Introduction &
Orientation to the
Human Body
Anatomy
 Field of study that describes the
structure, location, and
relationships of body parts.
Branches of Anatomy
 Gross Anatomy- Study of body
structures that are visible without a
microscope.
 Regional Anatomy- Focuses on
specific area of the body, such as
the head, neck, or trunk.
 Microanatomy- Examines
structures on a microscopic level.
 Histology- Microanatomy that
studies tissues.
Physiology
 The study of the mechanisms that
enable the body to function.
 Study of functions of the human
body.
Levels of Organization
 Chemical Level- Simplest (O,H,C,K).
 Cellular Level- Combination of molecules (cell)
basic unit of structure and function.
 Tissue Level- Combination of cells that perform a
function. (Four types exist in the human body)
 Organ Level- Two or more types of tissues
combined to perform a general function(heart
,liver)
 System Level- Two or more organs and associated
structures that perform a more general function.
 Complete Organism- Composed of many systems
dependant on each other to perform their function.
Body Regions
 1. Cephalic or Head
 2. Cervical or Neck
Body Regions
 Trunk
 1. Thorax
 2. Abdomen
 3. Pelvis
Directional Terminology
 Superior: Towards the head end or
upper portion of the body.
 Inferior: Towards the bottom portion of
the body.
 Ventral: The front of the body.
 Dorsal: The back of the body.
 Medial: Toward the middle or center of
the body
 Lateral: Away from the center of the
body.
Directions Cont….
 Cephalad: The head.
 Caudal: The tail (lower spine coccyx
vertebrae).
 Proximal: Toward the base(trunk) of the
body.
 Distal: Away from the base (trunk) of the
body.
 Superficial: The surface of the body.
 Deep: The inside of the body.
Body Cavities
 Dorsal Cavity- Is located on the
posterior or back side and contains
the cranial and vertebral cavities.
 Cranial cavity the space that
contains the brain and vertebral
(spinal) cavity (spinal cord).
Body Cavities
 Ventral- Anterior or front side,
contains the thoracic and abdominalpelvic cavity.
 Thoracic- Divided into 3 smaller
cavities.
 Pleural- two cavities which enclose the
lungs.
 Pericardial- small space between the two
membranes around the heart.
 Mediastinum- contains, trachea,
esophagus, vessels.
Body Cavities
 Abdominal-pelvic: Contains the peritoneal
cavity which is divided into two separate
cavities, the Abdominal and Pelvic.
 Abdominal- contains the stomach, small
intestines, liver, and most of the large
intestines.
 Pelvic- contains the urinary bladder, the
rest of the large intestines, internal
reproductive organs.
 Diaphragm- Flat muscular sheet that
separates the thoracic and abdominalpelvic cavities.
Body Cavities
Body Planes
 Sagittal: Extends parallel to the long axis
of the body and divides the body into
right and left portions.
 Frontal/Coronal: Extends parallel to axis
but divides the body into anterior (front)
and posterior (back) planes.
 Transverse/Horizontal: Extends
perpendicular to the sagittal and frontal
planes.
Abdomino-pelvic
Quadrants
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Right Upper
Right Lower
Left Upper
Left Lower
Regions
Anatomical Landmarks
(QUIZ)
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Frontal
Orbital
Buccal
Cervical
Abdominal
Pelvic
Inguinal
Femoral
Pedal
Olecranal
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Patellar
Digital
Antebrachial
Brachial
Axillary
Acromial
Popliteal
Sural
Calcaneal
Plantar