An Introduction to the Human Body - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering levels of structural organization, homeostasis, feedback mechanisms, directional terms, planes, and body cavities.

Anatomy

The study of body structures and the relationships among them.

Physiology

The study of how body parts function.

Chemical level

The structural level of organization comprising atoms, molecules, and organelles.

Cellular level

The structural level of organization comprised of individual single cells, the basic structural and functional units of an organism.

Tissue level

The structural level of organization consisting of groups of similar cells that work together to perform a specific function.

Organ level

The structural level of organization composed of structures containing two or more different types of tissues with specific functions.

Organ system level

The structural level of organization consisting of related organs that work closely together to perform common functions.

Organismal level

The highest structural level of organization, where all organ systems combine to make up the whole living organism.

Homeostasis

A condition of equilibrium, or balance, in the body's internal environment.

Extracellular fluid

The fluid surrounding body cells upon which precise chemical regulation and cell survival depend.

Negative feedback system

A homeostatic mechanism that reverses a change in a controlled condition to return the variable to normal levels.

Positive feedback system

A homeostatic mechanism that strengthens or reinforces a change in a controlled condition until interrupted by an external event.

Anatomical position

A standardized body position where the subject stands upright facing forward, feet flat on the floor, arms at sides, palms turned forward (supinated), and eyes facing forward.

Prone position

A body position in which the body is lying facedown.

Supine position

A body position in which the body is lying faceup.

Axial division

A major body region division consisting of the head, neck, and trunk.

Appendicular division

A major body region division consisting of the upper and lower limbs (arms and legs).

Superior

Directional term meaning toward the head, or the upper part of a structure.

Inferior

Directional term meaning away from the head, or the lower part of a structure.

Anterior

Directional term meaning nearer to or at the front of the body.

Posterior

Directional term meaning nearer to or at the back of the body.

Medial

Directional term meaning nearer to the midline (an imaginary vertical line dividing the body into equal right and left sides).

Lateral

Directional term meaning farther from the midline.

Intermediate

Directional term meaning between two structures.

Proximal

Directional term meaning nearer to the attachment of a limb to the trunk or nearer to the origination of a structure.

Distal

Directional term meaning farther from the attachment of a limb to the trunk or farther from the origination of a structure.

Sagittal plane

A plane that divides the body vertically into right and left parts.

Midsagittal plane

A vertical plane passing directly through the midline that divides the body into equal right and left sides; also called median plane.

Parasagittal plane

A vertical plane off-centered from the midline that divides the body into unequal right and left sides.

Coronal plane

A plane that divides the body vertically into anterior (front) and posterior (back) parts; also called frontal plane.

Transverse plane

A horizontal plane dividing the body at a $90^\text{o}$ angle to vertical planes into superior (top) and inferior (bottom) parts.

Oblique section

A cut or section resulting from a plane made at an angle other than $90^\text{o}$ to a vertical plane.

Dorsal body cavity

The body cavity that houses the brain and spinal cord.

Ventral body cavity

The body cavity housing internal organs (viscera), subdivided by the diaphragm into thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

Viscera

The internal organs contained within the body cavities.

Serous membranes

Thin, double-layered membranes covering the viscera and lining body cavity walls to reduce friction.

Pleural cavity

A potential space between the layers of the pleura surrounding a lung.

Pericardial cavity

A potential space between the layers of the pericardium surrounding the heart.

Mediastinum

The central portion of the thoracic cavity between the lungs, extending from the sternum to the vertebral column and from the first rib to the diaphragm.

Abdominal cavity

Subdivision of the abdominopelvic cavity containing the stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, and most of the large intestine.

Pelvic cavity

Subdivision of the abdominopelvic cavity containing the urinary bladder, portions of the large intestine, and internal organs of reproduction.

Aging

A normal process characterized by a progressive decline in the body's ability to restore homeostasis.