The Language of Anatomy Flashcards
Exact terms are used for:
- Position
- Direction
- Regions
- Structures
Superior (cranial or cephalic)
Toward the head or upper part of a structure
or the body; above
Inferior (caudal)
Away from the head or toward the lower part of
a structure or the body’s below
* Caudal, “toward the tail,” is synonymous with inferior only to the inferior end of the spine
Anterior (ventral)
Toward or at the front of the body; in front of
Posterior (dorsal)
Toward or at the backside of the body; behind
Medial
Toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side of
Lateral
Away from the midline of the body; on the outer side of
Intermediate
Between a more medial and a more lateral structure
Proximal
Close to the origin of the body part or point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk
Distal
Farther from the origin of a body part or the point of
attachment of a limb to the body trunk
Superficial (external)
Toward or at the body surface
Deep (internal)
Away from the body surface; more internal
What are body planes and sections?
- Sections are cuts along imaginary lines known as planes
* Three types of planes or sections exist as right angles to one another
Sagittal section
Divides the body or organ into left and right parts
Median, or-midsagittal, section
Divides the body or organ into equal left and right parts
Frontal, or coronal, section
Divides the body into anterior and posterior parts
Transverse, or cross, section
Divides the body or organ into superior and inferior parts
What do body cavities do?
Provide varying degrees of protection to organs within them
What are the two main internal body cavities?
- Dorsal
* Ventral
What are the two subdivisions of the dorsal body cavity?
- Cranial cavity houses the brain and is protected by the skull
- Spinal cavity houses the spinal cord and is protected by the vertebrate
What are the two subdivisions, which are separated by the diaphragm, within the ventral body cavity?
- Thoracic cavity
* Abdominal pelvic cavity
What is the thoracic cavity, where is it located, and what is contain within it?
- Cavity superior to the diaphragm
- Houses heart, lungs, and other organs
- Mediastinum, the central region, houses heart, trachea, and other organs
- Protected by the rib cage
What is the abdominal pelvic cavity, where is it located, and what is contain within it?
- Cavity inferior to the diaphragm
- Superior abdominal cavity contains the stomach, liver, other organs, and is protected only by trunk muscles
- Inferior pelvic cavity contains reproductive organs, bladder, rectum, and is protected somewhat by bony pelvis
- No physical structure separates abdominal from pelvic cavities
What are the two ways in which the abdominopelvic is cavity subdivided?
- Four quadrants
* Nine regions
