ANATOMICAL POSITION - in the anatomical position, the body is

standing erect and facing forward, the feet are together, and the arms are hanging at the sides
with the palms facing forward
DIRECTIONAL TERMS - describe parts of the body relative to each otherTERM

DEFINITION Supine Lying face upward Prone Lying face downward Superior Higher/ above
Inferior Lower/ below Anterior Front/ Toward the
front of the body Posterior Back/ toward the back
of the body Ventral Belly/ Toward the belly
Dorsal Back/ Toward the back Proximal Nearest/ Closer to a
point of attachment Distal Distant/ Farther from a
point of attachment Medial Toward the midline Lateral Away from the midline Superficial
Toward to the surface
of the body Deep Toward the interior of
the body
BODY PARTS AND REGIONS - used to designate specific areas within
The major body divisions
CENTAL REGION OF THE BODY (AXIAL PARTS) 1. Head 2. Neck 3. Trunk- can be
divided into:
a) Throrax (Chest) b) Abdomen (region between thorax and
pelvis) c) Pelvis (inferior end of the trunk
associated with the hips)
UPPER LIMB (APPENDICULAR PARTS) 1. Arm- extends from the shoulder to the elbow
2. Forearm- extends from the elbow to wrist 3. Wrist 4. Hand
LOWER LIMB (APPENDICULAR PARTS) 1. Thigh- extends from the hip to the knee 2.
Leg- extends from the knee to the ankle 3. Ankle 4. Foot
ABDOMEN (APPENDICULAR PARTS) - often subdivided superficially into four
sections or quadrants by to imaginary lines that intersect at the navel
a. Quadrants- right-upper (RUQ), left-upper (LUQ), right-lower (RLQ), and left-lower (LLQ)
b. Regions- uses four imaginary lines that created an imaginary tic-tac-toe figure on the
abdomen, resulting nine regions:
1. Epigastric- located superior to the umbilical region 2. Right hypochondriac- lie lateral to the
epigastric region and deep to the ribs (chondro = cartilage) 3. Left hypochondriac- lie lateral to
the epigastric region and deep to the ribs (chondro = cartilage) 4. Umbilical- the centermost
region deep to and surrounding the umbilicus (navel) 5. Right lumbar- lie lateral to the
umbilical region (lumbus = loin) 6. Left lumbar- lie lateral to the umbilical region (lumbus =
loin) 7. Hypogastric- located inferior to the umbilical region 8. Right iliac- located lateral to the
hypogastric region (iliac =superior part of the hip bone) 9. Left iliac- located lateral to the
hypogastric region (iliac =superior part of the hip bone)
PLANES - imaginary flat surface - the body is often cut, or sectioned, along
a flat surface
TERMS Sagittal Plane Runs vertically through the body and separates it into right and left parts
Median Plane A sagittal plane that passes though the midline of the body, dividing it into equal
right and left halves Transverse/ Horizontal Plane
Runs parallel to the surface of the ground, dividing the body into superior and inferior parts
Frontal/ Coronal Plane Runs vertically from right to left and divides the body into anterior and
posterior parts Longitudinal Section A cut through the long
axis of the organ Transverse Section/ Cross Section
A cut at a right angle to the long axis Oblique Section A cut is made across the long axis at other
than a right angle
BODY CAVITIES - these cavities are closed to the outside and
provide different degrees of protection to the organs contained within them.
1. NASAL CAVITY - Open to the outside of the body - located within and posterior to the nose,
the
nasal cavity is part of the respiratory system passageways
2. DORSAL BODY CAVITY - which protects the fragile nervous system
organs, has two subdivisions a. CRANIAL CAVITY - in the skull, encases the brain b.
VERTEBRAL OR SPINAL CAVITY - runs within the bony vertebral
column, encloses the delicate spinal cord. The spinal cord is essentially a continuation of the
brain, and the cranial and spinal cavities are continuous with one another.
3. VENTRAL BODY CAVITY - the more anterior and larger of the closed
body cavities - has two major subdivisions:
a. THORACIC CAVITY - superior subdivision,is surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the
chest - It is further subdivided into lateral
pleural cavities each enveloping a lung, and the medial mediastinum. The mediastinum contains
the pericardial cavity, which encloses the heart, and it also surrounds the remaining thoracic
organs (esophagus, trachea, and others).
- The thoracic cavity is separated from
the more inferior abdominopelvic cavity by the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle important in
breathing.
b. ABDOMINOPELVIC CAVITY - has two parts. - these regions are not physically separated
by a muscular or membrane wall - the abdominal and pelvic cavities are not aligned with each
other. Instead, the bowl-shaped pelvis tips away from the perpendicular - the ventral body cavity
houses internal organs collectively called the viscera or visceral organs.
4. ABDOMINAL CAVITY - is bounded primarily by the abdominal muscles and contains the
stomach, the intestines, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, and the kidneys.
5. PELVIC CAVITY - is a small space enclosed by the bones of the
pelvis and contains the urinary bladder, part of the large intestine, and the internal reproductive
organs.
6. ORAL AND DIGESTIVE CAVITIES - commonly called the mouth, contains the
teeth and tongue - it is part of and continuous with the cavity of the digestive organs, which
opens to the body exterior at the anus.
7. ORBITAL CAVITIES - (orbits) in the skull house the eyes and
present them in an anterior position.
8. MIDDLE EAR CAVITIES - the middle ear cavities in the skull lie just
medial to the eardrums. These cavities
contain tiny bones that transmit sound vibrations to the hearing receptors in the inner ears
9. SYNOVIAL CAVITIES - are joint cavities - they are enclosed within fibrous capsules
that surround freely movable joints of the body - like the serous membranes, membranes
lining synovial cavities secrete a lubricating fluid that reduces friction as the bones move across
one another.
SEROUS MEMBRANES - line the trunk cavities and cover the
organs of these cavities - to understand the relationship between
serous membranes and an organ, imagine pushing your fist into an inflated balloon. The inner
balloon wall in contact with your fist (organ) represents the visceral serous membrane, and the
outer part of the balloon wall represents the parietal serous membrane - the part of the membrane
lining the cavity
walls is called the parietal serosa . It folds in on itself to form the visceral serosa, covering the
organs in the cavity. - The cavity, or space, between the visceral
and parietal serous membranes is normally filled with a thin, lubricating film of serous fluid
produced by the membranes
- As an organ rubs against another organ or against the body wall, the serous fluid and smooth
serous membranes reduce friction. - Thoracic cavity contains three serous
membrane-lined cavities:
1. PERICARDIAL CAVITY - surrounds the heart . The visceral pericardium covers the heart,
which is contained within a connective tissue sac lined with the parietal pericardium. The
pericardial cavity, which contains pericardial fluid, is located between the visceral pericardium
and the parietal pericardium
2. TWO PLEURAL CAVITIES - surrounds each lung, which is
covered by visceral pleura. Parietal pleura lines the inner surface of the thoracic wall, the lateral
surfaces of the mediastinum, and the superior surface of the diaphragm. The pleural cavity is
located between the visceral pleura and the parietal pleura and contains pleural fluid.
- Abdominopelvic cavity contains a
serous membrane-lined cavity called the peritoneal cavity. Visceral peritoneum covers many of
the organs of the abdominopelvic cavity. Parietal peritoneum lines the wall of the
abdominopelvic cavity and the inferior surface of the diaphragm. - Peritoneal cavity is located
between the visceral peritoneum and the parietal peritoneum and contains peritoneal fluid. -
Serous membranes can become
inflamed—usually as a result of an infection. - Pericarditis is inflammation of the
pericardium - Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleura
- Peritonitis is inflammation of the
peritoneum.
 POSTERIOR BODY LANDMARKS Abdominal Anterior body trunk
inferior to ribs Acromial Point of shoulder Antebrachial Forearm Antecubital Anterior surface of
elbow Axillary Armpit Brachial Arm Buccal Cheek area Carpal Wrist Cervical Neck region
Coxal Hip Crucal Anterior leg; shin Deltoid Curve of shoulder formed by large deltoid muscle
Digital Fingers, toes Femoral Thigh (applies to both
anterior and posterior) Fibular Lateral part of leg Frontal Forehead Inguinal Area where thigh
meets body trunk; groin Mental Chin Nasal Nose area Oral Mouth Orbital Eye area Patellar
Anterior knee Pectoral Relating to, or occurring in or on, the chest Pelvic Area overlying the
pelvis anteriorly Pubic Genital region Sternal Breastbone area Tarsal Ankle region Thoracic Are
between the neck
and abdomen, supported by the ribs, sternum and costal cartilages; chest Umbilical Navel
POSTERIOR BODY LANDMARKS Calcaneal Heel or foot Cephalic Head Femoral Thigh
Gluteal Buttock Lumbar Area of back between
ribs and hips, loin Occipital Posterior surface of
head or base of skull Olacranal Posterior surface of
elbow Popliteal Posterior knee area Sacral Area between hips at
base of spine Scapular Shoulder blade region Sural Posterior surface of
leg; calf Vertebral Area of spinal column
REFERENCE:
Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology 5th Edition. Scanlon, V.C. & Sanders, T., 2007. F.A.
Davis Company, Philadelphia. (PDF)
Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology 12th Edition. Marieb, E.N & Keller, 2016. S.M.
Boston : Pearson. (PDF)
Seeley’s Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Ninth Edition. VanPutte, C., Regan, J., Russo, A.,
2016. McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY. (PDF)
Orientation and
Directional Terms
Table
1.1
TER
M
DEFINITI
ON
EXAMP
LE

