Intro & Terminology

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Anatomical position - hands at sides, palms forward, feet slightly apart

Body Planes:

Sagittal: divides body parts into left and right parts (sagittal is side and side)

Frontal/coronal: divides body into anterior and posterior parts (frontal is front to back)

Transverse: divides the body into superior and inferior parts (transverse is top and bottom)

Body cavities - major divisions

Dorsal: back of the body (dorsal fin is out of a shark's back)

• 2 sub cavities:

  • Cranial/cranium (where the brain is; skull)

  • Vertebral (vertebrae or spinal cord is housed)

Ventral: front of the body, larger cavity, contains visceral/vital organs

• 2 sub cavities:

  • Thoracic(superior; front top)

    • Pleura (lungs)

    • Mediastinum (around heart)

    • Pericardial (on/surrounds heart)

  • Abdominopelvic (down from breast bone to pelvic region; front bottom)

    • Abdominal cavity (contains most digestive system organs)

    • Pelvic cavity(contains most reproductive organs)

Directional terms:

Medial: toward the middle

Lateral: toward the side

Anterior: front of the body

Posterior: back of the body

Ventral: the front of body; belly side (for humans, same as anterior)

Dorsal: back of the body; back side (for humans, same as posteriors)

Superior: towards the head

Inferior: toward the feet

Proximal: toward the body trunk/toward the point of attachment

Distal: away from body trunk/away from point of attachment

Ipsilateral: same side

Contralateral: opposite sides (contradicts is not the same page)

Superficial: toward the skin/closer to the surface

Deep: toward the inside/further from the surface