Term | Definition |
Anatomical Position | - Errect body
- feet slightly apart
- head and toes forward
- arms at sides
- palms forward |
Axial | The trunk of the body
- relates to head and the neck |
Appendicular | hips on down
- appendages or limbs |
inferior | the part of the body located below another
(body and torso) |
Superior | the part of the body located above another
(body and torso)
- the heart is superior to the liver |
Anterior/Ventral | nearer to or front of the body
- the sternum (breastbone) is anterior to the heart |
posterior/Dorsal | Nearer to or at the back of the body
- the esophagus is posterior to the trachea (windpipe) |
Medial | nearer to the midline
- the ulna is medial to the radius |
lateral | farther from the midline
- the lungs are lateral to the heart |
Intermediate | Between two structures
- the transverse colon is intermediate to the ascending and descending colons |
Proximal | nearer to the attachment of a limb to the trunk; nearer to the origination of a structure
- the humerus is proximal to the radius |
Distal | farther from the attachment of a limb to the trunk; father from the origination of a structure
- the phalanges are distal to he carpals |
Superficial | toward or on the surface of the body
- The ribs are superficial to the lungs |
deep | the ribs are deep to the skin of the chest and back |
Sagittal Plane | a vertical plane that divides the body or organ into right and left sides |
Midsagittal (medial) | when a plane passes through the midline of a body or an organ and divides it into two equal right and left sides |
Frontal | divides the body into anterior and posterior planes |
Transverse(horizontal) | divides the body or organ into superior and inferior portions |
Oblique section | passes through the body or an organ at an oblique angle (any angle other than 90 degrees) |
Dorsal Cavity | protect the nervous system and is divided into two subdivisions |
cranial Cavity | within the skull and contains the brain |
Vertebral | runs within the vertebral column and contains the spinal cord and beginnings of spinal nerves |
Ventral Cavity | contains the internal organs (viscera) and is divided into two subdivisions; thoracic and abdominopelvic |
Plural Cavities | each surrounds a lung |
Mediastinum | central portion of thoracic cavity between the lungs, extends from sternum to vertebral column and from first rib to diaphragm
- contains heart thymus esophagus trachea and several large blood vessels |
pericardial Cavity | surrounds the heart |
Adbominopelvic Cavity | subdivided into abdominal and pelvic cavities |
abdominal Cavity | contains; stomach spleen, lier, gallbladder, small intestine and most of the large intestine |
Pelvic Cavity | lies within the pelvis and contains urinary bladder, portions of large intestine, and internal organs of reproduction and rectum |