Anatomical Terminology Overview

Anatomical Terminology

• The study of the structure of the body is known as anatomy
• The course objective is to demonstrate technical embalming and restorative art skills for human remains
• The lecture objective is to define anatomical terminology and body organization to communicate effectively with the public, officials, and health professionals.

Subdivisions of Anatomy

• Cytology: Studies specific cell types
• Histology: Studies tissues
• Regional: Studies specific body regions
• Systemic: Studies specific organ systems
• Gross: Studies anatomical features seen with the naked eye
• Pathology: Studies changes related to diseases.
• Topographical: Studies layering structures in anatomical regions.

Anatomical Position

• Erect posture, arms at sides, palms forward, head and feet forward, feet aligned and slightly apart.
• This is a standard reference point in anatomical descriptions.

Directional Terminology

• Superior: Towards the top of the head; above another structure
• Inferior: Below another structure; toward the feet
• Anterior (Ventral): Front of the body or structure
• Posterior (Dorsal): Back of the body or structure
• Medial: Towards the midline of the body
• Lateral: Away from the midline of the body
• Proximal: Nearest the point of attachment to the trunk
• Distal: Farther from the point of attachment to the trunk
• Internal: Inside the body
• External: Outside the body
• Parietal: Relating to the wall of a cavity
• Visceral: Relating to the internal organs
• Peripheral: Located at the outer surface of the body or body part, away from the center
• Central: Located at or pertaining to the center of a body part
• Supine: Lying face upward
• Prone: Lying face downward
• Perpendicular: At right angles to another surface
• Superficial: Near the surface of the body or body part
• Deep: Below the surface toward the central part of a structure

Body Planes

• Section: A cut of the body divided by an imaginary flat plate (plane)
• Sagittal: Vertical plane dividing the body into right and left halves.
• Midsagittal (Median): Sagittal plane dividing the body into equal right and left halves.
• Transverse (Cross): Horizontal plane dividing the body into upper and lower halves.
• Frontal (Coronal): Vertical plane dividing the body into front and back.
• Bilateral Symmetry: The body divides into two similar halves along the median line.

Levels of Organization

• Cells: Basic building blocks of all living organisms
• Tissues: An organization of cells that act together to perform a common function
• Organs: A group of several different kinds of tissues organized in ways that allow them to act as a unit to perform a special function
• System: A group of organs arranged for the performance of a specific function

Types of Tissues

• Epithelial: Tissue lining body surfaces and hollow structures
• Connective: Provides structural and functional support
• Muscular: Tissue that shortens and contracts to create movement
• Nervous: Tissue making up the nervous system

Accessory Structures

• Accessory structure(auxillary) applies to a smaller structure resembling a function and organ
• Example: Accessory pancreatic duct.

Body Walls & Cavities

• Body Walls: Surround a cavity
• Body Cavities: Open spaces containing internal organs
• Dorsal Cavities: Contain the central nervous system (cranial and spinal cavities). Cranial cavity contains the brain, and the spinal cavity contains the spinal cord.
• Ventral Cavities: Anterior cavity separated by the diaphragm (thoracic and abdominopelvic). The thoracic cavity contains the heart and lungs. The mediastinum is the midsection of the thoracic cavity, and contains the pleural cavity (lungs) and the pericardial cavity (heart). The abdominopelvic cavity contains digestive and reproductive organs; the abdominal cavity contains digestive organs, and the pelvic cavity contains other reproductive and urinary organs

Body Regions

• Axial: Head and neck (cervical). Head is divided into cranium and face
• Appendicular: Upper limbs and lower limbs (arms and pectoral girdle; legs and pelvic girdle)
• Trunk: Divided into thorax(chest), abdomen, and pelvis(lower torso)

Topographical Anatomy

• Linear Guides: Lines drawn or visualized on the skin are used to represent deeper structures
• Anatomical Guides: Use anatomical structures to locate arteries and veins for example
• Anatomical Limits: Uses points of origin and termination for adjacent structures, used to designate boundaries of arteries

Vocabulary Check (List of terms)

• Accessory
• Anatomy
• Anterior (ventral)
• Bilateral symmetry
• Body planes
• Central
• Connective tissue
• Deep
• Distal
• Dorsal
• External
• Frontal (coronal)
• Histology
• Histology
• Internal
• Lateral
• Levels of organization
• Medial
• Muscular tissue
• Nervous tissue
• Parietal
• Peripheral
• Perpendicular
• Posterior (dorsal)
• Proximal
• Sagittal
• Systemic
• Superior
• Superficial
• System
• Tissues
• Topographical Anatomy
• Transverse (cross)
• Ventral
• Visceral