BASIC ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY Examiner can ask you following questions « Describe o the anatomical position. « Relate © the anatomical names and the corresponding common names for various regions of the human body « Define © the anatomical pianes, © anatomical sections, and © directional terms used to describe the human body. Why to read this? * Doctors, Scientists and health-care professionals use a common language of special terms when referring to body structures and their functions. The language of anatomy they use has precisely defined meanings that allow us to communicate clearly and precisely. For example, is it correct to say, “The wrist is above the fingers” ? This might be true if your upper limbs (described shortly) are at your sides. « But if you hold your hands up above your head, your fingers would be above your wrists. oeLone anatomicar positon. SEE « Relate names and the corresponding common names for various anatomical regions of the human body \_2 the anatomical planes, \e7 anatomical sections, and © directional terms used to describe the human body. Is it correct to say, “The wrist is above the fingers” ? This might be true if your upper limbs (described shortly) are at your sides. But if you hold your hands up above your head, your fingers would be above your wrists. To prevent this kind of confusion, anatomists use a standard anatomical position and a special vocabulary for relating body parts to one another.ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY AND NOMENCLATURE Historical background © Galen the “prince of physicians” practised medicine at Rome. (2nd century) wrote his book in Greek. « Vesalius the ‘reformer of anatomy’ was German in origin (16th century) did it in Latin. * Most of the anatomical terms, therefore, are either in Greek or Latin. * By 19th century about 30,000 anatomical terms were in use in the books and journals. * In 1895, the German Anatomical Society held a meeting in Basle, and approved a list of about 5000 terms known as Basle Nomina Anatomica (BNA) ¢ The following six rules were laid down to be followed strictly: (1) Each part shall have only one_name; (2) each term shail be in Latin (3) each term shail be as short_and simple as possible; (4) the terms shall be merely memory signs; (5) the related terms shall be similar, e.g. femoral artery, femoral vein, and femoral nerve; and (6) the adjectives shall be arranged as opposites, e.g. major and minor, superior and inferior. « BNAwas revised in 1933 by a committee of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland and named a: it(5) the related terms shall be similar, eg. "femoral artery, femoral vein, and femoral nerve; 9) F para cod ABE, prevettn Fla. BNA was revised in 1933 by a committee of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland and named as Birmingham Revision (BR). An independent revision of the BNA was also done by German anatomists in 1935, and was known as Jena Nomina Anatomica (JNA or /NA). However, the BR and IN A found only local and restricted acceptance. In 1950, it was agreed at an International Congress of Anatomists held at Oxford that a further attempt should be made to establish a generally acceptable intemational nomenclature. In the Sixth International Congress of Anatomists held at Paris (1955), a somewhat conservative revision of BNA with many terms from BR and INA was approved. After a critical and few more revision, the 6th edition of Nomina Anatomica published in 1989 approved by 12" congress contain 6400 terms Now it is replaced by Termi Anatomica (TA) 1* edition (1998) ved at 13” yess 191 ie jeng ins mi In April 2011 it was published onlineBody Positions ‘stands erect facing the observer, © With the head level and the eyes facing directly forward. © The lower limbs are parallel and the feet are flat on the floor and directed forward, and the upper limbs are at the sides with the palms turned forward (Figure 1.6). * Two terms describe a reclining body. ‘© If the body is lying face down, it is in the prone position. © If the body is lying faceup, it is in the supine position. he matsp. The se:> ale amessedacncpocdine amconr aa se nae specced gre Forexarpe the capac pan head. In We maori psn, th sje stands eet an theese wh eda {heey ig rear The loner En ae pura Se he et a fa on oe reed {ear ard Depew hepa aor eae | Frontal fond) Tong one) rae ee) tciea Brea ise) pene opto rain ota) Femee ‘Sena emer) = | ae Tl Marea fo‘The anatomical postion, The anatomic ‘Paennees nda rw body repos For earpehe aph pon {mn the anatomical poston, the subject stands erect facing he observer with the ead eel and the eyes aig forward The lower Es re paral and the feet ae flat on he eo and iced forward andthe upper ints are atthe ies with the pals facing oarRegional Names ¢ The human body is divided into several major regions that can be identified externally. © The principal regions are the head, neck, trunk, upper