Nursing 120
Module 1 – organiza4on of the human body
Learning objec-ves
1. Define the terms anatomy and physiology.
2. Describe the scien-fic process.
3. Describe the levels of organiza-on in the body.
4. Define the term anatomical posi-on.
5. Describe anatomical direc-ons and planes (sec-ons) of the body and the rela-onship of body parts to one
another.
6. Iden-fy the major body cavi-es and their subdivisions.
7. Describe the contrast the two major components of the body.
8. Describe how body func-ons are balanced through homeostasis and feedback control.
Key terms
• Scien-fic method
• Levels of organiza-on
• Anatomical posi-on
• Anatomical direc-ons
• Planes of the body
• Body cavi-es
• Body regions
• Balance of body func-ons
lecture one
details about the course
• First two modules will be about func-ons and medical terminology.
o Will provide a brief overview of cells, -ssues, and organ systems.
• Module 3 – 13 will be looking at anatomy in a systema-c approach.
o So, we can see how each system works and integrates with the other systems in the body.
• Learning objec-ves iden-fies the content in the module.
• Lectures will supplement the textbook.
o There are several learning ac-vi-es for each module, there are op-onal, but they are useful.
o It is an overview of the readings.
• Medical terminology is key for this course, repeat it
What is anatomy?
• Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body.
o Anatomy defini-on: the study of the structure of an organism and the rela-onships of its parts.
o Anatomist defini-on: professional engaged in the study of the structure of an organism and the rela-onships of
its parts.
• You are looking at structures.
• Structures need to work in a certain way so that the body can work.
What is physiology?
• Physiology is the study of the func-on.
o Goes into more depth.
o Arm -> what is its func-on.
o Trying to find the basic func-on.
Structure and func-on = homeostasis
• Homeostasis is a balance of the body.
o So the body systems can work together
o When you have a problem, it is because there is a disrup-on in homeostasis,
Scien5fic method
• Looking at something with a systema-c approach
, • When we are looking at anatomy in this course we are learning in a systema-c approach so we can learn each
system and understand the system and how it works with they other systems
• Hypothesis
o You have an idea that you would like to test or prove.
• Experiment
o You need to conduct various tests/servays in order to prove or disprove your idea.
• Theory/law
o You are hoping to illuminate biases so that you have a good idea if it is possible.
o With the results of these finds we can create a theory or law
Levels of organiza5on
• Chemical level: Atoms and molecules
o Cells
§ Smallest living units of structure and func-on
o Tissues
§ Organiza-ons of many cells that work together to perform a common func-on.
o Organs
§ Groups of several different types of -ssues arranged to act as a unit to
perform a special func-on.
o Systems
§ Organiza-on of varying numbers of kinds of organs that work together to
perform complex func-ons.
• The body is the sum of its parts.
Anatomical Posi5on
Defini-on: the standard neutral reference posi-on for the body – used to describe
Bilateral symmetry
sites or mo-ons of various body parts; gives meaning to direc-onal terms
• Body movement, posture, or the rela-onship of one body area to another
o Bilateral symmetry
§ Symmetry means equal on both sides.
§ This will be more apparent when you start nursing and are
assessing a person.
§ If the body isn’t equal on both sides than its your job to figure out
why that is
§ Head, feet, palms, are forward.
o Supine
§ Face upwards
o Prone
§ Face downwards
• When you are describing something or essaying you should be thinking about
the anatomical posi-on
Anatomical Direc5ons
• Superior
o Either towards the head or upper
o The lungs are superior to the diaphragm.
• Inferior
o The stomach is inferior to the diaphragm.
• Anterior
o Front or in front of
o The nose is located on the anterior posi-on of the face.
• Posterior
o Back or behind of
o Shoulder blades are located posterior.
• Medial
o Towards the midline of the body
, o The big toe is medial to the midline.
• Lateral
o Towards the side of the body
o The small toe is lateral to the midline.
• Proximal
o Towards or nearest the trunk
o Nearest the point of origin
• Distal
o hand is the distal to the elbow.
o (Common when talking about injuries)
o Farther away from the point of origin
• Superficial
o Near the body surface
o Superficial burn is closest to the body surface.
• Deep
o Further away from the body surface
o Deep burn – closer to the structures inside than
near the surface of the body
Planes of the body
• Sagifal plane
o Divides body into right and leg.
o Midsagifal plane
§ Divides the body into halves.
• Frontal plane
o divides into anterior and posterior sec-ons.
• Transverse plane
o Divides structures into upper and lower parts.
• Oblique plane
o Plane that is not parallel to the frontal, transverse, sagifal planes.
Body Cavi5es
• Dorsal cavi-es
o Cranial cavity
o Spinal cavity
§ Space within the spinal cavity
o Organs of the central nervous system
• Ventral cavi-es
o Thoracic and abdominopelvic cavi-es
• defini-on: the single cavity containing the abdominal and pelvic
organs, which is subdivided into two compartments – the
abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity
§ Upper thoracic cavity
• Includes the heart and trachea.
