Introduction to the Human Body Flashcards
Which branch of science studies the structure of the body?
Anatomy
Which branch of science describes what the heart looks like, how big it is, what it is made of, how it is organized, and where it is located?
Anatomy
What word comes from the Greek word meaning to dissect?
Anatomy
Which branch of science describes how the body functions?
Physiology
Which branch of science describes how the heart pumps blood and why the pumping of blood is essential for life?
Physiology
Which branch of science describes the consequences of the improper functioning of the body (i.e., how a body part functions when a person has a disease)?
Pathophysiology
Which branch of science describes what happens during a heart attack and when the heart functions poorly or not at all?
Pathophysiology
Levels of Organization
What term refers to the 12 groups of structures that perform specific functions, enabling the human body to operate as a coordinated whole?
Organ Systems
Which system consists of the skin and related structures, such as hair and nails?
Integumentary
Which system forms a covering for the body, helps to regulate body temperature, and contains some of the structures necessary for sensation?
Integumentary
Which system forms the basic framework of the body?
Skeletal
Which system consists primarily of bones, joints, and cartilage?
Skeletal
Which system protects and supports body organs and enables us to move around?
Skeletal
Which system produces most of the blood cells?
Skeletal
Which type of muscles are attach to the bones and are responsible for movement of the skeleton and the maintenance of body posture?
Skeletal
Which type of muscles are found in the heart and enable the heart to pump blood throughout the body?
Cardiac
Which type of muscles are found in various organs and tubes; contraction and relaxation of this muscle type helps move body fluid?
Smooth
Which system is made up of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and sense organs?
Nervous
Which type of nerves receive information from the environment and bring it to the spinal cord and brain, where it is interpreted?
Sensory
Which type of nerves transmit decisions made by the brain and spinal cord to various body structures to elicit a response, such as leg movement?
Motor
Which system includes our brain which, of course, thinks, emotes, remembers, reflects, integrates, creates, and performs all those higher-level functions that characterize the human brain?
Nervous
Which system contains numerous glands that secrete hormones and chemical substances that regulate body activities such as growth, reproduction, metabolism, and water balance?
Endocrine
Which system consists of the blood, heart, and blood vessels?
Circulatory
Which system pumps (heart) and transports (blood vessels) blood throughout the body?
Circulatory
What carries nutrients and oxygen to all the body’s cells and also carries the waste away from the cells to the organs of excretion?
Blood
Which system is made up of the lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, lymph, and other lymphatic organs?
Lymphatic
Which two structures play an important role in fluid balance and in the defense of the body against pathogens and other foreign material?
Lymph and Lymphatic Structures
Which system is an elaborate defense system that protects the body not only from pathogens, but also from allergens, such as pollens, bee venom, and some of our own cells that have gone awry (cancer cells)?
Immune
The immune system is widely distributed or throughout the body.
Which system contains the lungs and other structures that conduct air to and from the lungs?
Respiratory
What element is air rich in as it moves into the lungs?
Oxygen
Which element is picked up by the blood and distributed throughout the body?
Oxygen
Which compound is air rich in as it moves out of the lungs, thereby ridding the body of waste?
Carbon Dioxide
Which system plays a key role in the regulation of acid-base balance?
Respiratory
Which system is composed of organs designed to ingest and break down food into substances that can be absorbed by the body?
Digestive
Which system contains the kidneys and other structures that help excrete waste products from the body through the urine?
Urinary
Which system helps control the water, electrolyte, and acid-base balance in the body?
Urinary
Which system is made up of organs and structures that enable humans to reproduce?
Reproductive
Major Organ Systems of the Body
Major Organ Systems of the Body
What term literally means staying the same?
Homeostasis
Staying (stasis) the same (homeo).
What term refers to the body’s ability to maintain a stable internal environment in response to a changing environment?
Homeostasis
What is evident when a healthy person whose body temperature stays at approximately 98.6°F (37°C), even when room temperature increases to 100°F or decreases to 60°F?
Homeostasis
What is evident when the amount of water in the cells stays the same whether 2, 3, or 4 L of water is ingested per day?
Homeostasis
What is evident when blood sugar remains within normal limits whether you have just eaten a turkey dinner or have fasted for 6 hours?
Homeostasis
What are the mechanisms that help to maintain homeostasis?
Homeostatic Mechanisms
What is the cause of disease and/or dysfunction?
Homeostatic Imbalance
What terms describe the location, position, and regions of body parts?
