Name_________________________________Year/Section_______________Date___________

Activity 1:

Language of Anatomy

Objectives:
At the end of the activity, the students will be able to:
1. Describe the anatomical position
2. Use anatomical and directional terms correctly.
3. Identify the various body planes and sections using OneNote notebook.

Anatomical terms describe body positions, body regions, specific areas and landmarks. Most
of these words are derived from Latin or Greek and are often part of the names of muscles,
bones, nerves, and blood vessels.
A. Body Position
Anatomical position is the reference position anatomists and people in medical fields use to
describe the location of body parts or regions. In anatomical position, the body:
1) is erect (vertical) and facing forward;
2) the arms are straight and at the sides of the body with the palms facing forward;
3) the legs are straight with the feet facing forward
In the supine position, the body is horizontal and lying on the back. In the prone position, the
body is horizontal and lying of the stomach.
B. Body Regions
Body regions refer to the specific areas of the body. The main body regions are the head,
neck, trunk, upper limbs, and lower limbs.
a) Head- consists of the skull (cranial and facial bones), and face (anterior portion of the
head comprised of the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks and chin).
b) Neck- connects the head to the trunk.
c) Trunk-consists of the chest (area between neck and diaphragm) that contains the heart
and lungs, the abdomen (area between chest and hip bones) that contains digestive
organs, the pelvis (area below the abdomen that contains the internal reproductive
organs and urinary bladder),and the back (posterior portion of the trunk between neck
and buttocks).
d) Upper Limbs- consists of the shoulder (curved area where arm attaches to upper border
of trunk), arm (area between shoulder and elbow), forearm (area between elbow and
wrist), and hand (wrist, palm, fingers).
e) Lower Limbs-consists of the buttocks (rounded area on posterior surface where thigh
attaches to trunk), groin (area on anterior surface where lower limb attaches to pelvis),
thigh (area of lower limb between the groin and knee), leg (area of lower limb between
knee and ankle), and foot (includes ankle, sole, toes.

Table 1.1 Table of Anatomical terms

C. Directional Terms are used to describe the location of body structures relative to other
structures.

D. Body Planes and Sections

Planes are flat surfaces that divide the body or organs in order to expose internal
structures. The exposed surfaces produced by planes are called sections. Sagittal
(sagittal = arrow ) planes pass vertically through the body or organs and divide them into
right and left sections (sagittal sections).
If the plane passes vertically through the midline and divides the body into equal right
and left halves, the plane is a midsagittal plane, but if a plane divides the body into
unequal right and left portions, it is called a parasagittal plane.
A frontal and coronal plane passes vertically through the body or organs and produces
anterior and posterior sections (frontal sections).
A transverse plane passes horizontally through the body and produces superior and
inferior sections (transverse sections or cross-sections). Oblique planes pass through
the body at an angle forming oblique sections.
Longitudinal sections are sections that are produced by a plane running along the long
axis of a long narrow structure.
Cross-sections are sections that are produced by a plane running perpendicular to the
long axis.
Name__________________________________ Score___________
Year/Section____________________ Date____________

