DESCRIPTION OF BODY STRUCTURE TERMS
Directional Terms
Specific words must be used to avoid confusion when explaining the link between bodily regions or the location of a particular anatomical component. The following directional words can be used to describe the location of one body component in relation to another while the body is in the anatomical posture (Figure 1-17).
There are superior and inferior: Superior refers to the direction of the head, whereas inferior refers to the direction of the feet. Superior may also imply "higher" or "above," whereas inferior can indicate "lower" or "below." The lungs, for example, are situated above the diaphragm, whereas the stomach is situated below it.
There are two halves to the body: the front and the back. Anterior refers to the "front" or "in front of," whereas posterior refers to the "back" or "behind." Ventral (toward the belly) can be used in place of anterior, and dorsal (toward the back) can be used in place of posterior among people who walk upright. The nose, for example, is on the body's front side, whereas the shoulder blades are on its posterior surface.
There are two types of medial and lateral. Medial denotes "towards the body's midline," whereas lateral denotes "towards the body's side, or away from its midline." The big toe, for example, is on the medial side of the foot, while the little toe is on the lateral side. The lungs are lateral to the heart while the heart is medial to the lungs.
There are two types of proximal and distal. Distal means "away from or farthest from the trunk or point of origin of a bodily portion." Proximal means "toward or nearest the trunk of the body, or nearest the place of origin of one of its components." The elbow, for example, is located at the proximal end of the lower arm, whereas the hand is located at the distal end.
It's both superficial and profound. "Superficial" means "nearer the surface," whereas "profound" implies "further away from the body surface." The skin of the arm, for example, is superficial to the muscles underneath it, whereas the upper arm's bone is deep to the muscles that surround and cover it.
BODY PLANES AND SECTIONS
Figure 1-17 shows clear glass-like plates separating the body into pieces. These plates indicate cuts or sections that can be created along a certain axis or line of orientation known as a plane. There are three primary planes that are perpendicular to one another. The sagittal, coronal (kuh-RO nul), and transverse (or horizontal) planes are the three. Each plane can have hundreds of sections, each of which is called after the plane along which it occurs. Figure 1-17, for example, shows the transverse plane separating the person into upper and lower halves at the level of the umbilicus. In parallel transverse planes, many different transverse sections are available. A transverse section through the knee would result in the amputation of the lower leg at that joint, whereas a transverse section through the neck would result in the decapitation of the head. Read the following definitions and circle each phrase in the correct order.
Figure 1-17 shows the sagittal plane. The right and left sides of the body or any of its parts are divided by a longitudinal plane that runs from front to rear.
The plane is called a midsagittal or median sagittal plane when a sagittal slice is produced in the precise midline, resulting in equal and symmetrical right and left halves.
Coronal. A frontal plane is a longitudinal plane that runs from side to side and separates the body or any of its parts into anterior and posterior sections.
Transverse. A transverse plane, also known as a horizontal plane, splits the body or any of its sections into upper and lower halves.
The organs of the abdominal cavity. as they would look in a transverse, or horizontal, plane or "cut" across the belly, as seen in Figure 1-17.
A simplified line diagram, in addition to the original picture, aids in the identification of the major organs.
Organs at the bottom of the picture or line drawing are positioned posteriorly. For example, the severed vertebra of the spine can be identified by its position behind or posterior to the stomach. The kidneys are on the lateral side of the vertebra, whereas the vertebra is on the medial side.
Figure 1 - 17 Directions and planes of the body.
The brain is a bilaterally symmetrical internal organ. When utilising a midsagittal segment to cut into half, the right and left sides will seem virtually similar (mirror images). A series of images in Figure 1-18 begins with a view of the brain from below. After the organ has been removed from the skull, you're gazing up at the bottom of the most inferior surface of the organ.
The exterior surface is referred to as the lateral surface. The identical right half is shown in Figure 1-18, with its medial surface visible.
Figure 1 -18 Transverse section of abdomen.
QUICK INSPECTION
1. Identify the three primary planes that are utilised to split the body into pieces and characterise them.
2.Identify the nine abdominal areas as well as the four abdominopelvic quadrants.
