The Language of Anatomy

Notes Booklet Name: ______________________ Period: _____

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‘I Can’ Objectives  *Check off once you have mastered each of these objectives. _____ 1. I can describe the anatomical position and can stand in it myself. _____ 2. I can differentiate between the six sets of directional terms. _____ 3. I can use the directional terms in examples of describing body parts in relation to

other structures. _____ 4. I can locate all 29 anterior body regions and all 12 posterior body regions on a

diagram or on myself. _____ 5. I can draw a person in the anatomical position and draw lines through it denoting

the planes of the body, midsagittal, frontal/coronal and transverse/horizontal. _____ 6. I can draw a concept map or an outline of the body cavities listing organs living in

each one. _____ 7. I can draw a ‘t’ to label abdominopelvic quadrants and a tic-tac-toe board to label

the abdominopelvic sudivisions. _____ 8. I can spell all of the new terminology in this booklet.

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I. Anatomical Position

- standing erect, feet _______________, arms at sides, palms/toes facing _____________

 II. Directional Terms

- directional terms allow medical personnel and anatomists to explain where one body

_______________ is in relation to another

A. _______________ - towards or at the head/above

- the thoracic cavity is superior to the abdominopelvic cavity

B. _______________ - towards or at the feet/below

- the neck is inferior to the head

C. ________________ - towards or at the front of the body/also called ventral

- the belly button is anterior to the buttocks

D. _________________ - towards or at the back of the body/also called dorsal

- the spine/vertebral column is posterior to the breatbone/sternum

E. __________________ - towards or at the midline of the body

- the nose is medial to the eyes

F. __________________ - towards or at the sides of the body

- the eyes are lateral to the chin

1. _____________________ - pertains to the same side

- the spleen & descending colon are ipsilateral

2. ____________________ - refers to opposite sides

- the spleen & gallbladder are contralateral

G. ___________________ - closer to the point of attachment or trunk

- the elbow is proximal to the wrist

H. _________________ - farther from the point of attachment or trunk

- the toes are distal to the knees

*Proximal & Distal are only used with your _________________________

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I. __________________ - towards or at the surface

- skin is superficial to muscles/epidermis is the superficial layer of skin

J. _________________ - away from the surface/more internal

- lungs are deep to ribs/dermis is the deep layer of skin

III. Regional Terms

* Anterior body landmarks – write common names

Abdominal Fibular Pedal

Acromial Frontal

Antebrachial Inguinal

Antecubital Mental

Axillary Nasal

Brachial Oral

Buccal Orbital

Carpal Otic

Cervical Patellar

Costal Pelvic

Coxal Pubic

Crural Sternal

Deltoid Tarsal

Digital Thoracic

Femoral Umbilical

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* Posterior body landmarks

Calcaneal Olecranal Vertebral

Cephalic Popliteal

Femoral Plantar

Gluteal Sacral

Lumbar Scapular

Occipital Sural

IV. Body Planes and Sections

- when preparing to look at the internal structures of the body, medical students make a

_______________, or cut

- when the section is made through the body wall or through an organ, it is made along an

imaginary line called a _______________

1. A ___________ section divides the body (or organ) into left and right parts

2. A ___________________ section divides the body (or organ) into _______________

left and right parts

3. A frontal (also known as a ___________________) section divides the body (or organ)

into _________________ and __________________ parts

4. A ________________________, or cross, section divides the body (or organ) into

superior and inferior parts

 

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V. Body Cavities

A. Dorsal body cavity

1. _________________ cavity houses the _________________

2. ________________cavity houses the _______________________

B. Ventral body cavity

1. ____________________ cavity houses the ____________ & ____________

    a. ________________ cavity houses the lungs

- ____________________ is a central region in the thoracic cavity which

separates the lungs into right & left cavities

b. ____________________ cavity houses the heart

2. ______________________________ cavity houses digestive system and most

urinary system organs

- abdominal & pelvic

*____________________ is the border between the thoracic & abdominopelvic cavities

*HOMEOSTATIC IMBALANCE – the most vulnerable organs are those in the

_________________________ cavity because the abdominal cavity walls are formed

only of ______________________ and not reinforced by __________

VI. Abdominopelvic Quadrants

  ____________________________________(RUQ)

  ____________________________________(RLQ)

  ____________________________________  (LUQ)

  ____________________________________  (LLQ)

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VII. Abdominopelvic Regions

a. ____________________ region - the upper middle portion

b. ___________________________ regions - each side of the epigastric region

c. _____________________ region - the central portion

d. ________________________ regions - each side of umbilical region

e. _____________________ region - the lower middle portion

f. ______________________ region - each side of hypogastric region

 

VIII. Abdominopelvic Major Organs

_______________________________________________________________________

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Define all words using your notes or the text concentrating on key words:

VQ1

1. anatomical position

2. superior

3. inferior

4. ventral/anterior

5. dorsal/posterior

6. medial

7. lateral

8. proximal

9. distal

10. superficial

11. deep

VQ2

1. sagittal

2. midsagittal

3. frontal/coronal

4. transverse

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Anterior and Posterior Body Regions

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Body Planes and Sections

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Body Cavities

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Abdominopelvic Regions