Our body is incredibly complex, not every part is the same nor has the same functions. But how can we identify which is which and what does it do? Well, there are two branches of science that are in charge of that: anatomy and physiology.
People tend to confuse them and believe that they are the same thing. Let's define them:
So now that we have that clear ,we are going to be focusing on anatomy for now. To avoid confusion between those two, anatomists made a special vocabulary referring to each structure of the body.
These terms are divided in different types:
•Body Positions
• Regional names
• Directional terms
• Body planes
Body Positions
They are used to describe any part or region of the body. We have three positions:
People tend to confuse them and believe that they are the same thing. Let's define them:
- Anatomy is the science that studies body structures and the relationships among them.
- Physiology is the science that studies body functions.
So now that we have that clear ,we are going to be focusing on anatomy for now. To avoid confusion between those two, anatomists made a special vocabulary referring to each structure of the body.
These terms are divided in different types:
•Body Positions
• Regional names
• Directional terms
• Body planes
Body Positions
They are used to describe any part or region of the body. We have three positions:
Regional Names
They divide the body in major regions which help identify them externally. They include the head,neck,trunk,upper and lower limbs.
They divide the body in major regions which help identify them externally. They include the head,neck,trunk,upper and lower limbs.
Directional terms
They describe the position of a part of the body in relation to another. Some of them are grouped in pairs showing that they are opposites.
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They describe the position of a part of the body in relation to another. Some of them are grouped in pairs showing that they are opposites.
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Body Planes
Finally we have the body planes which are imaginary flat surfaces that are used to divide the body or organs to visualize interior structures as we see in the image below:
Finally we have the body planes which are imaginary flat surfaces that are used to divide the body or organs to visualize interior structures as we see in the image below:
Sources:
Seer training Module. (19 de September de 2015). Anatomical Terminology. Obtenido de Seer Training Module: http://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/body/terminology.html
TeachMeAnatomy.info. (19 de September de 2015). Anatomical terms of location. Obtenido de TeachMeAnatomy.info: http://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/anatomical-terminology/terms-of-location/
TecMilenio. (19 de September de 2015). Human Body Care . Obtenido de Topic 1: Introduction to the anatomy of the human body: http://bbsistema.tecmilenio.edu.mx/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_223339_1%26url%3D