Human Anatomy Lecture 1

Descriptive Anatomic Terms

• Anatomy is the science of the structure and function of the body.
• 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.

Terms Related to Position

• Descriptions of the human body are based on the anatomic position, with the person standing erect, with upper limbs by the sides and face and palms of the hands directed forward.
• The median sagittal plane is a vertical plane passing through the center of the body, dividing it into equal right and left halves.
• Paramedian planes are planes situated to one side of the median plane and parallel to it.
• A structure situated nearer to the median plane than another is said to be medial to the other.
• A structure that lies farther away from the median plane than another is said to be lateral to the other.
• Coronal planes are imaginary vertical planes at right angles to the median plane.
• Horizontal or transverse planes are at right angles to both the median and coronal planes.
• The terms anterior and posterior are used to indicate the front and back of the body, respectively.
• The terms palmar and dorsal surfaces are used in place of anterior and posterior in describing the hand.
• The terms plantar and dorsal surfaces are used instead of lower and upper surfaces in describing the foot.

Terms Related to Movement

• A site where two or more bones come together is known as a joint.
• Flexion is a movement that takes place in a sagittal plane, approximating the anterior surface of one part to the anterior surface of another.
• Extension means straightening the joint and usually takes place in a posterior direction.
• Lateral flexion is a movement of the trunk in the coronal plane.
• Abduction is a movement of a limb away from the midline of the body in the coronal plane.
• Adduction is a movement of a limb toward the body in the coronal plane.
• Rotation is the term applied to the movement of a part of the body around its long axis.

Introduction to human anatomy, covering the study of the body's structure and function, and its relation to medicine and health sciences.