The Human Body: An Orientation
Terms
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- Physiology
- Study of the function of living organisms
- Ultrasound
- Inaudible sound of high frequency used to outline various tissues and organs of the body.
- Section
- A cut through the body (or an organ)that is made along a particular plane; a thin slice of tissue prepared for microscopic study.
- Midsagittal (median) plane
- Specific sagittal plane that lies exactly in the midline.
- Pleural cavities
- A subdivision of the thoracic cavity; each houses a lung
- Serous fluid
- Clear, watery fluid secreted by cells of a serous membrane.
- Cardiovascular system
- Organ system which distributes the blood to deliver nutrients and remove wastes.
- Vertebral (spinal) cavity
- Body cavity that runs within the bony vertebral column; encloses the spinal cord.
- Parasagittal planes
- All sagittal planes offset from the midline.
- Horizontal (transverse) plane
- A plane running from right to left dividing the body into superior and inferior parts.
- Ventral
- Pertaining to the front; anterior.
- Abdominopelvic cavity
- Body cavity inferior to the thoracic cavity and separated from it by the diaphragm.
- Dorsal body cavity
- A large cavity within the axial portion of the body.
- Peritoneum
- Serous membrane lining the interior of the abdominal cavity and covering the surfaces of abdominal organs.
- Ultrasonography
- Use of ultrasound to produce an image of an organ or tissue.
- Superior
- Refers to the head or upper body regions.
- Middle ear cavities
- Contain tiny bones that transmit sound vibrations to the organ of hearing in the inner ears; medial to the eardrums.
- Digestive System
- System that processes food into absorbable units and eliminates indigestible wastes.
- Endocrine system
- Body system that includes internal organs that secrete hormones.
- Frontal (coronal) plane
- Longitudinal (vertical) plane that divides the body into anterior and posterior parts.
- Integumentary system
- Skin and its derivatives; provides the external protective covering of the body.
- Embryology
- Branch of developmental anatomy dealing with the changes that occur before birth.
- Appendicular
- Relating to the limbs; one of the two major divisions of the body.
- Lymphatic system
- System consisting of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, and other lymphoid organs and tissues; drains excess tissue fluid from the extracellular space and provides a site for immune surveillance.
- Pelvic cavity
- The inferior part of the abdominopelvic cavity; contains the bladder, some reproductive organs, and the rectum.
- Sagittal plane
- A longitudinal (vertical) plane that divides the body or any of its parts into right and left portions.
- Superfical
- Located close to or on the body surface.
- Muscular system
- The organ system consisting of the skeletal muscles of the body and their connective tissue attachments.
- Cell
- The structural and functional unit of living organisms; contains a nucleus and a variety of organelles enclosed by a limiting membrane.
- Oblique section
- A cut made diagonally between the horizontal and vertical plane of the body or an organ.
- Gross (macroscopic) anatomy
- Study of large body structures visible to the naked eye.
- Parietal serosa
- The part of the double-layered membrane that lines the walls of the ventral body cavity.
- Synovial cavities
- Joint cavities.
- Organelles
- Small cellular structures (ribosomes, mitochondria, and others) that perform specific metabolic functions for the cell as a whole.
- Histology
- Branch of anatomy dealing with the microscopic structure of tissues.
- Oral cavity
- Contains the teeth and tongue; commonly called the mouth.
- Skeletal system
- System of protection and support composed primarily of bone and cartilage.
- Inferior (caudal)
- Pertaining to a position near the tail end of the long axis of the body.
- Organ system
- A group of organs that work together to perform a vital body function; e.g., the nervous system.
- Mediastinum
- A subdivision of the thoracic cavity containing the pericardial cavity.
- Pericardium
- Double-layered serosa enclosing the heart and forming its superficial layer.
- Surface anatomy
- Study of internal body structures as they relate to the overlying skin surface.
- Embryo
- Developmental stage extending from gastrulation to the end of the eight week.
- Anatomy
- Study of the structure of living organisms.
- Nervous system
- Fast-acting control system that triggers muscle contraction or gland secretion.
- Medial
- Toward the midline of the body.
- Reproductive system
- Organ system that functions to produce offspring.
- Respiratory system
- Organ system that carries out gas exchange; includes the nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs.
- Pleura
- Two-layered serous membrane that lines the thoracic cavity and covers the external surface of the lung.
- Lateral
- Away from the midline of the body.
- Anterior
- The front of an organism, organ, or part; the ventral surface.
- Abdomen
- Portion of the body between the diaphragm and the pelvis.
- Regional anatomy
- All the structures (muscles, bones, blood vessels, nerves, etc.) in one particular region of the body.
- Abdominal cavity
- Contains the stomach, intestines, spleen, liver, and other organs. It is inferior to the thoracic cavity and separated from it by the diaphragm.
- Axial
- Relating to the head, neck, and trunk; one of the two major divisions of the body.
- Ventral body cavity
- The more anterior and larger of the closed body cavities; contains the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavity.
- Pharynx
- Muscular tube extending from the region posterior to the nasal cavities to the esophagus.
- Nasal cavity
- Located within and posterior to the nose; is part of the respiratory system passageways.
- Oragn
- A part of the body formed of two or more tissues and adapted to carry out a specific function; e.g., the stomach.
- Dorsal
- Pertaining to the back; posterior.
- Pericardial cavity
- Located within the mediastinum of the thoracic cavity, it encloses the heart and also surrounds the remaining thoracic organs (esophagus, trachea, and others).
- Visceral serosa
- The part of the double-layered membrane that lines the outer surfaces of organs within the ventral body cavity.
- Cranial cavity
- Body cavity within which the brain is encased by the skull.
- Thoracic cavity
- The superior subdivision of the ventral body cavity, surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the chest.