INTRODUCTION TO ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY

 

 

ANATOMICAL POSITION:  the anatomical placement of the body before  any movement takes place (standing upright,  toes and palms forward). 

 

 

PLANES OF THE BODY:

 

1.  Frontal - divides body into anterior and posterior portions.

 

2.  Midsagittal - divides body into equal left and right portions  (mirror images).

 

3.  Transverse - divides body into superior and inferior portions  (cross-section).

 

 

DIRECTIONAL TERMS:

 

1.         a.            anterior - nearer to or at the front of the body.

b.            posterior - nearer to or at the back of the body.

 

2.         a.            superior (cranial) - toward the head.

b.            inferior (caudal) - toward the feet or tail.

 

3.         a.            deep - toward the inside or beneath.

b.            superficial - toward the outside (surface) or above.

 

4.         a.            lateral - farther away from the center of the body.

b.            medial - nearer to the center of the body.

 

5.         a.            proximal - nearer to the attachment of a limb to the trunk (on an appendage).

b.         distal - farther away from the attachment of a limb to the trunk (on an appendage).

 

6.         a.            dorsal - toward the back.

b.            ventral - toward the belly

 

     HELPFUL HINTS FOR ANATOMY LAB

 

1.         Go through your lab manual and highlight the structures that appear on your structures list.

 

2.         Be very careful with models!  Tell me if something is broken.

 

3.         Don't wash tissue down the sink!  Throw it in the trash.

 

4.         Clean dissection, boards, and instruments well.  Dry them thoroughly before putting them     away.

 

5.         Look at other students' dissections.

 

6.         Wear gloves and goggles while dissecting.

 

7.         If the smell of the preservatives on your hands bothers you, apply a little heavily-scented             shaving cream after washing with soap.

 

 

   DISSECTING TIPS

 

1.         Cats are double-injected with colored latex to allow easier identification of arteries (aa.)             and veins (vv.).

 

2.            Skinning:

a.            cut around neck, and paws.

b.            cut down the midline to genital area (cut around), cut around base of tail, and you                  should have a coat which can be removed.

c.            replace "coat" at the end of each day with rubber bands.

d.            place cat in bag and close, store in containers.

 

3.            Instruments:

 

a.            scalpel - use rarely; skinning and incisions.

 

b.            blunt/sharp scissors - skinning and incisions.

 

c.            sharp/sharp scissors - separating tissues, e.g. arteries (aa.), veins (vv.), and nerves             (nn.).

 

d.            blunt probe - your main instrument.

 

e.             fingers - separating tissues.