1 Anatomical Terminology and Body Organization Free Online FlashCards

What defines anatomical position?

A person stands upright facing forward, feet flat and directed forward, arms at the sides, palms facing forward, and thumbs pointing away from the body.

What do supine and prone mean?

Supine means lying face up; prone means lying face down.

How do medial and lateral differ?

Medial means toward the body’s midline; lateral means away from it.

How do midsagittal and parasagittal planes differ?

A sagittal plane divides the body into right and left portions. A midsagittal plane creates equal halves; a parasagittal plane creates unequal portions.

What does the dorsal cavity contain?

The dorsal cavity contains the central nervous system: the cranial cavity holds the brain, and the vertebral cavity holds the spinal cord.

How do parietal and visceral serous membrane layers differ?

The parietal layer lines a cavity wall; the visceral layer covers an organ. Fluid between them reduces friction as organs move.

Which structures belong to the axial and appendicular regions?

The axial region includes the head, neck, and trunk; the appendicular region includes the limbs and their attachments to the trunk.

How are the four abdominopelvic quadrants named?

Abdominopelvic quadrants are named from the person’s perspective: right upper, left upper, right lower, and left lower.

What is the order of the body’s levels of organization?

The levels are chemical, cellular, tissue, organ, organ-system, and organism, from simplest to most complex.

Whose right and left are used in anatomical descriptions?

Anatomical right and left refer to the person’s own sides, not the observer’s.

How do proximal and distal differ?

Proximal means closer to a limb’s attachment to the trunk or to a point of origin; distal means farther away.

What portions does a frontal plane divide?

A frontal (coronal) plane divides the body into anterior and posterior portions.