ATI Science

Anatomy is the study of the structures of the body and Physiology is the study of how these structures work, or the function of the body.

Basic Concepts:

The human body can be divided into two basic sections. The axial section contains the head, neck, and trunk. The appendicular section contains the arms and legs, also known as the upper and lower extremities.

The body also contains hollow areas called cavities. There are 2 large cavities. One cavity is in the front part of the body and is called the ventral cavity. The other is in the back and is called the dorsal cavity. Both cavities can be subdivided into smaller cavities. The ventral cavity can be subdivided into the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities. The thoracic portion is in the chest area and the abdominopelvic portion is in the stomach area. The thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities are separated by a structure known as the diaphragm. The dorsal cavity can also be subdivided into 2 smaller cavities. One cavity is called the cranial cavity and is located in the head. The other is called the spinal canal and runs down the back. The cranial cavity contains the brain and the spinal canal contains the spinal cord.

There are also some smaller cavities in the body. These include:

  •  Oral (teeth, tongue)

  • Nasal (sinuses)

  • Orbital (eyes and associated muscles, nerves)

  • Middle ear (middle ear bones)

Anatomical Terminology

Now that we are a little familiar with the overview of the body, let’s get into some anatomical terminology. We’ll start with learning the anatomical terms for the parts of the body. In anatomy we always reference the body regarding anatomical position.

In anatomy body parts have special names that differ from common names. In other words, in anatomy the kneecap is called the patella. It will take some practice to get used to these anatomical terms.

Anatomical Regions

Common Term

Anatomical Term

Region

Foot

Pes

Pedal

Shin

Crus

Crural

Calf

Sura

Sural

Front of knee

Patella (knee cap)

Patellar

Back of knee

Popliteus

Popliteal

Thigh

Femoris

Femoral

Groin

Inguina

Inguinal

Butt

Buttock

Gluteal

Stomach

Abdomen

Abdominal

Low Back

Lumbus

Lumbar

Chest and Middle back

Thorax

Thoracic

Lateral chest

Pectorus

Pectoral

Middle chest

Sternum

Sternal

Neck

Cervicis

Cervical

Chin

Mentum

Mental

Head

Cephalon

Cephalic

Shoulder

Acromion

Acromial

Arm

Brachium

Brachial

Elbow (front)

Antecubitus

Antecubital

Elbow (back)

Olecranon

Olecranal

Wrist

Carpus

Carpal

Hand

Manus

Manual

Forearm

Antebrachium

Antebrachial

Positional Terms

We use positional terminology in order to specify locations of anatomical structures. The positional terms usually go in pairs. For example, superior and inferior go together. Superior means above and inferior means below. So, we could write a statement stating that


The head is superior to the chest or to be more specific—the cephalon is superior to the thorax.
and the reverse would also be true:
The thorax is inferior to the cephalon.

Here are some other terms:

Anterior means towards the front.
Posterior means towards the back.
Ex: the sternum is anterior to the heart…
OR the heart is posterior to the sternum.

Medial means toward the midline of the body.
Lateral means away from the midline.
Ex: The ears are lateral to the nose
The nose is medial to the ears.

Proximal means towards the trunk of the body.
Distal means away from the trunk.
Proximal and distal are usually used when describing structures in the extremities.
Ex: the elbow is proximal to the wrist.
The wrist is distal to the elbow.

Superficial means toward the surface.
Deep means under the surface.
Ex: the skin is superficial to the stomach.
The stomach is deep to the skin.

Ipsilateral means on the same side.
Contralateral means on the opposite side.
Ex: the right shoulder and elbow are ipsilateral.
The right shoulder and left elbow are contralateral.