Body Organization and
Terminology
Lab Exercise 2
Bio 160
Body Cavities
• Axial – Head, neck and trunk
• Appendicular – Upper and lower limbs
Body Cavities
• Dorsal cavity – back side – formed by
cranium and vertebrae
 Cranial cavity – contains brain
 Vertebral (spinal) canal – contains spinal
cord
Body Cavities
• Ventral Cavity – Belly side - organs inside are
collectively called viscera
lined with serous membrane (parietal and
visceral) (peritoneum, pleura, pericardium)
 Thoracic cavity
Pleural cavity - contains lungs
(parietal and visceral pleura)
Body Cavities
Mediastinum - mass of soft tissue
between lungs from sternum to vertebral
column; includes heart in pericardial
cavity (parietal and visceral pericardium),
aorta, esophagus and trachea
Body Cavities
 Abdominopelvic cavity - lined with parietal
and visceral peritoneum
(diaphragm divides the thoracic from
abdominopelvic)
Abdominal
Pelvic
Body Cavities
• Smaller cavities within the head
 Oral cavity
 Nasal cavity and sinuses
 Orbital cavity
 Middle ear cavity
Organ Systems
• Integumentary system – Body covering
 Skin
 Hair and nails
• Skeletal system – Support and protection of
soft tissue, production of blood cells and
storage of calcium
 Bones
Organ Systems
 Ligaments
 Cartilage
• Muscular system – Movement, posture
maintenance and heat production
 Skeletal muscles
 Tendons
Organ Systems
• Nervous system – Receives sensory information,
interprets information and stimulates effectors
(ex. muscles or glands)
 Brain
 Spinal cord
 Nerves
Organ Systems
• Endocrine system – Secretes hormones
 Pituitary gland
 Thyroid gland
 Adrenal gland
 Pancreas
 Ovaries and Testes
 Thymus
Organ Systems
• Cardiovascular system – Transport of gases,
nutrients, hormones and wastes throughout body
 Heart
 Arteries
 Veins
Organ Systems
• Lymphatic system – Transports fluids back to
bloodstream and some fats away from digestive
system, also helps fight infections
 Lymphatic vessels
 Lymph nodes
 Thymus
 Spleen
Organ Systems
• Digestive system – Breaks down food into
simpler forms that can be absorbed by the body
 Mouth
 Tongue
 Teeth
 Salivary glands
 Pharnyx
Organ Systems
 Esophagus
 Stomach
 Liver
 Gallbladder
 Pancreas
 Small Intestines
 Large Intestines
Organ Systems
• Respiratory system – Move air in and out and
exchange gases between the blood and air
 Nasal cavity and Pharnyx
 Larnyx
 Trachea
 Bronchi
 Lungs
Organ Systems
• Urinary system – Removes wastes from blood
and maintains the body’s water and salt balance
 Kidneys
 Ureters
 Urinary bladder
 Urethra
Organ Systems
• Male Reproductive system –Production and
delivery of male reproductive cells (sperm)
 Scrotum
 Testes
 Penis
 Urethra
Organ Systems
• Female Reproductive system –Production and
maintenance of female reproductive cells (eggs)
 Ovaries
 Uterine tubes (Oviducts; Fallopian tubes)
 Uterus
 Vagina
Anatomical Position
• body upright facing observer
• arms at side
• palms facing forward
Directional Terms
(anatomical directions)
• Dorsal – back side
• Ventral – belly side
• Anterior – that part which goes first (= ventral
because belly goes first when we proceed
(anterior = ventral only in bipeds and not in
quadripeds))
Directional Terms (anatomical
directions) (2)
• Posterior – that part which follows
(posterior = dorsal)
• Superior – toward head or above another
structure
• Inferior – away from the head or below
another structure
Directional Terms (anatomical
directions) (3)
• Lateral – away from midline
• Medial – toward midline
• Superficial – near the surface
• Deep – more internal than superficial parts
Directional Terms (anatomical
directions) (4)
• Proximal
– nearer to point of attachment of an extremity to
trunk (ex. humerus is proximal to radius)
– nearer to point of reference (origin) (ex.
proximal convoluted tubules in kidney
nephrons)
Directional Terms (anatomical
directions) (5)
• Distal
– further from attachment of an extremity to
trunk
– further from point of reference (origin)
Body Planes & Sections
• Plane – imaginary flat surface
• Section – flat surface resulting from a cut made
through the structure
1) Sagittal - section resulting from a plane that
divides the body into right and left portions
Body Planes & Sections (2)
2) Frontal (Coronal) - section resulting from a
plane that divides body into front and back
(anterior and posterior)
3) Transverse (cross) (xs) - section resulting
from a plane that divides body into superior
and inferior portions along a horizontal
plane (actually any section that is a right
angle to the length of a structure) (a slice of
bread is a cross section of a loaf of bread)
Body Regions
• Review Body Regions in text, pages 14-17,
Fig 1.15&1.16