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
Other body cavities include:
- Oral and digestive cavities
- Nasal cavity
- Orbital cavities
- Middle ear cavities
Antebrachial
Forearm
Antecubital
Anterior surface of elbow
Axillary
Armpit
Brachial
Arm
Buccal
Cheek area
Cervical
Neck region
Cranial
Contains the brain
Cutaneous
Skin
Deltoid
Curve of shoulder formed by large deltoid muscle
Femoral
Thigh (anterior and posterior)
Frontal
Forehead
Gluteal
Buttock
Iliac
Superior part of the hip bone
Inguinal
Area where thigh meets body trunk; groin
Lumbar
Area of the back between ribs and hips; the loin
Mammary
Highly modified sweat glands which produce milk
Nasal
Nose area
Occipital
Posterior surface of head or base of skull
Orbital
Eye area
Parietal
- A specific portion of the wall of the ventral body cavity
* Layer that lines a specific portion of the wall of the ventral body cavity
Patellar
Anterior knee
Pectoral
Relating to, or occurring in or on, the chest
Pedal
Foot
Perineal
Area between the thighs and buttocks, extending from coccyx to pubis
Plantar
Sole of the foot
Popliteal
Posterior knee area
Sacral
Area between hips and base of spine
Scapular
Shoulder blade region
Sternal
Breastbone area
Temporal
Beneath the temple
Umbilical
Navel
Volar/palmar
Palm of hand
Cardiac
Heart
Gastric
Stomach
Hepatic
Liver
Pulmonary
Lungs
Renal
Kidney
Central
Toward the center
Peripheral
Away from the center
Visceral
Layer that covers the outside of the organ(s) in that cavity
Longitudinal section
A cut along the lengthwise plane of the body or organ, dividing them into left and right parts
