HSA Midterm Review

Anterior (ventral)

Front of body

Posterior (dorsal)

Back of the body

Superior (cranial)

Position above or higher than another part of the body

Inferior

position below or lower regarding another body part

Lateral

Side or direction towards the side of the body

Medial

Towards the middle of the body → ←

Proximal

position in a limb that is nearer to the point of attachment or the trunk of the body.

Distal

a position in a limb that is farther from the point of attachment or the trunk of the body

Superficial

position closer to the surface of the body

Deep

position farther from the surface of the body

Sagittal (medial) plane

Divides vertically into right and left sides

Frontal plane

Divides into front (anterior) and back (posterior)

Transverse (cross-sections)

Divides horizontally into upper and lower portions

Posterior dorsal cavity

Located at the back of the upper trunk of the body which contains the brain and spine.

Cranial Cavity

Houses the brain

Spinal cavity

houses spinal cord

Anterior (ventral) Cavity

Divided by the diaphragm and contains the heart and lungs, on the lower part of the diaphragm contains all the digestive, reproductive, and urinary organs.

Thoracic cavity

Enclosed by the rib cage and contains the heart and lungs. The diaphragm form the floor of this. Above abdominopelvic

Abdominopelvic cavity

largest cavity in the body; contains digestive organs, pelvic cavity & reproductive organs.

Connective Membrane

Ex. Synovial membrane; makes synovial fluid to lubricate between bones. Over age and use, it wears down, found in joints.

Epithelial membrane

Cutaneous, Ex. Skin, Mucous, and Serous.

Mucous Membranes

Make mucus, usually found in the mouth, nose, throat, lung, stomach, intestines, urethra, vagina, penis, and cervix.

Serous membrane

Found in the pericardium (heart), plera (lungs), and the Peritoneum (abdomen); has an inner visceral layer and an outside parietal layer. Always found inside the body.

Combining Form

Joint of a word root usually a or o

Intra

Suffix that means within

Ven/o

Combing form that means vein

-ous

suffix that means pertaining to

Rule one of building medical terms

1. When combining two combining forms, you keep the combining form vowel.

Rule two of building medical terms

When combining a combining form with a suffix that begins with a consonant, you keep the combining form vowel

Rule 3 of building a medical term

When combining a combining form with a suffix that begins with a vowel, you drop the combining form vowel.

Rule 4 of building a medical term

A prefix goes at the beginning of the word and no combining form vowel is used.

Rule 5 of building a medical term

When defining a medical word, start with the suffix first and then work left to right stating the word parts. You may need to add filler words. As long as the filler word does not change the meaning of the word you may use it for the purpose of building a medical vocabulary. Once you start to apply the word in the context of a sentence it will be easier to decide which filler word(s) to choose.

Prefix’s

located at the beginning of a medical term. alters the meaning of the medical term. It is important to spell and pronounce correctly.

A-, An-

Without; Lacking. Ex. Anemia

Dys-

Difficult; Abnormal. Dyspnea

Idio-

Self; One’s own; Ex. Idiopathic

Lyso-, Lys-

Break down; Destruction; Dissolving. Ex. Lysosome

Somat/o-, Somatico-

Body; Bodily. Ex. Somatic cell

Chol-

Bile. Ex. Cholesterol

Coron-

Heart. Ex. Coronary arteries

Cutane-

Skin. Ex. Cutaneou

Kerat/o-

Corena (eye or skin). Ex. Keratin

Duoden/o-

Duodenum. Ex. Duodenitis

Neur/i-, Neur/o-

Nerve. Ex. Neuron

Radio-

Radiation; Radius. Ex. Radioisotopes

Salping/o-

Tube. Ex. Salpingo-oophorectomy

Tympan/o-

Eardrum. Ex. Tympanic membrane

Vertbr-

Vertebra; Spine. Ex. Vertebral column

Chrom-, Chromato-

Color. Ex. Chromosome

Melan/o-

Black. Ex. Melanin

Ab-, Abs-

Away from. Ex. Abductor

Ante-

Before; Forward. Ex. Antenatal

Meta-

Beyond; Change. Ex. Metabolism

Retro-

Backward; Behind. Ex. Retroperitoneum

Sy-, Syl-, Sym-, Syn-, Sys-

Together. Ex. Syndrome

Eponyms

Named after researchers
-can’t be broken down

Brady-

Slow. Ex. Bradycardi

Diplo-

Double. Ex. Diploid

Olig/o-

Few; Little. Ex. Oliguria

Suffixes

word parts that are located at the end of words. It can alter the meaning of medical terms. It is important to spell and pronounce suffixes correctly.

-dynia

Pain; Swelling. Ex. Thoracodynia

-lysis, -lytic

Break down; Destruction; Dissolving. Ex. Osteolyti

-phagia, -phagy

Eating; Swallowing. Ex. Dysphagia

-plegia

Paralysis. Ex. Hemiplegia

-sclerosis

Hardening. Ex. Arteriosclerosis

-trophy

Growth. Ex. Hypertrophy

-gram

Record; Picture. Ex. Electrocardiogram

-graph

Instrument used to create a record or picture. Ex. Electrocardiograph

-opsy

Visual examination. Ex. Biopsy

-graphy

To record or take a picture. Ex. Echocardiography

Molecules

The chemical building blocks of all body structures.

Integumentary System

-encloses internal Body structures
Site of many sensory receptors

Skeletal System

supports the body
Enables movement (with muscular system)

Muscular system

Enables movement (with skeletal system)
Helps maintain body temperature

nervous system

-detects and processes sensory
Activates bodily responses

Endocrine System

secretes hormones
Regulates body processes

Cardiovascular System

Delivers oxygen and nutrients to tissues
Equalizes temperature in the body

Lymphatic System

Returns fluid to blood
Defends against pathogens

Respiratory System

Removes carbon dioxide from the body
Delivers oxygen to blood

Digestive System

Processes food for use by the body
Removes wastes from undigested food

Urinary System

Controls water balance in the body
Removes wastes from blood and excretes them

Male reproductive system

Produces sex hormones and gametes
Delivers gates to femlae

Female Reproductive System

Produces sex hormones
Supports embryo/fetus until birth
Produces milk for infant

Tissue Membrane

A tissue membrane is a thin layer or sheet of cells that covers the outside of the body (for example, skin), the organs (for
example, pericardium), internal passageways that lead to the exterior of the body (for example, abdominal mesenteries),
and the lining of the movable joint cavities. There are two basic types: connective tissue and epithelial membranes.

lamina propria

(literally “own layer”), helps support the fragile
epithelial layer. Part of the mucous membrane.

Parietal layers

line the walls of the body cavity.

Visceral layer

covers the organs (the viscera).
• Between the parietal and visceral layers is a very thin, fluid-filled serous space.

Three serous cavities

Pleura, Pericardium, Peritoneum

Pleura

surrounds the lungs in the pleural cavity and reduces friction between the lungs and the body wall.

Pericardium

surrounds the heart in the pericardial cavity and reduces friction between the heart and the wall of the pericardium.

Peritoneum

surrounds several organs in the abdominopelvic cavity. The peritoneal cavity reduces friction between the abdominal and pelvic organs and the body wall.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

A colorless fluid produced by the brain that cushions the brain and spinal cord within the posterior (dorsal) cavity.

Coelomic

Cavities that do not open to the outside.

Connective tissue

Type of tissue that serves to hold in place, connect, and integrate the body’s organs and systems.

a-, an

absence of, without, no, not, negates meaning

endo

within, in

aur/o 
aur/i

ear

dacry/o

tear, tear duct

ir/o 
irid/o

Iris

kerat/o

cornea