Scope of Anatomy and Physiology 

Definition of various terms used in Anatomy

ANATOMYis the science of body structures

and the relationship among structures

PHYSIOLOGYis the science of body functions

– how body works

LEVELS OF BODY ORGANISATION

• Chemical Level• Cellular Level• Tissue Level• Organ Level• System Level• Organism Level

CHARACTERSTICS OF LIFE

• Metabolism• Responsiveness• Movement• Growth• Differentiation• Reproduction

BODY POSITIONS• Description of any region or part of

humans body assume that it is in a specific stance, called anatomical position

• Supine

• Prone

Anatomical Planes• Plane:-Imaginary flat surface that passes through the

body or body part• Sagittal Plane-is the vertical plane that divides boy or

organ into right and left sides.• When such a plane passes through the midline of body

or organ and divides into equal right and left sides, it is called midsagittal plane.

• Frontal/Coronal Plane-Plane divides body or organ into anterior(front) and posterior(back) portions

• Transverse Plane-Plane divides body or an organ into superior and inferior portions

• Sagittal, frontal and transverse planes are right angles to one another.

Directional Terms• Directional term describe the position of one

body part relative to another.• Superior-Toward the head or upper part of the

structure• Inferior-Away from head or lower part of the

structure• Anterior-Nearer to or at the front of body• Posterior-Nearer to at the back of body• Medial-Nearer to midline• Lateral-Farther from midline

Directional Terms• Intermediate-between two structures• Ipsilateral-On the same side of the body as

another structure• Contralateral-On the opposite side of the body

from another structure• Proximal-Nearer to the attachment of a limb to

the trunk; nearer to the origination of structure• Distal- Farther from attachment of a limb to the

trunk; farther from the origination of structure

Surface Anatomy

• Study of anatomical landmarks on the surface of boy through visualization and palpation

Body Cavities

• Body cavities are spaces that help protect, separate and support internal organs.

• Major cavities of body-Dorsal and Ventral body cavity

• DORSAL BODY CAVITY-• Located near posterior surface of body• It has 2 subdivisions: Cranial Cavity and

Vertebral Canal

Cranial CavityThe cranial cavity contains the brain, and its boundaries are formed by the bones of the skull Anteriorly —1 frontal boneLaterally — 2 temporal bonesPosteriorly — 1 occipital boneSuperiorly — 2 parietal bonesInferiorly — 1 sphenoid and 1 ethmoid bone and parts of the frontal, temporal and occipitalbones.

Vertebral Canal- formed by vertebrae and contains Spinal Cord

VENTRAL BODY CAVITY

• It is located on the anterior aspect of the body

• It has 2 subdivisions:Thoracic Cavity and Abdominopelvic Cavity

• Diaphragm-separates these two cavities• Organs inside ventral body cavity are

termed “Viscera”

Thoracic Cavity• Ribs, muscles of the chest, sternum and

thoracic portion of vertebral column form thoracic cavity

• It contains pleural, pericardial cavities and mediastinum

• Each Pleural cavity surrounds one lung• Pericardial cavity surrounds heart• Mediastinum contains thymus, esophagus,

trachea and several large blood vessels

Abdominopelvic cavity• Formed by abdominal muscle wall and

bones & muscles of the pelvis• Superior portion-Abdominal cavity: it

contains stomach, spleen, liver, gall bladder, small intestine and most of large intestine

• Inferior portion-Pelvic cavity: it contains urinary bladder, portions of large intestine and internal organs of reproduction

Abdominal cavity• This is the largest cavity in the body and is oval in

shape . It is situated in the main part of the trunk and its boundaries are:

• Superiorly — the diaphragm, which separates it from the thoracic cavity

• Anteriorly — the muscles forming the anterior abdominal wall

• Posteriorly —the lumbar vertebrae and muscles forming the posterior abdominal wall

• Laterally — the lower ribs and parts of the muscles of the abdominal wall

• Inferiorly — the pelvic cavity with which it is continuous.

ABDOMINOPELVIC REGIONS• Abdominopelvic cavity divided into nine

compartments by 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines

• Horizontal lines:• Subcoastal line-drawn just inferior to

ribcage, across inferior portion of stomach• Transtubercular line-drawn just inferior to

top of hip bones• Vertical lines:• Left and Right Midclavicular lines-drawn

through the midpoints of clavicles.

Names of ABDOMINOPELVIC REGIONS:

Pelvic Cavity• The pelvic cavity is roughly funnel shaped and

extends• from the lower end of the abdominal cavity.• The boundaries are:• Superiorly — it is continuous with the abdominal• cavity• Anteriorly — the pubic bones• Posteriorly — the sacrum and coccyx• Laterally — the innominate bones• Inferiorly — the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Female reproductive organs and other structures in the pelvic cavity.

Male reproductive organs and other structures in the pelvic cavity.

REFERENCE LINES• On Anterior

1-Midsternal Line2-Midclavicular Line3-Anterior Axillary Line

• On Posterior4-Vertebral Line5-Scapular line6-Posterior Scapular line

1 2 3