Essential Guide to Human Anatomy and Physiology
Superior ✔✔toward the head end or upper part of a structure or the body; above
Inferior ✔✔away from the head end or toward the lower part of a structure or the body; below
Ventral (anterior) ✔✔toward or at the front of the body; in front of
Dorsal (posterior) ✔✔Toward or at the back 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 ✔✔closer to the origin of the body part or the 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 ✔✔toward or at the body surface
Deep (internal) ✔✔away from the body surface; more internal
Anatomical Position ✔✔erect, feet forward, arms at side with palms facing forward, head
facing forward, internationally know
Directional Terms ✔✔allow us to explain where one body structure is in relation to another
Axial ✔✔fundamental division of our body. Makes up the main axis of our body, includes the
head, neck, and trunk.
Appendicular ✔✔fundamental division of our body. relating to the limbs and their attachments
to the axis.
, Regional Terms ✔✔used to designate specific areas within major body divisions
Anterior/Ventral Body ✔✔
Posterior/Dorsal Body ✔✔
Sagittal ✔✔a vertical plane that divides the body into right and left parts
Median Plane (midsagittal plane) ✔✔sagittal plane that lies exactly in the midline
Parasagittal Planes ✔✔all other sagittal planes offset from the midline
Frontal Planes (Coronal Plane) ✔✔like sagittal plane lie vertically, divide body into anterior and
posterior parts
Transverse/Horizontal Plane ✔✔runs horizontally from right to left, dividing the body into
superior and inferior parts. (Transverse is perpendicular to long axis of an organ, horizontal is
from front to back)
Oblique Sections ✔✔cuts made diagonally between the horizontal and the vertical planes
Dorsal Body Cavity ✔✔protects the fragile nervous system organs, has 2 subdivisions
Cranial Cavity ✔✔in the skull, encases the brain
Vertebral Cavity (Spinal Cavity) ✔✔runs within the bony vertebral column, encloses the
delicate spinal cord
Ventral Body Cavity ✔✔the more anterior and larger of the closed body cavities, has 2 major
subdivisions, houses internal organs called Viscera
Thoracic Cavity ✔✔surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the chest
Pleural Cavities ✔✔lateral subdivision of Thoracic Cavity, enveloping a lung, and the Medial
Mediastinum
Pericardial Cavity ✔✔encloses the heart and also surrounds the the remaining thoracic organs
(esophagus, trachea, and others)
Superior ✔✔toward the head end or upper part of a structure or the body; above
Inferior ✔✔away from the head end or toward the lower part of a structure or the body; below
Ventral (anterior) ✔✔toward or at the front of the body; in front of
Dorsal (posterior) ✔✔Toward or at the back 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 ✔✔closer to the origin of the body part or the 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 ✔✔toward or at the body surface
Deep (internal) ✔✔away from the body surface; more internal
Anatomical Position ✔✔erect, feet forward, arms at side with palms facing forward, head
facing forward, internationally know
Directional Terms ✔✔allow us to explain where one body structure is in relation to another
Axial ✔✔fundamental division of our body. Makes up the main axis of our body, includes the
head, neck, and trunk.
Appendicular ✔✔fundamental division of our body. relating to the limbs and their attachments
to the axis.
, Regional Terms ✔✔used to designate specific areas within major body divisions
Anterior/Ventral Body ✔✔
Posterior/Dorsal Body ✔✔
Sagittal ✔✔a vertical plane that divides the body into right and left parts
Median Plane (midsagittal plane) ✔✔sagittal plane that lies exactly in the midline
Parasagittal Planes ✔✔all other sagittal planes offset from the midline
Frontal Planes (Coronal Plane) ✔✔like sagittal plane lie vertically, divide body into anterior and
posterior parts
Transverse/Horizontal Plane ✔✔runs horizontally from right to left, dividing the body into
superior and inferior parts. (Transverse is perpendicular to long axis of an organ, horizontal is
from front to back)
Oblique Sections ✔✔cuts made diagonally between the horizontal and the vertical planes
Dorsal Body Cavity ✔✔protects the fragile nervous system organs, has 2 subdivisions
Cranial Cavity ✔✔in the skull, encases the brain
Vertebral Cavity (Spinal Cavity) ✔✔runs within the bony vertebral column, encloses the
delicate spinal cord
Ventral Body Cavity ✔✔the more anterior and larger of the closed body cavities, has 2 major
subdivisions, houses internal organs called Viscera
Thoracic Cavity ✔✔surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the chest
Pleural Cavities ✔✔lateral subdivision of Thoracic Cavity, enveloping a lung, and the Medial
Mediastinum
Pericardial Cavity ✔✔encloses the heart and also surrounds the the remaining thoracic organs
(esophagus, trachea, and others)