Anatomical
Which position do healthcare providers assume the body is in when describing the location, position, and region of body parts?
Anatomical
Which position is the body in when it is standing erect, with the face forward, the arms at the sides, and the toes and palms of the hands directed forward?
Anatomical
Anatomical Position
What terms describe the position of one body part in relation to another body part?
Relative Positions
- These are directional terms.
What terminology, usually in pairs that are generally opposites, is used to locate body parts?
Relative Positions
What is the exclusive position the body must be in for relative position references to be valid?
Anatomical Position
___ means that a part is above another part or is closer to the head. For example, the head is ___ to the chest.
___ means that a part is located below another part or is closer to the feet. For example, the chest is ___ to the head.
Superior, superior
Inferior, inferior
___ means toward the front surface (the belly surface).
___ means toward the back surface.
For example, the heart is ___ to the spinal cord, but the heart is ___ to the breastbone.
Anterior
Posterior
anterior
posterior
What is ventral other word for?
Anterior
What is dorsal another word for?
Posterior
*Consider the dorsal fin of a shark.
What is the term for the imaginative line drawn through the middle of your body, dividing it into right and left halves?
Midline
___ means toward the midline of the body. For example, the nose is ___ to the ears.
___ means away from the midline of the body. For example, the ears are ___ to the nose.
In the anatomical position, the hand is closer to the ___ thigh than to the ___ thigh.
Medial, medial
Lateral, lateral
lateral
medial
___ means that the structure is nearer to the point of attachment, often the trunk of the body. Because the elbow is closer to the point of attachment than is the wrist, the elbow is described as ___ to the wrist. The wrist is ___ to the fingers, meaning that the wrist is closer to the trunk than are the fingers.
___ means that a part is farther away from the point of attachment than another part. For example, the wrist is ___ to the elbow, and the fingers are ___ to the wrist.
Proximal, proximal, proximal
Distal, distal, distal
___ means that a part is located on or near the surface of the body. The skin is ___ to the muscles.
___ means that the body part is away from the surface of the body. The bones, for example, are ___ to the skin.
Superficial, superficial
Deep, deep
___ means that the part is located in the center.
___ means away from the center.
For example, the heart is located ___, whereas the blood vessels are located (away from the center and extending toward the limbs).
The brain and spinal cord are called the ___ nervous system, and the nerves are called the ___ nervous system.
Central
Peripheral
centrally
peripherally
central
peripheral
What terms help to locate the left and ride sides of the body, top half of the body, or front of the body?
Planes of the Body
What divides the body with an imaginary line in one direction?
Planes of the Body
Which plane divides the body lengthwise into right and left portions?
Sagittal
Which division is represented when the cut is made exactly down the midline of the body with the right and left halves of the body being equal?
Midsagittal Section
Which plane divides the body into anterior (ventral) and posterior (dorsal) portions?
Frontal
Which plane creates the front part of the body and the back part of the body?
Frontal
Which plane is also called the coronal plane?
Frontal
Coronal means “crown,” so the imaginary line for the coronal plane is made across the part of the head where a crown would sit and then downward through the body.
Which plane divides the body horizontally, creating an upper (superior) and a lower (inferior) body?
Transverse
Which division is represented when the body or an organ is cut horizontally or transversely?
Cross Section
Planes of the Body
A) Sagittal
B) Frontal (Coronal)
C) Transverse
What specific terms describe the different regions or areas of the body?
Regional Terms
Anterior trunk just below the ribs:
Abdominal
(Anterior Surface)
Area in front of the elbow:
Antecubital
(Anterior Surface)
Armpit:
Axillary
(Anterior Surface)
Arm:
Brachial
(Anterior Surface)
Cheek area; cavity between the gum and cheek:
Buccal
(Anterior Surface)
Head:
Cephalic
(Anterior Surface)
Neck region:
Cervical
(Anterior Surface)
Nearer to the head:
Cranial
(Anterior Surface)
Fingers, toes:
Digital
(Anterior Surface)
Thigh area:
Femoral
(Anterior Surface)
Fleshy area along each side between the lower ribs and top of the hip bones:
Flank
(Anterior Surface)
Area where the thigh meets the trunk of the body; often called the groin:
Inguinal
(Anterior Surface)
Mouth:
Oral
(Anterior Surface)
Area around the eye:
Orbital
(Anterior Surface)
Front of the knee over the kneecap:
Patellar
(Anterior Surface)
Foot:
Pedal
(Anterior Surface)
Sole of the foot:
Plantar
(Anterior Surface)
Genital area:
Pubic
(Anterior Surface)
Middle of the chest (over the breastbone area):
Sternal
(Anterior Surface)
Navel:
Umbilical
(Anterior Surface)
Near to the lower region of the spinal column (near the tailbone):
Caudal
(Posterior Surface)
Rounded area of the shoulder closest to the arm:
Deltoid
(Posterior Surface)
Buttocks:
Gluteal
(Posterior Surface)
Area of the back between the ribs and the hips:
Lumbar
(Posterior Surface)
Back of the head:
Occipital
(Posterior Surface)
Behind, or back of, the knee area:
Popliteal
(Posterior Surface)
Shoulder blade area:
Scapular
(Posterior Surface)
Regional Terms
A) Anterior View
B) Posterior View
The organs, called ___, are located within the cavities of the body.
