GA Intro
• Anatomy is the science of the structure and
function of the body.
• Clinical anatomy is the study of the macroscopic
structure and function of the body as it relates to the
practice of medicine and other health sciences.
• Basic anatomy is the study of the minimal amount of
anatomy consistent with the understanding of the
overall structure and function of the body.
Skin
• Layers of the Skin:
• Epidermis: Outer, protective layer
• Dermis: Middle layer containing blood vessels, nerves,
and glands
• Superficial fascia (hypodermis or subcutaneous
tissue): Deepest layer, composed of fat and connective
tissue
• Appendages of the skin:
• Nails: keratinized plates on the dorsal surfaces of the tips
of the fingers and toes
• Hair follicles: invaginations of the epidermis into the
dermis
• Sebaceous glands: pour their secretion, the sebum, onto
the shafts of the hairs as they pass up through the necks of
the follicles. They are situated on the sloping undersurface
of the follicles and lie within the dermis
• Sweat glands: are long, spiral, tubular glands distributed
over the surface of the body, except on the red margins of
the lips, the nail beds, and the glans penis and clitoris
• Types of Fasciae:
• Superficial Fascia (hypodermis or subcutaneous
tissue): Lies just below the skin; contains adipose (fat)
and connective tissue
• Deep Fascia: Dense connective tissue that surrounds
muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels
• In the region of joints, the deep fascia may be considerably thickened
to form restraining bands called retinacula. Their function is to hold
underlying tendons in position or to serve as pulleys around which the
tendons may move.
• Skeletal Muscle: Voluntary muscles attached to bones;
responsible for movement
• Cardiac Muscle: Involuntary muscle found in the heart;
responsible for pumping blood
• Smooth Muscle: Involuntary muscle found in walls of
internal organs; responsible for various functions such as
digestion
Skeletal Muscle
• Attachments:
• Origin: moves the least
• Insertion: moves the most
• Parts:
• Belly: fleshy part of the muscle
• Tendons: cords of fibrous tissue that attaches the ends of a muscle
to bones, cartilage, or ligaments
• Aponeurosis: a thin but strong sheet of fibrous tissue that attaches
flattened muscles
• Raphe: is an interdigitation of the tendinous ends of fibers of flat
muscls
Joints
• Types of Joints:
• Fibrous Joints: Immovable joints connected by fibrous
tissue (e.g., sutures in the skull)
• Cartilaginous Joints: Slightly movable joints connected by
cartilage (e.g., intervertebral discs)
• Synovial Joints: Freely movable joints with a synovial cavity
(e.g., knee, shoulder)
Stability of Joints
• Articular Surfaces: bone shape plays an important role in
joint stability
• Ligaments:
• Fibrous ligaments prevent excessive movement in a joint, but if the
stress is continued for an excessively long period, then fibrous
ligaments stretch.
• Elastic ligaments, conversely, return to their original length after
stretching.
• Muscle Tone: Without the action of muscles, very little force
would be required to dislocate this joint.
Nerve Supply of Joints
• The capsule and ligaments receive an abundant
sensory nerve supply. A sensory nerve supplying a
joint also supplies the muscles moving the joint and
the skin overlying the insertions of these muscles, a
fact that has been codified as Hilton’s law
Ligaments, Bursae, Synovial Sheath
• Ligaments:
• Connect bone to bone
• Provide joint stability and limit movement
•Bursae:
• Fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between moving
structures
• Located between bones and tendons/muscles
• Synovial Sheath:
• Double-layered tubular structure surrounding tendons
• Facilitates smooth tendon movement
• Arteries: Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart
• Veins: Carry deoxygenated blood toward the heart
• Capillaries: Tiny blood vessels where exchange of
substances occurs between blood and tissues
Lymphatic Tissues: a type of connective tissue that
• contains large numbers of lymphocytes.