§ Lower thoracic cavity
§ Abdominal cavi-es
o Picture on the right shows the body cavi-es.
§ Looking at it in the anterior view and the lateral view
• diaphragm is the most important muscle for breathing. If you have a problem with your
diaphragm and there are neurological disabili-es than there is going to be a problem with
the func-on
Abdominopelvic Quadrants
§ Defini-on: any of the four regions formed by dividing the abdominopelvic cavity by
an imaginary cross formed by a ver-cal and horizontal line
o Right upper (or right superior) quadrant
, § Example – liver
o Right lower (or right inferior) quadrant
§ Example – appendices
o Leg upper (or leg superior) quadrant.
§ Example – stomach and spleen
o Leg lower (or leg inferior) quadrant.
§ Example – sigmoid colon
§ This is used for finding the origin of pain.
§ We can’t look into a individual abdomen
• We have to use different methods so we can understand what the pa-ent is
feeling.
Abdominopelvic Regions
o Surface area of the body related to the abdominopelvic cavity
o Upper
§ Right and leg hypochondriac regions and the epigastric region.
• Hypochondriac –
• Epigastric –
o Middle
§ Right and leg lumber and the umbilical region Overview
• Umbilical region – belly bufon of systems
o Lower
§ Right and leg iliac regions and the hypogastric region.
• Gastric – refers to the stomach.
• Hypo – means below.
Body regions
• Axial region
o Head, neck and torso or trunk
• Appendicular region
o Upper and lower extremi-es
The Balance of Body Func5ons
• Internal environment
• Feedback control
o Nega-ve feedback
o Posi-ve feedback loop
o Stabilising feedback
• Normal fluctua-ons
Feedback Control
• Feedback loop
o General control system of the body
• Nega-ve feedback
o Opposes the change in a controlled condi-on.
o Stable is homeosta-c balance which the nega-ve feedback
loop will try to oppose the change and bring your body back to
equilibrium.
o
• Posi-ve feedback
o Intensifies the change that is occurring.
o It causes a increasingly progressive events to occur un-l it is
stopped.
§ This can be good or bad.
§ It intensifies the change un-l the process is stopped.
§ A good posi-ve feedback loop is when a woman is having
a baby so that the baby can be delivered.
Module 1 – organiza4on of the human body
Learning objec-ves
1. Define the terms anatomy and physiology.
2. Describe the scien-fic process.
3. Describe the levels of organiza-on in the body.
4. Define the term anatomical posi-on.
5. Describe anatomical direc-ons and planes (sec-ons) of the body and the rela-onship of body parts to one
another.
6. Iden-fy the major body cavi-es and their subdivisions.
7. Describe the contrast the two major components of the body.
8. Describe how body func-ons are balanced through homeostasis and feedback control.
Key terms
• Scien-fic method
• Levels of organiza-on
• Anatomical posi-on
• Anatomical direc-ons
• Planes of the body
• Body cavi-es
• Body regions
• Balance of body func-ons
lecture one
details about the course
• First two modules will be about func-ons and medical terminology.
o Will provide a brief overview of cells, -ssues, and organ systems.
• Module 3 – 13 will be looking at anatomy in a systema-c approach.
o So, we can see how each system works and integrates with the other systems in the body.
• Learning objec-ves iden-fies the content in the module.
• Lectures will supplement the textbook.
o There are several learning ac-vi-es for each module, there are op-onal, but they are useful.
o It is an overview of the readings.
• Medical terminology is key for this course, repeat it
What is anatomy?
• Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body.
o Anatomy defini-on: the study of the structure of an organism and the rela-onships of its parts.
o Anatomist defini-on: professional engaged in the study of the structure of an organism and the rela-onships of
its parts.
• You are looking at structures.
• Structures need to work in a certain way so that the body can work.
What is physiology?
• Physiology is the study of the func-on.
o Goes into more depth.
o Arm -> what is its func-on.
o Trying to find the basic func-on.
Structure and func-on = homeostasis
• Homeostasis is a balance of the body.
o So the body systems can work together
o When you have a problem, it is because there is a disrup-on in homeostasis,
Scien5fic method
• Looking at something with a systema-c approach
, • When we are looking at anatomy in this course we are learning in a systema-c approach so we can learn each
system and understand the system and how it works with they other systems
• Hypothesis
o You have an idea that you would like to test or prove.
• Experiment
o You need to conduct various tests/servays in order to prove or disprove your idea.