Superior
(cranial)
The head is superior to
the abdomen.
 Toward the head end or upper part of
a structure or the body:
above

Inferior
(caudal)
The navel is inferior to
the chin.
Away from the
head end or toward
the lower part of a
structure or the
body; below

Ventral
(anterior)*
The breastbone is anterior
to the spine.
Toward or at the front of the body; in
front of

Dorsal
(posterior)*
The heart is posterior to the
breastbone.
Toward or at the back of the body;
behind

Media
l
The heart is medial to the
arm.
Toward or at the midline of the body; on the
inner side of

4***
Later
al
The arms are lateral to
the chest.
Away from the midline of the body;
on the
outer side of

Intermedi
ate
Between a more medial and a more
lateral structure
The collarbone is intermediate between the breastbone and shoulder.

Proxim
al
The elbow is proximal to
the wrist.
Closer to the origin of the body part or the
point of attachment of a
limb to the body trunk

Dista
l
The knee is distal to
the thigh.
Farther from the origin of a body part or
the point of attachment
of a limb to the body
trunk

Superficial
(external)
Toward or at the
body surface
The skin is superficial to the skeletal muscles.
Deep
(internal)
Away from the body surface; more
internal
The lungs are deep
to the skin.

4
*The terms ventral and anterior are synonymous in humans, but this is not the case in four-legged
animals. Anterior refers to the leading portion of the body (abdominal surface in humans, head in a cat), but
ventral specifically refers to the "belly" of a vertebrate animal, so it is the inferior surface of four legged
animals. Likewise, although the dorsal and posterior surfaces are the same in humans, the term dorsal
specifically refers to an animal's back. Thus, the dorsal surface of four-legged animals is their superior
surface. 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.

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