Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology - Medical Terminology Notes

**Week 1 (Part 1) - Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology** [Medical terminology ] Think about what you know about the human body...is it a lot? What do you know about your body and how it works? Do all bodies work the same? Before we even get started with learning about anatomy, we need to lear...

**Week 1 (Part 1) - Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology** [Medical terminology ] Think about what you know about the human body...is it a lot? What do you know about your body and how it works? Do all bodies work the same? Before we even get started with learning about anatomy, we need to learn the basics. But what are the basics? The basics = medical terminology. Yes, I know we are not going to be doctors, but the terms that are used in all health sciences are the same. Terms: A. **Human anatomy** - Is the study of body structures. B. **Physiology** - Is the study of how the body structures work. Why do we study anatomy and physiology together? C. **Pathology** - Study of disease - Disease is anything that upsets the normal structure or function of body structures Medical terminology Why is it important to understand medical terminology when studying anatomy and physiology? Medical terminology is more than simply the names of the different structures in the body. Medical terminology can actually be quite confusing as it is composed of words and terms that come from different language origins (mostly Latin). These words are a combination of *prefix, word root and suffix.* But what does this mean? It really means that if you understand what the different parts mean then you can figure out the meaning of the whole term. Ok, so let's start off by looking at some basic WORD ROOTS. This is the really the foundation of the medical term. **Word root/connecting vowel** **Meaning** -------------------------------- ------------- Abdomin/o Abdomen Angi/o Vessel Arthr/o Joint Cardi/o Cyan/o Cyt/o Cell Derm/o Erythr/o Red Gastr/o Hepat/o Mamm/o Breast Nephr/o Neur/o Oste/o Phag/o To swallow Try putting some of these terms together, does it make a word you have heard of before? [The Human Body ] **The Anatomical Position** All anatomical structures are named based on the anatomical position Can you define each of these directional terms? - Anterior - Posterior - Distal - Proximal - Medial - Lateral - Superior - Inferior - External - Internal - Superficial - Deep - Central - Peripheral **Body Planes** There are different body planes that are used to divide the body. A plane is really an imaginary line that we use to separate the body into different sections. A. The *transverse plane* divides the body into inferior and superior portions. This is a horizontal line. B. The *median plane* divides the body into right and left portions. This is a line that goes straight up and down through the belly button. C. The *frontal plane* divides the body into anterior and posterior portions. Remember, it is important to know how the directional terms relate to the different body planes. **Body cavities** A body cavity is a space that protects the organs and structures inside. Can you name some organs that inside each of these cavities? - Thoracic cavity - Abdominopelvic cavity - Cranial cavity - Pleural cavity - Pericardial cavity References: Wilk, M.J., Sorrentino, S. & Remmert, L.N.. (2022). Sorrentino\'s Canadian textbook for the Support Worker (5th Cdn ed.). Elsevier: Toronto