Lecture notes
Introduction to Anatomy
- Module
- Medicine
- Institution
- The University Of Liverpool (UoL)
Introduction to anatomy notes covering anatomical position, respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
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Week 1 – Introduction to AnatomyAnatomical Position
Head looking straight ahead
Standing erect
Legs parallel, not pressed together
Arms by side, not pressed to side
Palms facing forwards
Feet flat
In males, penis is erect
Why do we need this?
A defined default position
Makes it easier to describe structures
and conditions
Easier to use anatomical terminology
when have a default position
Anatomical Terminology
Right and Left
• Important to remember, when referring to the patient it is the
patient’s left and right – not the observers.
• i.e. A patient lying on a bed with a “broken left leg” has
broken their left leg, which when facing them from the
bottom of the bed would be your right.
• This is very important in imaging.
• X-rays are always taken as if you were facing the patient –
your right is their left and your left is their right.
• CT scans and MRIs are most commonly taken as if you were
looking up from the patient’s feet (like at the end of their
bed) – so again your right is their left and your left is their
right.
Superior and Inferior
• Superior is “above” a structure – closer to the head.
• Inferior is “below” a structure – closer to the feet.
• e.g. The stomach is superior to the transverse colon, but
inferior to the lungs.
Cranial and Caudal
• Very similar to superior & inferior.
• Cranial is towards the head (the cranium)
• Caudal is towards the tail.
• More commonly used in veterinary or comparative anatomy.
• In humans, caudal can be used to describe structures in the brain.
, Medial and Lateral
• Both relate to the midline/median of the body – the core or centre point.
• Can also be the midline of a limb – the median plane.
• Medial is closer to the midline.
• Lateral is further away from the midline
- E.g. The hand lies lateral to the pelvis, and the pelvis is more medial than the hand
- In terms of a limb – e.g. the middle finger is a midline structure, so the thumb is lateral and the
little finger is also lateral.
Anterior and Posterior
• Front and back, essentially.
• Usually used in reference to other structures or for surfaces (anterior surface).
• Anterior is located closer to the front of the body.
• Posterior is located closer to the back of the body.
- E.g. the heart is anterior to the thoracic vertebrae, but posterior to the sternum.
Ventral and Dorsal
• Very similar to anterior & posterior.
• Ventral is (usually) towards the front.
• Dorsal is (usually) toward the back.
• More commonly used in veterinary and comparative anatomy, but does have some human
applications.
- The anterior aspect of the hand is the palmar (ventral) side, the posterior is the dorsum (dorsal) of
the hand.
- The inferior aspect of the foot is the plantar (ventral) side, the superior is the dorsum (dorsal) of
the foot.
- Structures that extend from the body such as the tongue, nose, and penis also have dorsal and
ventral sides.
• Dorsum of penis is the surface nearest the abdomen when erect, but anterior when
flaccid. Ventral surface is anterior when erect, but in contact with the scrotum when
flaccid.
• Dorsum of the tongue is the upper surface, the ventral is the surface below in contact
with the floor of the oral cavity.
• Dorsum of the nose is the exterior surface, ventral is inside.
Proximal and Distal
• Usually used in reference to limbs.
• Proximal is closer to the centre (core/trunk) of the body.
• Distal is further away from the centre (core/trunk) of the body.
• E.g. the scapula and wrist are distal to the elbow, elbow is proximal to wrist when compared with
scapula which is distal.
Deep and Superficial
• Refers to the skin and below.
• Deep is closer to the core or centre of the body.
• Superficial is closer to the outside of the body.
- E.g. the abdominal muscles are deep to the skin, but they are superficial to the abdominal organs.
• Often used in naming of muscles (especially of the upper limb).
- Latin of “deep” is “profundus”, “superficial” is “superficialis”.
- Also used in muscle naming is longus (long) and brevis (short).
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