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BIOS 251 Exam 1 Study Outline
Week 1
C145 – Terminology and Anatomical Positions
Anatomy: The study of body structure
Physiology: The study of body parts and how they interact with one another
Structure and function compliment one another
o Examples: Red Blood cells, Pectus excavatum
Anatomical Position - reference point for all directions and regions of the human body.
o Subject faces the observer while standing erect, with arms at both sides of
the body, palms of the hands facing forward, and feet flat on the floor.
Anatomical Regions:
1. Axial- represents core of body, includes all structures except the upper
and lower appendages (arms and legs)
Cephalic (head)
Cervical (neck)
Thoracic (chest)
Abdominal (belly)
Pelvic (hip)
Pubic (groin)
Back of the neck (nuchal)
2. Appendicular – includes upper and lower appendages
Axillary (armpit) Digital or
Brachial (upper phalangeal
arm) (fingers)
Antecubital Femoral (thigh)
(front of the Patellar
elbow) (anterior
Antebrachial surface of the
(forearm) knee)
Carpal (wrist) Crural (leg)
Palmar (palm) Pedal (foot)
Pollex (thumb) Metatarsal/
tarsal (ankle)
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Directional Terms
Ventral - Toward the front* or belly
Dorsal - Toward the back or spine
Anterior - Toward the ventral side
Posterior -Toward the dorsal side
Cephalic -Toward the head or superior end
Rostral - Toward the forehead or nose
Caudal - Toward the tail or inferior end
Superior - Above
Inferior - Below
Medial - Toward the median plane
Lateral - Away from the median plane
Proximal - Closer to the point of attachment or origin
Distal - Farther from the point of attachment or origin
Ipsilateral - On the same side of the body (right or left)
Contralateral - On opposite sides of the body (right and left)
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Superficial - Closer to the body surface
Deep - Farther from the body surface
C146 Body Cavities, Planes, and Sections
Body cavities act as compartments within the human body and have two
basic functions:
o To protect vital internal organs from accidental shock
o To allow for any possible change in shape and size of organs, while
still maintaining the organ system’s integrity
The human body contains four main body cavities:
1. Dorsal cavity – contains both the cranial and vertebral cavities
Cranial (contains the brain)
Vertebral (contains the spinal cord)
2. Thoracic (contains the heart and the lungs)
Pericardial cavity – surrounds the heart
Parietal cavity - surrounds the lungs
3. Abdominopelvic (contains all abdominal and pelvic organs)
4. The Thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities are separated by the
diaphragm
Body cavities are subdivided further based on the organs they house.
Subdivisions of the Thoracic cavity
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BIOS 251 Exam 1 Study Outline
Week 1
C145 – Terminology and Anatomical Positions
Anatomy: The study of body structure
Physiology: The study of body parts and how they interact with one another
Structure and function compliment one another
o Examples: Red Blood cells, Pectus excavatum
Anatomical Position - reference point for all directions and regions of the human body.
o Subject faces the observer while standing erect, with arms at both sides of
the body, palms of the hands facing forward, and feet flat on the floor.
Anatomical Regions:
1. Axial- represents core of body, includes all structures except the upper
and lower appendages (arms and legs)
Cephalic (head)
Cervical (neck)
Thoracic (chest)
Abdominal (belly)
Pelvic (hip)
Pubic (groin)
Back of the neck (nuchal)
2. Appendicular – includes upper and lower appendages
Axillary (armpit) Digital or
Brachial (upper phalangeal
arm) (fingers)
Antecubital Femoral (thigh)
(front of the Patellar
elbow) (anterior
Antebrachial surface of the
(forearm) knee)
Carpal (wrist) Crural (leg)
Palmar (palm) Pedal (foot)
Pollex (thumb) Metatarsal/
tarsal (ankle)
Downloaded by aguero mark ()
, lOMoARcPSD|58626349
Directional Terms
Ventral - Toward the front* or belly
Dorsal - Toward the back or spine
Anterior - Toward the ventral side
Posterior -Toward the dorsal side
Cephalic -Toward the head or superior end
Rostral - Toward the forehead or nose
Caudal - Toward the tail or inferior end
Superior - Above
Inferior - Below
Medial - Toward the median plane
Lateral - Away from the median plane
Proximal - Closer to the point of attachment or origin
Distal - Farther from the point of attachment or origin
Ipsilateral - On the same side of the body (right or left)
Contralateral - On opposite sides of the body (right and left)
Downloaded by aguero mark ()
, lOMoARcPSD|58626349
Superficial - Closer to the body surface
Deep - Farther from the body surface
C146 Body Cavities, Planes, and Sections
Body cavities act as compartments within the human body and have two
basic functions:
o To protect vital internal organs from accidental shock
o To allow for any possible change in shape and size of organs, while
still maintaining the organ system’s integrity
The human body contains four main body cavities:
1. Dorsal cavity – contains both the cranial and vertebral cavities
Cranial (contains the brain)
Vertebral (contains the spinal cord)
2. Thoracic (contains the heart and the lungs)
Pericardial cavity – surrounds the heart
Parietal cavity - surrounds the lungs
3. Abdominopelvic (contains all abdominal and pelvic organs)
4. The Thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities are separated by the
diaphragm
Body cavities are subdivided further based on the organs they house.
Subdivisions of the Thoracic cavity
Downloaded by aguero mark ()
