Anatomy Directional Terms Quiz

Anatomical Position

• Body is erect, facing forward, palms facing forward.

Directional Terms

• Superior: Towards the head (e.g., nose is superior to mouth).
• Inferior: Towards the feet (e.g., mouth is inferior to nose).
• Anterior (Ventral): Towards the front (e.g., eyes are anterior to brain).
• Posterior (Dorsal): Towards the back (e.g., brain is posterior to eyes).
• Medial: Towards the midline of the body (e.g., nose is medial to ears).
• Lateral: Towards the sides of the body (e.g., ears are lateral to nose).
• Superficial: Towards the surface (e.g., skin is superficial to bones).
• Deep: Away from the surface (e.g., bones are deep to skin).
• Proximal: Closer to the point of attachment to the body (applies only to limbs). (e.g., knee is proximal to foot).
• Distal: Farther away from the point of attachment to the body (applies only to limbs). (e.g., wrist is distal to the shoulder).

Other Anatomical Terms

• Visceral: Relating to internal organs.
• Parietal: Relating to the lining of a body cavity.

Body Sections

• Sagittal: Lengthwise cut dividing the body into right and left parts.
• Midsagittal: Lengthwise cut dividing the body into equal right and left halves.
• Transverse: Horizontal cut dividing the body into upper and lower parts.
• Frontal (Coronal): Cut dividing the body into anterior and posterior parts.

Body Cavities

• Dorsal Cavity:

  • Cranial Cavity: Contains the brain.
  • Spinal Cavity: Contains the spinal cord.

• Ventral Cavity:

  • Thoracic Cavity: Contains the heart and lungs.
  • Abdominopelvic Cavity:
    • Abdominal Cavity: Contains the intestines, stomach, liver, etc.
    • Pelvic Cavity: Contains excretory and reproductive organs.