Scope of Anatomy and Physiology
Definition of various terms used in Anatomy
ANATOMYis the science of body structures
and the relationship among structures
PHYSIOLOGYis the science of body functions
– how body works
LEVELS OF BODY ORGANISATION
• Chemical Level• Cellular Level• Tissue Level• Organ Level• System Level• Organism Level
CHARACTERSTICS OF LIFE
• Metabolism• Responsiveness• Movement• Growth• Differentiation• Reproduction
BODY POSITIONS• Description of any region or part of
humans body assume that it is in a specific stance, called anatomical position
• Supine
• Prone
Anatomical Planes• Plane:-Imaginary flat surface that passes through the
body or body part• Sagittal Plane-is the vertical plane that divides boy or
organ into right and left sides.• When such a plane passes through the midline of body
or organ and divides into equal right and left sides, it is called midsagittal plane.
• Frontal/Coronal Plane-Plane divides body or organ into anterior(front) and posterior(back) portions
• Transverse Plane-Plane divides body or an organ into superior and inferior portions
• Sagittal, frontal and transverse planes are right angles to one another.
Directional Terms• Directional term describe the position of one
body part relative to another.• Superior-Toward the head or upper part of the
structure• Inferior-Away from head or lower part of the
structure• Anterior-Nearer to or at the front of body• Posterior-Nearer to at the back of body• Medial-Nearer to midline• Lateral-Farther from midline
Directional Terms• Intermediate-between two structures• Ipsilateral-On the same side of the body as
another structure• Contralateral-On the opposite side of the body
from another structure• Proximal-Nearer to the attachment of a limb to
the trunk; nearer to the origination of structure• Distal- Farther from attachment of a limb to the
trunk; farther from the origination of structure
Surface Anatomy
• Study of anatomical landmarks on the surface of boy through visualization and palpation
Body Cavities
• Body cavities are spaces that help protect, separate and support internal organs.
• Major cavities of body-Dorsal and Ventral body cavity
• DORSAL BODY CAVITY-• Located near posterior surface of body• It has 2 subdivisions: Cranial Cavity and
Vertebral Canal
Cranial CavityThe cranial cavity contains the brain, and its boundaries are formed by the bones of the skull Anteriorly —1 frontal boneLaterally — 2 temporal bonesPosteriorly — 1 occipital boneSuperiorly — 2 parietal bonesInferiorly — 1 sphenoid and 1 ethmoid bone and parts of the frontal, temporal and occipitalbones.
Vertebral Canal- formed by vertebrae and contains Spinal Cord
VENTRAL BODY CAVITY
• It is located on the anterior aspect of the body
• It has 2 subdivisions:Thoracic Cavity and Abdominopelvic Cavity
• Diaphragm-separates these two cavities• Organs inside ventral body cavity are
termed “Viscera”
Thoracic Cavity• Ribs, muscles of the chest, sternum and
thoracic portion of vertebral column form thoracic cavity
• It contains pleural, pericardial cavities and mediastinum
• Each Pleural cavity surrounds one lung• Pericardial cavity surrounds heart• Mediastinum contains thymus, esophagus,
trachea and several large blood vessels
Abdominopelvic cavity• Formed by abdominal muscle wall and
bones & muscles of the pelvis• Superior portion-Abdominal cavity: it
contains stomach, spleen, liver, gall bladder, small intestine and most of large intestine
• Inferior portion-Pelvic cavity: it contains urinary bladder, portions of large intestine and internal organs of reproduction
Abdominal cavity• This is the largest cavity in the body and is oval in
shape . It is situated in the main part of the trunk and its boundaries are:
• Superiorly — the diaphragm, which separates it from the thoracic cavity
• Anteriorly — the muscles forming the anterior abdominal wall
• Posteriorly —the lumbar vertebrae and muscles forming the posterior abdominal wall
• Laterally — the lower ribs and parts of the muscles of the abdominal wall
• Inferiorly — the pelvic cavity with which it is continuous.
ABDOMINOPELVIC REGIONS• Abdominopelvic cavity divided into nine
compartments by 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines
• Horizontal lines:• Subcoastal line-drawn just inferior to
ribcage, across inferior portion of stomach• Transtubercular line-drawn just inferior to
top of hip bones• Vertical lines:• Left and Right Midclavicular lines-drawn
through the midpoints of clavicles.
Names of ABDOMINOPELVIC REGIONS:
Pelvic Cavity• The pelvic cavity is roughly funnel shaped and
extends• from the lower end of the abdominal cavity.• The boundaries are:• Superiorly — it is continuous with the abdominal• cavity• Anteriorly — the pubic bones• Posteriorly — the sacrum and coccyx• Laterally — the innominate bones• Inferiorly — the muscles of the pelvic floor.
Female reproductive organs and other structures in the pelvic cavity.
Male reproductive organs and other structures in the pelvic cavity.
REFERENCE LINES• On Anterior
1-Midsternal Line2-Midclavicular Line3-Anterior Axillary Line
• On Posterior4-Vertebral Line5-Scapular line6-Posterior Scapular line
1 2 3