Anatomy and Physiology Lab #1

Everything covered in Lab #1, 8/26/2026

Anatomical Position

Palms facing forward, feet slightly apart.

Anterior (Ventral)

FRONT of the body

Posterior (Dorsal)

BACK of the body

Superior (Cranial, Cephalad)

Towards the HEAD

Inferior (Caudal)

Towards the LOWER part of the body

Proximal

CLOSER to the attachment point to the body

Distal

Farther away from the attachment point to the body

Lateral

AWAY from the midline of the body

Medial

TOWARD the midline of the body

Superficial

TOWARD the surface of the body

Deep

AWAY from the surface of the body

Mid-Sagittal Plane

Equal right and left

Para-Sagittal Plane

Unequal right and left

Frontal (Coronal) Plane

Anterior and Posterior

Transverse Plane

Superior and Inferior

Dorsal Body Cavity- What are the subdivisions?

Cranial: Contains the brain

Vertebral: Contains the spinal cord

Thoracic Cavity (Ventral Body Cavity) - and Subdivisions

a) Thoracic Cavity (Above the Diaphragm)

Pleural- Lungs

Pericardial- Heart

Superior Mediastinal- Aorta and Large Vessels

Abodminopelvic Cavity (Below the Diaphragm)

Abdominal- Contain intestines, liver, stomach, etc

Pelvic- Contains urinary bladder, ureters

Abdominal Quadrants

Right Upper Quadrant- RUQ

Left Upper Quadrant- LUQ

Right Lower Quadrant- RLQ

Left Lower Quadrant- LLQ

Interphase

The period of growth, cell maintenance and preparation for mitosis. Cells increase in cell size, preparation for cell division, DNA is replicated

Mitosis

The period of cell division

Early Prophase

Chromatin begins to condense into distinct chromosomes, each one formed by a pair of sister chromatids attached by a centromere. The nuclear envelope is disintegrating but still typically visible.