Basics of anatomy part-1-
Asst. Prof. Dr. Soran M Karim
B.D.S., M.Sc. ,PhD. General human anatomy and
embryology
• C.O.A
• Session; 1st
• References; C.O.A / Richard
Snell chapter -1- general
organization of the human body
Lecture outline and involved terminology
• History
• What is anatomy?
• Basic anatomy vs. COA
• Levels of structural organization in human body
• Anatomy vs. physiology
• Branches/ and subdivisions/
• Gross vs. microscopically anatomy!
• Anatomical position
• Basic body cuts and planes
• Regions of the human body/ surface anatomy
• Terms of anatomy; basic terms/ regional terms
• Terms of position vs. terms of movement
• 11 organ systems of the human body
By the end of the section you will be able to:
• Distinguish between anatomy and physiology, and identify several branches of
each
• Describe the structure of the body from simplest to most complex, in terms of
the six levels of organization
• Use appropriate anatomical terminology to identify key body structures, body
regions, and directions in the body
• Demonstrate the anatomical position
• Describe the orientation of human body using directional and regional terms
• Identify three planes most commonly used in the study of anatomy
• Distinguish between the posterior(dorsal) and anterior (ventral) body
landmarks
• Be familiar with terms of movement and the 11 organ systems of the body
Introduction
• The human body is a complex and
intricate piece of engineering in which
every structure plays a precise role.
• There are approximately 206 -300
bones, 650-720 muscles, 360 joints, 11
organ systems,79 organs, over 7
trillion nerves and enough blood
vessels to circle the Earth twice!
History in brief
• Curiosity and medical reasons!
• Earliest recorded history can be traced back to
ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, roman and Greek
eras
• Early anatomists were mostly artists or multi-
talented philosophers and scientists; Leonardo
Da-Vinci and Galen
• The final major anatomist of ancient times
was Galen
• Islamic contribution; Abū Bakr al-Rāzī and his
kitab al mansoor / Ibn al-Nafis
• Modern era; Andreas Vesalis, Dr.Nicolas Tulip,
Frank Netters
Da-Vinci’s drawings
Painting of Dr. Tulip
Medieval Islamic drawing
Part one outline….
• What is anatomy
• Levels of organization
• Dissection vs. vivisection
• Anatomy vs. physiology
• Branches and subdivions
(subspecialties)
• Anatomical position
• Medical positions
• Essential body cuts
Dissection vs. vivisection
• Dissection (from
Latin dissecare "to cut to pieces";
also called anatomization), is the
dismembering of the body of a
deceased animal or plant to study
its anatomical structure.
• A “vivisection” is a dissection on a
body which is still alive, for
obvious reasons preferably under
local or general anaesthesia, also
called “surgery”. An “autopsy” is
an offical act to determine the
cause of death of a deceased
person.
Basic body cuts and planes in clinical practice
Other relevant medical
positions
Part -2- out line
• The language of anatomy
• Basic terms
• Regional terms
• Regional body map
• Terms indicate direction
• Terms indicate movement
• The 11 organ systems of the
body
For more detail scan this QR code
Terms that indicate location/
position/ directional terms
Directional terms used to precisely
locate one boy part in relation to
another
Commonly used ones;
• Anterior vs. posterior
• Right vs. left
• Superior vs. inferior
• Lateral vs. medial
• Proximal vs. distal
Directional Terms
• Anterior (or ventral) describes the front or direction toward the front of
the body
• The toes are anterior to the foot
• Posterior(or dorsal) describes the back or direction toward the back of
the body
• The popliteus is posterior to the patella
• Superior(or cranial) describes a position above or higher than another part of
the body proper.
• The orbits are superiorto the oris.
• Inferior (or caudal) describes a position below or lower than another part of
the body
• proper; near or toward the tail (in humans, the coccyx, or lowest part of the
spinal column). The pelvis is inferior to the abdomen.
More directional terms;
• Lateral; describes the side or direction toward the side of the body
• The pollex (thumb) is lateral to the digits.
• Medial describes the middle or direction toward the middle of the body;
The hallux (big toe) is the medial to the phalanges.
• Proximal describes a position in a limb that is nearer to the point of attachment
or the trunk of the body
• The brachium is proximal to the antebrachium.
• Distal describes a position in a limb that is farther from the point of attachment
or the trunk of the body
• The crus is distal to the femur
• Superficial describes a position closer to the surface of the body; The skin
is superficial to the bones.
• Deep describes a position farther from the surface of the body; The brain is deep
to the skull
Recently……
Ghanim Al Muftah,
22, stole the show at the
opening ceremony of
the Qatar World Cup
2022, sharing the stage
with American actor
Morgan Freeman.
Condition called; CRS/
Caudal regression
syndrome…..
Relatable examples
Terms of movement
Organ systems of the human body
Debate
• How to study human anatomy?
• How to link it to your suture specialty?
• What Resources to read on/ from!
• Books, websites, social media….etc.
• From the previous slide (last one) how to apply it
into practical anatomy!?
Reliable websites…….
Teach me anatomy Kenhub
Official books
Richard Snell Netters atlas
