Introduction to Anatomy First Lecture

Overview of Anatomy and Physiology

• Anatomy is the study of the structure and shape of the body and its parts and their relationships to one another.
• Physiology is the study of how the body and its parts work or function.

Levels of Organization

• Chemical level: the simplest level, where atoms combine to form molecules like water, sugar, and proteins.
• Cellular level: formed by association of molecules to form microscopic cells, the smallest units of living things.
• Tissue level: groups of similar cells that have a common function.
• Organ level: a structure composed of two or more tissue types that performs a specific function for the body.
• Organ system level: a group of organs that work together to accomplish a common purpose.
• Organismal level: the highest level, representing the sum total of all structural levels working together to keep us alive.

Anatomical Position

• Standing upright with the head, gaze, and toes directed anteriorly (forward).
• Arms adjacent to the sides with the palms facing anteriorly.
• Lower limbs close together with the feet parallel.

Anatomical Planes

• Median plane (median sagittal plane): a vertical anteroposterior plane passing through the midlines of the head, neck, and trunk.
• Sagittal planes: vertical planes passing through the body parallel to the median plane.
• Frontal (coronal) planes: vertical planes passing through the body at right angles to the median plane.
• Transverse planes: horizontal planes passing through the body at right angles to the median and frontal planes.

Anatomical Sections

• Sagittal section: a cut along the lengthwise plane, dividing the body into right and left parts.
• Median (midsagittal) section: a cut down the median plane, dividing the body into equal right and left parts.
• Transverse section: a cut along a horizontal plane, dividing the body or organ into superior and inferior parts.
• Frontal section: a cut along a lengthwise plane, dividing the body or organ into anterior and posterior parts.

Directional Terms

• Cranial: toward the head or cranium.
• Caudal: toward the feet or tail region.

Body Region Terms

• Body cavities: dorsal and ventral body cavities that provide different degrees of protection to the organs within them.
• Dorsal body cavities:
  • Cranial cavity: the space inside the bony skull, protecting the brain.
  • Spinal cavity: extends from the cranial cavity to the end of the spinal cord, protecting the spinal cord.

This quiz covers the basics of anatomy, including the study of the structure and shape of the body, levels of organization, anatomical position, and directional terms. It's the first lecture in the first stage of an anatomy course.