APHY 34A Fall 2020
Lab 1: Language of Anatomy
• Gross anatomy: the study of body structures visible to the naked eye
Anatomical Position
• Standard position: human body erect, with the feet only slightly apart; head and toes
pointed forward and arms hanging at the side with palms facing forward
Regional Anatomy
-the body is divided into two main regions: the axial and appendicular region
• Axial region: includes the head, neck, and trunk and runs along the vertical axis of the
body
• Appendicular region: includes appendages or extremities
Directional Terms
• Superior/inferior (above/below): placement of a structure along the long axis of the
body
• Anterior/posterior(front/back): in humans, the most anterior structures are those that
are most forward (face, chest, and abdomen); posterior are those toward the back
• Medial/Lateral (toward the midline/away from the midline or median plane): medial is
the top or bottom of the medial plane and lateral is the left or right of the plane
• Cephalad(Cranial)/Caudal (toward the head/toward the tail): interchangeable with
superior and inferior; for animals use anterior and posterior
• Ventral/Dorsal (belly side/backside): in humans, this term is interchangeable with
anterior and posterior; for animals this term is synonymous with inferior and superior
• Proximal/Distal (nearer to the trunk or attached end/farther from the trunk or point of
attachment): indicates regions closer or farther from the head, especially internal organs
• Superficial/Deep (external/internal): proximity to the outside of the body or the skin
, Body Planes and Sections
- the body is 3-dimensional, and to observe its internal structure it is made into
sections
- when a section is made through the body wall or an organ, it is made along an
imaginary surface or line called, a plane
• Median (midsagittal) plane: plane down the middle, posterior to anterior
• Frontal (coronal) plane: a longitudinal plane that divides the body or organ into anterior
or posterior parts
• Transverse Plane: flat lateral plane through the middle that divided superior and inferior
parts (when organs are sectioned along the transverse plane, the sections are commonly
called a cross-section)
• Sagittal Plane: runs longitudinal and divides the body into right and left parts (if it is
divided into equal parts, it is called the midsagittal plane)
Body Cavities
Dorsal Body Cavity
- The dorsal cavity can be divided into the cranial cavity which lies within the rigid skull
and encases the brain and the vertebral or spinal cavity which runs through the Bony
vertebral column to enclose the delicate spinal cord
Ventral Body Cavity
- Superior thoracic cavity: separated from the rest of the ventral cavity by the Dome
shaped diaphragm
- the heart and lungs, located in the thoracic cavity are protected by the rib cage
- the cavity inferior to the diaphragm is the abdominal pelvic cavity
-some describe the abdominal pelvic cavity as two areas: the superior abdominal
cavity which is the area that houses the stomach intestines liver and other organs
and the inferior pelvic cavity which contains reproductive organs the bladder and the
rectum
Serous Membranes of the Ventral Body Cavity
- The wall of the ventral cavity and the outer surfaces of the organs it contains are
covered with a very thin double-layered membrane called the serosa or serous
membrane
- the part of the membrane lining the cavity wall is referred to as the parietal serosa
Lab 1: Language of Anatomy
• Gross anatomy: the study of body structures visible to the naked eye
Anatomical Position
• Standard position: human body erect, with the feet only slightly apart; head and toes
pointed forward and arms hanging at the side with palms facing forward
Regional Anatomy
-the body is divided into two main regions: the axial and appendicular region
• Axial region: includes the head, neck, and trunk and runs along the vertical axis of the
body
• Appendicular region: includes appendages or extremities
Directional Terms
• Superior/inferior (above/below): placement of a structure along the long axis of the
body
• Anterior/posterior(front/back): in humans, the most anterior structures are those that
are most forward (face, chest, and abdomen); posterior are those toward the back
• Medial/Lateral (toward the midline/away from the midline or median plane): medial is
the top or bottom of the medial plane and lateral is the left or right of the plane
• Cephalad(Cranial)/Caudal (toward the head/toward the tail): interchangeable with
superior and inferior; for animals use anterior and posterior
• Ventral/Dorsal (belly side/backside): in humans, this term is interchangeable with
anterior and posterior; for animals this term is synonymous with inferior and superior
• Proximal/Distal (nearer to the trunk or attached end/farther from the trunk or point of
attachment): indicates regions closer or farther from the head, especially internal organs
• Superficial/Deep (external/internal): proximity to the outside of the body or the skin
, Body Planes and Sections
- the body is 3-dimensional, and to observe its internal structure it is made into
sections
- when a section is made through the body wall or an organ, it is made along an
imaginary surface or line called, a plane
• Median (midsagittal) plane: plane down the middle, posterior to anterior
• Frontal (coronal) plane: a longitudinal plane that divides the body or organ into anterior
or posterior parts
• Transverse Plane: flat lateral plane through the middle that divided superior and inferior
parts (when organs are sectioned along the transverse plane, the sections are commonly
called a cross-section)
• Sagittal Plane: runs longitudinal and divides the body into right and left parts (if it is
divided into equal parts, it is called the midsagittal plane)
Body Cavities
Dorsal Body Cavity
- The dorsal cavity can be divided into the cranial cavity which lies within the rigid skull
and encases the brain and the vertebral or spinal cavity which runs through the Bony
vertebral column to enclose the delicate spinal cord
Ventral Body Cavity
- Superior thoracic cavity: separated from the rest of the ventral cavity by the Dome
shaped diaphragm
- the heart and lungs, located in the thoracic cavity are protected by the rib cage
- the cavity inferior to the diaphragm is the abdominal pelvic cavity
-some describe the abdominal pelvic cavity as two areas: the superior abdominal
cavity which is the area that houses the stomach intestines liver and other organs
and the inferior pelvic cavity which contains reproductive organs the bladder and the
rectum
Serous Membranes of the Ventral Body Cavity
- The wall of the ventral cavity and the outer surfaces of the organs it contains are
covered with a very thin double-layered membrane called the serosa or serous
membrane
- the part of the membrane lining the cavity wall is referred to as the parietal serosa
