Organ Systems Overview and The Language of Anatomy

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing major body cavities, directional terms, body planes, and organ systems covered in Week 1 Laboratory Exercises 1 and 2.

Dorsal Body Cavity

A major body cavity that encloses the cranial cavity (containing the brain) and the vertebral cavity (containing the spinal cord).

Cranial Cavity

brain

Vertebral Cavity

dorsal (back) cavity that contains the spinal cord.

Ventral Body Cavity

Thoracic Cavity

A subdivision of the ventral body cavity that includes the pleural cavities and pericardial cavity.

Pleural Cavities

thoracic cavity that contain the lungs.

Pericardial Cavity

A subdivision of the thoracic cavity that contains the heart.

Abdominopelvic Cavity

A subdivision of the ventral body cavity consisting of the abdominal cavity and pelvic cavity.

Abdominal Cavity

A subdivision of the abdominopelvic cavity that contains most digestive organs.

Pelvic Cavity

A subdivision of the abdominopelvic cavity that contains the urinary bladder, reproductive organs, and rectum.

Abdominopelvic Quadrants

The four subdivisions of the abdominopelvic cavity consisting of the Right upper quadrant, Left upper quadrant, Right lower quadrant, and Left lower quadrant.

Superior / Inferior

Directional terms used in human anatomy to describe locations above (superior) or below (inferior).

Cranial (cephalad) / Caudal

Directional terms referring to toward the head or upper body (cranial/cephalad) or toward the tail or lower body (caudal).

Anterior / Posterior

Directional terms referring to the front (anterior) or back (posterior) of the body.

Ventral / Dorsal

Directional terms referring to the belly side (ventral) or back side (dorsal) of the body.

Medial / Lateral

Directional terms referring to toward the midline (medial) or away from the midline (lateral).

Proximal / Distal

Directional terms referring to closer to (proximal) or farther from (distal) the trunk or point of attachment.

Superficial (external) / Deep (internal)

Directional terms referring to toward or at the body surface (superficial/external) or away from the body surface/more internal (deep/internal).

Median (midsagittal) Plane

A body plane used to make sections dividing the body or its organs into equal right and left parts.

Frontal Plane

A body plane used to make sections dividing the body or its organs into anterior and posterior parts.

Transverse Plane

A body plane used to make sections dividing the body or its organs into superior and inferior parts.

11 Human Organ Systems

Integumentary, Skeletal, Muscular, Nervous, Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Lymphatic, Respiratory, Digestive, Urinary, and Reproductive systems.

Torso Model Reproductive Organs Note

A specific note indicating that reproductive organs are not shown on the torso model.