visera
What are the large internal spaces of the body?
Cavities
Which cavity is located toward the back of the body and has two divisions?
Dorsal
What are the two divisions of the dorsal cavity?
Cranial
Spinal (Vertebral)
The cranial and spinal cavities form one continuous space.
Which cavity is located within the skull and contains the brain?
Cranial
Which cavity extends downward from the cranial cavity and is surrounded by bony vertebrae; it contains the spinal cord?
Spinal (Vertebral)
Which cavity is larger, located toward the front of the body, and has two divisions?
Ventral
What are the two divisions of the ventral cavity?
Thoracic
Abdominopelvic
Which cavity is located above the diaphragm and is surrounded by the rib cage?
Thoracic
What divides the thoracic cavity into two compartments?
Mediastinum
What is the space that contains the heart, thymus gland, and parts of the esophagus, trachea, and large blood vessels attached to the heart?
Mediastinum
Which cavity is located within the mediastinum and contains the heart?
Pericardial
In which cavities are the right and left lungs located on either side of the mediastinum?
Pleural
Within which cavity do the lungs occupy most of the space?
Thoracic
Which cavity is located below the diaphragm?
Abdominopelvic
Which cavity’s upper portion is the abdominal cavity?
Abdominopelvic
Which cavity contains the stomach, most of the intestines, and the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys?
Abdominopelvic
What is the lower portion of the abdominopelvic cavity?
Pelvic
Which cavity extends downward from the level of the hips and includes the remainder of the intestines, rectum, urinary bladder, and internal parts of the reproductive system?
Pelvic
Major Body Cavities
Which two systems subdivide the large abdominalpelvic cavity into smaller areas?
Quadrants
Regions
What are the four quadrants of the abdominopelvic cavity?
Right upper quadrant (RUQ)
Left upper quadrant (LUQ)
Right lower quadrant (RLQ)
Left lower quadrant (LLQ)
What terms are used frequently in the clinical setting?
Quadrants
A patient in the emergency room who has acute pain in the lower right quadrant may be diagnosed with appendicitis.
What system divides the abdominopelvic cavity into nine separate areas that resemble the squares for tic-tac-toe?
Regions
What are the three central regions (from top to bottom)?
Epigastric
Umbilical
Hypogastric
Which region is located below the breastbone?
Epigastric
What word literally means upon the stomach?
Epigastric
Upon (epi) the stomach (gastric).
Which region is the centermost region and surrounds the navel (belly button)?
Umbilical
Which region is located just below the umbilical region?
Hypogastric
What word literally means below the stomach?
Hypogastric
Below (hypo) the stomach (gastric).
Which regions are located on either side of the central regions?
Hypochondriac
Lumbar
Iliac
Which regions are located on either side of the epigastric region and overlie the lower ribs?
Right and Left Hypochondriac
What word literally means below the cartilage and refers to the composition of the ribs?
Hypochondriac
Below (hypo) the cartilage (chondro) and refers to the composition of the ribs (cartilage).
Which regions are located on either side of the umbilical region and are inferior to the hypochondriac regions?
Lumbar
Right & Left
What are the inguinal regions also called?
Iliac
Which regions are located on either side of the hypogastric region?
Iliac
Right & Left
How is the abdominopelvic cavity divided to help healthcare providers understand terms such as epigastric pain and umbilical hernia?
Regions
The Abdominopelvic Cavity
A) Four Quadrants
B) Nine Regions
Note that the RLQ appears to be on your left. This is similar to looking in a mirror.
Where are the four smaller cavities (oral cavity, nasal cavities, orbital cavities, and middle ear cavities) located?
Head
