the mediastinum
• Mediastinum 

  • median partition 
  • contains the heart, the thymus, the trachea, the esophagus, and other structures, such as blood vessels and nerves
• Abdominal Cavity

  • enclosed by the abdominal muscles
  • contains the stomach, the intestines, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, and the kidneys
• Pelvic Cavity

  • encased this small space by the pelvic bones
  • where the urinary bladder, part of the large intestine, and the internal reproductive organs are housed
• The abdominal and pelvic cavities are not physically separated and sometimes are called the abdominopelvic cavity
• Serous Membrane

  • line the trunk cavities and cover the organs within these cavities
• Visceral Serous Membrane

  • inner part of the membrane 
  • covers the organ
• Parietal Serous Membrane

  • outer part of the membrane
• Mesentery is the serous membrane that attaches to the ventral surface of the abdominal wall and supports the intestines.
• Pericardium Cavity consist of:

  • visceral pericardium
  • parietal pericardium
  • pericardium fluid
• Pleural Cavity consist of:

  • Visceral Pleura
  • Parietal Pleura
  • Pleural Fluid