Anatomical Terminology

• Anatomy - The branch of science dealing with the study of the structure of the body

• Subdivisions of Anatomy

  • Cytology - Examines specific cells

  • Histology - study of tissues

  • Regional - studies specific body regions

  • Systemic - examines specific organ systems

  • Pathology - Studies changes associated with diseases

  • Gross - studies anatomical features observable with a naked eye

  • Topographical - studies layering structure of anatomical regions

• Anatomical Position - Body is erect, or in standing posture, with the arms at the sides and palms turned forward; head and feet pointed forward; feet are aligned at the toe and slightly set apart

• Directional Terminology

  • Superior - Toward the top of the head

  • Anterior - Before or in front of; refers to the front side

  • Medial - Pertaining to the middle or towards the median

  • Inferior - Beneath, lower; the undersurface of things

  • Posterior - Behind or in the back of (remember the megan thee stallion song)

  • Lateral - pertaining to the side of the body; away from the medial plane

  • Proximal - Nearest to the point of attachment of a limb to the trunk of the body

  • Distal - farther away from the point of attachment of from the trunk

  • Internal - within the body

  • External - pertaining to the exterior

  • Parietal - pertaining to, forming, the wall of a cavity

  • Visceral - pertaining to the internal organs contained within a cavity (think of the viscera bag)

  • Peripheral - located at, pertaining to, the outer surface of the body

  • Central - situated at or pertaining to a center or center point

  • Supine - Body is lying face upward

  • Prone - body is lying face down

  • Perpendicular - at right angles to another surface

  • Superficial - pertaining to or situated near the surface of the body or body part

  • Deep - below the surface, or toward the central part of a structure

• Body Planes

  • Bilateral Symmetry - the medial line along the middle of the body divides the body into to similar halves

  • Section - a cut of the body being divided by an imaginary flat plane

    • Sagittal - vertical plane, divides the body into right and left halves

    • Transverse - horizontal plane dividing the body into upper and lower halves

    • Midsagittal - sagittal plane that divides the body into equal right and left halves

    • Frontal - vertical plane dividing the body into front and back

Levels of Organization

• Systems - A group of organs arranged for the performance of a specific function

• Organs - A group of several different kinds of tissues arranged in ways that allow them to act as a unit to perform a special function

• Tissues - an organization of many cells that act together to perform a common function

  • Epithelial - Tissue lining the body surfaces

  • Connective - tissue that provides structural and functional support

  • Muscular - tissues that shorten and contracts to create movement

  • Nervous - tissues that make up the nervous system

• Cells - basic building blocks of all living organisms

• Accessory (Auxiliary) structure - applied to lesser structure that resembles a similar organ in structure and function, such as the accessory pancreatic duct

Body Walls and Cavities

• Body Walls - Surround a cavity

• Body Cavities - Opens spaces that contain internal organs

  • Dorsal Cavities - House organs of the central nervous system

    • Cranial Cavity - space inside the skull that contains the brain

    • Spinal Cavity - Space inside the vertebral column containing the spinal cord

  • Ventral (Thoracic) Cavities - Anterior Cavity separated by the diaphragm

    • Mediastinum - midsection of the thoracic cavity

    • Pleural - contains the lungs

    • Pericardial - contains the heart

  • Abdominopelvic Cavity - Lower anterior cavity

    • Abdominal - Contains the liver, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, pancreas, small intestine, and parts of the large intestine

    • Pelvic - contains lower colon, rectum, urinary bladder and reproductive organs

Body Regions

• Head and Neck (Cervical) - Head is divided into the cranium and face

• Trunk - Divided into the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis

• Upper Extremities - Arms and pectoral girdle

• Lower Extremities - legs and pelvic girdle

Integumentary System

Dermatology – the study of skin
Integumentary – relating to the outer surface of a structure, i.e. the skin and its components
Overview

• Integument is made up of the skin and the connective tissues beneath it

• Skin is a cutaneous membrane that forms a sheetlike covering

• A layer of fat beneath the skin supplies nutrients, cushions the body, and connects skin to muscle and deeper layers (hypodermis or subcutaneous tissue)

Functions

• Protection – first line of defense against microbes and other hazards

• Temperature – sweat secretions, blood vessel dilation, and contraction

• Excretion – sweat & evaporation

• Vitamin D synthesis – via exposure to UV light

• Sense organ activity – nerve endings send signals to the brain

  • Layers of the Skin
    Epidermis – outermost layer of the skin

    • 5 tightly packed layers
      • Outermost layer – stratum corneum
      • Dermis + epidermis meet at dermal-epidermal junction
      • Melanocytes produce melanin in the deepest layer of the epidermis

    • Dermis – deeper layer of the skin
      • Made up of mostly connective tissue
      • Contains lots of blood vessels
      • Collagen and other fibers help to keep the skin elastic and strong
      • Contains two main layers

    • Hypodermis – the deepest layer of the skin

    • Stores energy and connects the dermis to the muscles and bones
      • Mostly adipose tissue
      • contains nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels

• Accessory structures

  • Hair

    • Hair stems from pocket-like structures called follicles

    • Lips, Palms, and Soles are completely hairless

    • Arrector pili are tiny involuntary muscles

  • Nails

    • The nail body is the visible non-living portion

    • The cuticle hides root

    • Lunula is a crescent-shaped portion near the root end

• Glands - a secretory organs or structure that can manufacture a secretion

• Sudoriferos glands are sweat glands

  • Eccrine glands are distributed around the entire body

    • Secrete sweat

  • Apocrine glands are found in the axilla and around the genitals

    • Secrete a thicker solution

• Sebaceous glands are sebum glands (think of ear cheese)

  • Secrete sebum
    • Sebum is an oil that lubricates hair and skin
    • Present anywhere that hair grows
    • Attached to hair follicles