limbs, and lower limbs The head consists of the skull and face. The skull encloses and protects the brain; the face is the front portion of the head that includes the eyes, nose, mouth, forehead, cheeks, and chin. o The neck supports the head and attaches it to the trunk. The trunk consists of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. o Each upper limb attaches to the trunk and consists of the shoulder, armpit, arm (portion of the limb from the shoulder to the elbow), forearm (portion of the limb from the elbow to the wrist), wrist, and hand. Each lower limb also attaches to the trunk and consists of the buttock, thigh (portion of the limb from the buttock to the knee), leg (portion of the limb from the knee to the ankle), ankle, and foot. The groin is the area on the front surface of the body marked by a crease ‘on each side, where the trunk attaches to the thighs. o00 ° ° ° For example, « if you receive a tetanus shot in your gluteal region, the injection Is in your buttock. Because the anatomical term for a body part usually is based on a Greek or Latin word it may look different from the common name for the same part or area, ° For example, the Latinaseidadtilldigsthaanatomicaltamtas armpit.limp Trom tne knee to tne ankie), ankle, and root, SEE ° The groin s the area on the fan.srace ofthe Body marked by a crease ‘on each side, where the trunk attaches to the thi For example, © ifyou receive a tetanus shot in yourGiuteal ie the injection is in your buttock, Because the anatomical term for a body part usually is based on a_ Greek or Latin word it may look different from the common name for the same Partorarea- * For example, the Latin word axilla is the anatomical term for armpit. «Thus, the axillary nerve is one of the nerves passing within the armpit. You will learn more about the Greek and Latin word roots of anatomical and physiological terms as you read the books. Directional Terms To locate various body structures, anatomists use specific directional terms, Words that describe the position of one body part relative to another. Most of the directional terms used to describe the relationship of one part of the body to another can be grouped into pairs that have opposite meanings. o For example, superior means toward the upper part of the body, and inferior means toward the lower part of the body. It is important to understand that directional terms have relative meanings; they make sense only when used to describe the position of one structure relative to another. o For example, your knee is superior to your ankle, even though both are located in the inferior half of the body. Study the directional terms below and the example of how each is used. As you read the examples, look at Figure 1.7 to see the location of each structure. ed Ce) Emme Seperor (50° PERS-o0) ‘Toward the head or the uoper part oa structure. Thehearts superior to the ier. (eephebe or cron “laterior(inFE1€-01)(coudal) Away rom the head, or thelower partofa structure. Thestomachis inferior tothe umgs. ‘Artarorar-TER-€ MEDIAL <———> LATERAL, SUPERIOR DISTAL,Planes and Sections You will also study parts of the body relative to planes, Planes are imaginary flat surfaces that pass through the body parts. The midline is an imaginary vertical line that divides the body into equal left and tight sides. + A sagittal plane (sagitt- = arrow) is a vertical plane that divides the body or an organ into right and left sides. More specifically, when such a plane passes through the midline of the body or an organ and divides it into equal right and left sides, it is called a midsagittal plane or a median plane. If the sagittal plane does not pass through the midline but instead divides the body or an organ into unequal right and left sides, it is called a para sagittal Plane (para- = near). A frontal or coronal plane (corona = crown) divides the body or an organ into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions. « A transverse plane divides the body or an organ into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions. Other names for a transverse plane are a cross- sectional or horizontal plane. Sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes are all at right angles to one another. An oblique plane by contrast, passes through the body or an organ at an oblique angle (any angle other than a 90-degree angle When you study a body region, you often view it in section. Planes through the hamen body. TS eee .| Planesdvide tw bodyinvaiouswaystoproduce sections. |Section * Asection is a cut of the body or one of its organs made along one of the planes just described. Itis important to know the plane of the section so you can understand the anatomical relationship of one part to another. « Figure indicates how three different sections-midsagittal, frontal, and transverse-provide different views of the brain. Planes divide the bady it. variaus ways ta produce tat tions Deseton rer War Potoprag: Mark Metin -