• Lymph Vessels: Transport lymph, a fluid containing white
blood cells and other immune components
• Lymph Nodes: Filter lymph and house lymphocytes that
fight infection
• Lymph: Fluid that circulates through the lymphatic system
•Central Nervous System:
• composed of large numbers of nerve cells and their
processes, supported by specialized tissue called
neuroglia
• Neuron is the term given to the nerve cell and all its
processes
• Dendrites: the short processes of the cell body
• Axon: the longest process of the cell body
• Interior:
• Gray matter consists of nerve cells embedded in neuroglia.
• White matter consists of nerve fibers (axons) embedded in
neuroglia.
• Peripheral Nervous System:
• Cranial Nerves: 12 pairs of nerves that leave the brain and
pass through foramina in the skull
• Spinal Nerves: 31 pairs of nerves leave the spinal cord and
pass through intervertebral foramina in the vertebral
column
• 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal
• In the upper cervical region, the spinal nerve roots are short and
run almost horizontally, but the roots of the lumbar and sacral
nerves below the level of the termination of the cord form a
vertical bundle of nerves that resembles a horse’s tail and is
called the cauda equina
• Spinal Nerve Roots:
• Anterior root: consists of bundles of nerve fibers carrying
nerve impulses away from the central nervous system;
also called efferent fibers; go to skeletal muscle and
cause them to contract are called motor fibers.
• Posterior root: consists of bundles of nerve fibers that
carry impulses to the central nervous system; also called
afferent fiber; concerned with conveying information
about sensations of touch, pain, temperature, and
vibrations; also called sensory fibers.
• The cell bodies of these nerve fibers are situated in a swelling
on the posterior root called the posterior root ganglion
Plexuses:
• Cervical plexus
• Brachial plexus
• Lumbar plexus
• Sacral plexus
•Mucous Membranes:
• Line body cavities that open to the exterior (e.g.,
respiratory, digestive, and urogenital tracts)
• Secrete mucus to protect and lubricate surfaces
• Serous Membranes:
• Line body cavities not open to the exterior (e.g., thoracic
and abdominal cavities)
• Secrete serous fluid to reduce friction between organs
Bone
•is a living tissue capable of changing its structure as
the result of the stresses to which it is subjected. Like
other connective tissues, bone consists of cells,
fibers, and matrix.
• Forms:
• Compact: appears as a solid mass
• Cancellous: consists of a branching network of trabeculae
Bone Marrow
• Bone marrow occupies the marrow cavity in long and short
bones and the interstices of the cancellous bone in flat and
irregular bones.
• All bone surfaces, other than the articulating surfaces, are
covered by a thick layer of fibrous tissue called the
periosteum. The periosteum has an abundant vascular
supply, and the cells on its deeper surface are osteogenic.
Cartilage
• a form of connective tissue in which the cells and fibers are
embedded in a gel-like matrix, the latter being responsible for
its firmness and resilience. Except on the exposed surfaces in
joints, a fibrous membrane called the perichondrium covers
the cartilage.
Hyaline cartilage: has a great resistance to wear and
covers the articular surfaces of nearly all synovial joints
• Fibrocartilage: has many collagen fibers embedded in a
small amount of matrix and is found in the discs within
joints (e.g., the temporomandibular joint, sternoclavicular
joint, and knee joint) and on the articular surfaces of the
clavicle and mandible.
• Elastic cartilage: flexible and is found in the auricle of the
ear, the external auditory meatus, the auditory tube, and
the epiglottis.
• Sex Differences:
• Adult male tends to be taller than the adult female and to have longer
legs; his bones are bigger and heavier, and his muscles are larger
• Adult female has more subcutaneous fat and fat accumulations in the
breasts, buttocks, and thighs, giving her a more rounded appearance
• Racial Differences:
• seen in the color of the skin, hair, and eyes and in the shape and size of
the eyes, nose, and lips
• Age-Related Changes:
• After birth and during childhood, the bodily functions become
progressively more efficient, reaching their maximum degree of
efficiency during young adulthood. During late adulthood and old age,
many bodily functions become less efficient