Activity No.1
Language of Anatomy

Reviewing your Knowledge

I. Body regions
Identify the body regions using common terms:

______________________1. The area between the groin and knee.

______________________2. The area between the shoulder and elbow.

______________________3.The area between the elbow and wrist.

______________________4. The area between the knee and ankle.

______________________5. The area of the trunk between the neck and

Diaphragm
______________________6.The area of the trunk between the diaphragm
and hip bones.
______________________7. The area of the trunk inferior to the hip bones.
______________________8. Posterior trunk that is located that is located
between the neck and buttocks.
______________________9. Curved area where upper limb attaches to
of trunk.
______________________10. Area on anterior surface where lower limb
attaches to pelvis.
II. Directional Terms
Complete the sentences using the appropriate directional terms from Table 1.2
1. The sternum is __________________to the vertebrae.
2. The nose is ____________and _______________ to the eyes.
3. The heart is _______________ to the lungs.
4. The wrist is ___________________to the arm.
5. The right lung and right kidney are ____________.
 6. __________________: above; __________________: below
Examples: The forehead is __________________to the nose.
The chin is ___________________to the lips.
7. __________________toward the front of the body
________________toward the back of the body.
Examples: The esophagus is _______________to the trachea.
The sternum is _______________ to the heart.
8. _________________toward the midline of the body.
_________________away from the midline of the body.
Examples: The eye is ______________to the ear.
The axilla is _____________to the nipple.
9. ____________________: closer to the origin or point of attachment.
____________________: far from the origin or point of attachment.
Examples: The shoulder is ______________to the elbow.
The knee is _________________to the hip
10. _______________: toward the back; ______________ toward the belly.
Examples: The vertebral column is _____________to the sternum.
The umbilicus is ______________to the spine.
11. _______________: toward the surface of the body;
_______________: away from the surface.
Examples The veins are ______________to the arteries.
The bones are _____________to the muscles.

III. Identify and label the different body parts or areas. Refer to Table 1-3 and Table
1-1 for the answers.

Table 1-3

ANTERIOR VIEW

Frontal (forehead) Inguinal ( groin )

Axillary (Armpit) Antecubital ( front of elbow)
Mammary (breast) Sternal (breast bone)
Crural (leg) Patellar (kneecap)
Abdominal (Abdomen) Nasal (nose)
Otic (ear) Dorsum (top of foot)
Umbilical (navel) Antebrachial (forearm)
Oral (mouth) Cervical (neck)
Brachial ( arm ) Clavicular (collarbone)
Pubic ( genital ) Carpal (wrist)
Femoral (thigh ) Coxal (hip)
Mental (chin) Palmar (palm
Digital (fingers/toes) Talus (ankle)
Buccal ( cheek ) Pectoral (chest)
 Orbital ( eye )
POSTERIOR VIEW
Gluteal (buttock)
Dorsum (back of the hand)
Occipital (base of the skull)
Acromial ( point of the shoulder)
Lumbar (loin)
Plantar (sole)
Vertebral (spinal column)
Sural (calf)
Pelvic (pelvis)
Cranial (skull)
Perineal (perineum)
Nuchal (back of the neck)
Scapular (shoulder blade)
Olecranon (point of elbow)
Sacral (between hips)
Popliteal (hollow behind knee)
Calcaneal (heel)
 C. Planes of the body
Label the planes in the diagram below with the terms in the accompanying bulleted
list by writing the term in the appropriate numbered blank.

 Cross-section 1___________________________________
 Frontal plane 2___________________________________
 Longitudinal section 3_____________________________
 Midsagittal plane 4________________________________
 Oblique plane 5__________________________________
 Parasagittal plane 6 ______________________________
 Transverse plane 7________________________________

D. Describe the anatomic position.

 I.The abdomen is divided into nine ( 9 ) regions.
Label the illustration.

a.________________________________
b.._______________________________
c..________________________________
d._______________________________
e._______________________________
f._______________________________

a.
b.
c.
d.

e.
f.

II. Body Cavities.

Identify to which cavity the following organs are located.

The body has two sets of cavity, the dorsal and the ventral cavity. The
dorsal cavity has two portions: the cranial cavity and vertebral cavity. The
ventral cavity has also two portions: the thoracic cavity and the
abdominopelvic cavity. The thoracic cavity contains the pericardial cavity
and the pleural cavities. The abdominopelvic cavity contains the
peritoneal cavity.

1. Brain-
2. Heart-
3. Stomach-
4. Lungs-
5. Liver-
6. Spinal cord-
7. Uterus-
8. Urinary bladder-
9. Small intestine-
 10. Trachea-

References:
Marieb, E., Keller, S. (2018). Essentials of human anatomy and physiology.
(12th ed.). England: Pearson Education

Marieb, E., Jackson, P. (2018). Essentials of human anatomy and physiology

laboratory manual. (7th ed). Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia

Allen, C., Harper, V. (2017). Laboratory Manual for Anatomy and Physiology.
(6th ed.). NJ: John Wiley & Sons , Inc.