sign in sign up
<<
Home , Anatomical terminology

Anatomical Terminology Review

Caudal Anterior

Superior Deep Lateral Dorsal Proximal Ventral Coronal Inferior

Cranial Medial Superficial

Distal Transverse

Median Posterior Sagittal Anatomical Terminology Review

Anterior Coronal Caudal Median Cranial Sagittal Deep Transvers Distal e Dorsal Inferior Lateral Medial Posterior Proximal Sagittal Superior Superficial Transverse Ventral Having an understanding of anatomical terminology is critical to being able to describe body locations in appropriate detail. This will help you throughout the year. Use your background knowledge to figure out the meanings of the terms. Anatomical Terminology POGIL

1. Think of the meaning of the word superior. “The General is my superior officer.” What does the anatomical term superior mean? 2. What part of the body is the cranium? Does this fit with your answer for number 1? 3. Caudal is an antonym of the word cranial, but rarely used for humans. What might caudal mean? 4. Think of the meaning of the word inferior and then write a sentence using that anatomical term. What two terms are the opposite of inferior? 5. How do caudal and inferior differ? How do superior and cranial differ? Anatomical Terminology POGIL

Sagittal The previously defined terms are Median used to indicate specific parts of Coronal the body. Sagittal, median, Transverse coronal, and transverse are different because they are used to describe cuts made on different planes. Now that you know the meaning of several anatomical terms, Let’s practice. Shape your Play-doh into a gingerbread man shape. 6. Place a toothpick into the man superior to his . 7. Place another toothpick just inferior to the . 8. Make a sagittal cut to the patellar region. 9. Make a transverse cut to the carpal region. Anatomical Terminology POGIL

10. Think of the dorsal fin on a shark or dolphin. What side of the animal is it on, make a sketch? What do you think the word dorsal means? 11. Posterior means the same thing as dorsal for humans, but not for sharks. Explain. 12. Anterior and ventral are antonyms of posterior and dorsal. What do the words anterior and ventral mean? Anatomical Terminology POGIL 13. Think of the word median used in math class. Which number is the median in the following set: 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, 7, 7, 8, 9? What do you think median means? 14. Median and medial mean pretty much the same thing, but we will come back to the difference between the terms in a while. What does medial mean? 15. Lateral is an antonym (opposite) of medial. If you ever look closely at a fish you will notice the lateral line which helps fish to turn together simultaneously when they school. What body position do you think lateral refers to? 16. Move the toothpick superior to the eye so that it is lateral to the eye.

17. Locate the toothpick inferior to the nose. If it is not medial, move it so that it is.

18. Make a transverse cut starting medial and moving lateral towards the left region. Anatomical Terminology POGIL

19. Kim Kardashian comes across as being very superficial. This anatomical term is an antonym to the word deep. What does superficial mean? 20. Is the a superficial or deep ? Anatomical Terminology POGIL The anatomical term distal has a meaning that is very close to caudal and inferior. The term proximal has a meaning that is very close to cranial and superior. Read the following sentences and see if you can figure out the way in which the terms proximal and distal differ from the other terms. *The belly button is superior to the . *The are inferior to the nose. *The occipital (bone at the back base of the ) is cranial to the thoracic vertebrae ( of the chest). *The pectoralis (chest muscle) is caudal to the . *The are cranial to the (collar bone). *The (tail bone) is inferior to the floating ribs.

*The phalanges () are distal to the . *The ( bone) is proximal to the metatarsals ( ). *The (upper bone) is proximal to the (lower arm bone). *The tarsals ( bones) are distal to the (lower leg bone) Anatomical Terminology POGIL

21. What does distal mean? What does proximal mean? What distinction separates the way those terms are used from the way you would use inferior, superior, cranial, and caudal? 22. Take one of your toothpicks and stick it into a part of the body where you would use the word proximal and distal? Now make a transverse cut distal to the toothpick. Let’s put it all together!

Remove the toothpicks from your gingerbread man and fix up all of his incisions.

23. A transverse cut slices the body into superior and inferior portions. Make a transverse cut to the so that you have a cranial and caudal section (of the head). 24. A coronal cut slices the body into dorsal and ventral portions. Make a coronal cut so that you have an anterior and posterior portion. Anatomical Terminology POGIL

25. Sagittal and median/midsagittal cuts both divide the body into right and left portions. What does the term median mean? If both cuts divide the body into right and left sections, what do you think is the difference between a sagittal and midsagittal cut?

26. Make a sagittal cut starting at the acromial region and a midsagittal cut inferior to the . Challenge: Can you use your terms?

1. Place a toothpick superficially and laterally just inferior to the nose, but cranial to the on the ventral side of the gingerbread man. 2. Place another toothpick on the posterior side medial and distal to where the popliteal would be found. 3. Make a transverse cut midway from the antecubital to the carpal of the right arm. 4. Make an oblique cut through the starting at the left hypochondriac region and ending at the right iliac region. 5. Place one of your toothpicks where you might get a plantar wart. Challenge: What Body Part Am I?

6. I am located superior to the inguinal region, inferior to the mammary region, medial and anterior to the lumbar region. I am superficial. What body part am I?

7. I am superior to the epigastric region, lateral to the , medial to the brachial region. I am not part of the . What organ am I? What system am I in?

8. I am superior to the cervical region, lateral to the ocular area, and I lie on the . What body part am I?