AnaPhy 2

• Learning and understanding anatomical terminology allows you to communicate accurately with your colleagues in the health sciences.
• Standard anatomical position


  Body erect, feet slightly apart, palms facing forward with thumbs pointing away from body
• Directional terms


  Describe one body structure in relation to another body structure
• Direction is always based on standard anatomical position.
• Right and left refer to the body being viewed, not right and left of observer.
• Two major divisions of body

  • Axial
  • Appendicular
• Axial


  Head, neck, and trunk
• Appendicular


  Limbs (legs and arms)
• Body planes


  Surfaces along which body or structures may be cut for anatomical study
• Three most common planes

  • Sagittal plane
  • Frontal (coronal) plane
  • Transverse (horizontal) plane
• Sections


  Cuts or sections made along a body plane
• Sagittal cut


  Results in a sagittal section
• Sagittal plane


  Divides body vertically into right and left parts
• Midsagittal (median) plane


  Cut was made perfectly on midline
• Parasagittal plane


  Cut was off-centered, not on midline
• Frontal (coronal) plane


  Divides body vertically into anterior and posterior parts (front and back)
• Transverse (horizontal) plane


  Divides body horizontally (90° to vertical plane) into superior and inferior parts (top and bottom)
• Oblique section


  Result of cuts at angle other than 90° to vertical plane
• Body contains internal cavities that are closed to environment.
• Cavities provide different degrees of protection to organs within them.
• Two sets of cavities

  • Dorsal body cavity
  • Ventral body cavity
• Dorsal body cavity


  Protects fragile nervous system
• Two subdivisions of dorsal body cavity

  • Cranial cavity
  • Vertebral cavity
• Cranial cavity


  Encases brain
• Vertebral cavity


  Encases spinal cord
• Ventral body cavity


  Houses the internal organs (collectively called viscera)
• Two subdivisions of ventral body cavity

  • Thoracic cavity
  • Abdominopelvic cavity
• Thoracic cavity


  Contains heart and lungs
• Two pleural cavities


  • Each cavity surrounds one lung
• Mediastinum


  Contains pericardial cavity and surrounds other thoracic organs, such as esophagus, trachea, etc.
• Pericardial cavity


  Encloses heart
• Abdominopelvic cavity


  Contains stomach, intestines, spleen, and liver
• Pelvic cavity


  • Contains urinary bladder, reproductive organs, and rectum
• Pelvic bones provide limited protection to the pelvic cavity.
• The walls of the abdominal cavity are formed by muscle only, so organs in this area are most vulnerable to trauma.
• Serosa (serous membrane)


  Thin, double-layered membranes that cover surfaces in ventral body cavity
• Parietal serosa


  Lines internal body cavity walls
• Visceral serosa


  Covers internal organs (viscera)
• Double layers are separated by slit-like cavity filled with serous fluid.
• Fluid is secreted by both layers of membrane.