• Theory/law
o You are hoping to illuminate biases so that you have a good idea if it is possible.
o With the results of these finds we can create a theory or law
Levels of organiza5on
• Chemical level: Atoms and molecules
o Cells
§ Smallest living units of structure and func-on
o Tissues
§ Organiza-ons of many cells that work together to perform a common func-on.
o Organs
§ Groups of several different types of -ssues arranged to act as a unit to
perform a special func-on.
o Systems
§ Organiza-on of varying numbers of kinds of organs that work together to
perform complex func-ons.
• The body is the sum of its parts.
Anatomical Posi5on
Defini-on: the standard neutral reference posi-on for the body – used to describe
Bilateral symmetry
sites or mo-ons of various body parts; gives meaning to direc-onal terms
• Body movement, posture, or the rela-onship of one body area to another
o Bilateral symmetry
§ Symmetry means equal on both sides.
§ This will be more apparent when you start nursing and are
assessing a person.
§ If the body isn’t equal on both sides than its your job to figure out
why that is
§ Head, feet, palms, are forward.
o Supine
§ Face upwards
o Prone
§ Face downwards
• When you are describing something or essaying you should be thinking about
the anatomical posi-on
Anatomical Direc5ons
• Superior
o Either towards the head or upper
o The lungs are superior to the diaphragm.
• Inferior
o The stomach is inferior to the diaphragm.
• Anterior
o Front or in front of
o The nose is located on the anterior posi-on of the face.
• Posterior
o Back or behind of
o Shoulder blades are located posterior.
• Medial
o Towards the midline of the body
, o The big toe is medial to the midline.
• Lateral
o Towards the side of the body
o The small toe is lateral to the midline.
• Proximal
o Towards or nearest the trunk
o Nearest the point of origin
• Distal
o hand is the distal to the elbow.
o (Common when talking about injuries)
o Farther away from the point of origin
• Superficial
o Near the body surface
o Superficial burn is closest to the body surface.
• Deep
o Further away from the body surface
o Deep burn – closer to the structures inside than
near the surface of the body
Planes of the body
• Sagifal plane
o Divides body into right and leg.
o Midsagifal plane
§ Divides the body into halves.
• Frontal plane
o divides into anterior and posterior sec-ons.
• Transverse plane
o Divides structures into upper and lower parts.
• Oblique plane
o Plane that is not parallel to the frontal, transverse, sagifal planes.
Body Cavi5es
• Dorsal cavi-es
o Cranial cavity
o Spinal cavity
§ Space within the spinal cavity
o Organs of the central nervous system
• Ventral cavi-es
o Thoracic and abdominopelvic cavi-es
• defini-on: the single cavity containing the abdominal and pelvic
organs, which is subdivided into two compartments – the
abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity
§ Upper thoracic cavity
• Includes the heart and trachea.
§ Lower thoracic cavity
§ Abdominal cavi-es
o Picture on the right shows the body cavi-es.
§ Looking at it in the anterior view and the lateral view
• diaphragm is the most important muscle for breathing. If you have a problem with your
diaphragm and there are neurological disabili-es than there is going to be a problem with
the func-on
Abdominopelvic Quadrants
§ Defini-on: any of the four regions formed by dividing the abdominopelvic cavity by
an imaginary cross formed by a ver-cal and horizontal line
o Right upper (or right superior) quadrant
, § Example – liver
o Right lower (or right inferior) quadrant
§ Example – appendices
o Leg upper (or leg superior) quadrant.
§ Example – stomach and spleen
o Leg lower (or leg inferior) quadrant.
§ Example – sigmoid colon
§ This is used for finding the origin of pain.
§ We can’t look into a individual abdomen
• We have to use different methods so we can understand what the pa-ent is
feeling.
Abdominopelvic Regions
o Surface area of the body related to the abdominopelvic cavity
o Upper
§ Right and leg hypochondriac regions and the epigastric region.
• Hypochondriac –
• Epigastric –
o Middle
§ Right and leg lumber and the umbilical region Overview
• Umbilical region – belly bufon of systems
o Lower
§ Right and leg iliac regions and the hypogastric region.
• Gastric – refers to the stomach.
• Hypo – means below.
Body regions
• Axial region
o Head, neck and torso or trunk
• Appendicular region
o Upper and lower extremi-es
The Balance of Body Func5ons
• Internal environment
• Feedback control
o Nega-ve feedback
o Posi-ve feedback loop
o Stabilising feedback
• Normal fluctua-ons
Feedback Control
• Feedback loop
o General control system of the body
• Nega-ve feedback
o Opposes the change in a controlled condi-on.
o Stable is homeosta-c balance which the nega-ve feedback
loop will try to oppose the change and bring your body back to
equilibrium.
o
• Posi-ve feedback
o Intensifies the change that is occurring.
o It causes a increasingly progressive events to occur un-l it is
stopped.
§ This can be good or bad.
§ It intensifies the change un-l the process is stopped.
§ A good posi-ve feedback loop is when a woman is having
a baby so that the baby can be delivered.
