Learning Outcome 1

HSC 1013

Topics
Apply anatomical terminology to body cavities, locations, positions and directions
 Identify external and internal parts of the body.
 Describe the organisational levels of structural complexity within the human body from
cellular to named system level.
 Describe the anatomical position and apply to related body orientations and directional
terms.
 Apply anatomical terms to the regions and major planes of the body
 Name the main body cavities to include: dorsal, ventral, cranial, vertebral, thoracic,
abdominopelvic, pleural, pericardial, mediastinal, abdominal and pelvic and name the
organs located in each cavity.
 Match principle organs of body systems to correct anatomical locations in terms of
cavities.

Basic Terminology:

Identify external and internal parts of the body

The human body has three main parts namely: the head, the trunk and the limbs.

The head has hair and face. The neck connects the head to the trunk. The trunk is made up of the
shoulders, waist, hips, chest, abdomen and buttocks.

The limbs are divided into upper and the lower limbs. The upper limbs are composed of the
upper and lower arms, wrist, elbows and hands. The lower limbs are the legs composed of the
thighs, knees, calves and feet.

 Go to these sites below and do the activities to learn the parts of the body:
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/health_games/body_parts/labeling.html
 http://iteslj.org/v/ei/body.html
 Go to BBL and work through Activity 1: Body Parts

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  Label the diagram of the body below.

Describe the organisational levels of structural complexity within the human body from
cellular to named system level.

Six levels of organization are relevant to understanding of human biology, anatomy and
physiology:

 chemical
 cellular
 tissue
 organ
 system
 organism

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Anatomical Positions and apply to related Body Orientations and Directional Terms

The anatomical position of the body is used as a reference so that all body parts can be described
in relation to it. Whenever location or relationship of body parts are discussed it is necessary to
think of the whole body in a certain fixed position. ie anatomical position.

In the anatomical position:

 Body is erect
 Eyes forward
 Feet together
 Arms at the sides
 Palms up
 Thumbs pointing away from body
 Little fingers pointing towards body

Directional terms to the regions and major planes of the body

Here is a website to help you with this topic: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/slice.html

Click on this link to watch the video:

ANTERIOR: (ventral in animals)

The front or belly side
e.g. The nose is anterior to the rest of the face

POSTERIOR: (dorsal in animals)

The back side
e.g. The buttocks are posterior to the abdomen

SUPERIOR:
Towards the head, or uppermost part
Also referred to as cephalic, cranial, or rostral
e.g. The head is superior to the neck

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INFERIOR:
Away from the head and towards the lower parts of the body
Also called Caudal
eg. The chest is inferior to the neck

MEDIAL:
Any structure close to the imaginary “midline” of the body
E.g. The nose is medial to the eyes

LATERAL:
To the side, away from the “midline” of the body
eg. The ears are lateral to the eyes
 IPSILATERAL:
o Located on the same side
 CONTRALATERAL:
o Located on the opposite side
 BILATERAL:
o Located on both sides
 UNILATERAL:
o Located on one side
PROXIMAL:
The part of a structure that’s closer to the “midline”, or, with reference to a limb (arm or leg)
nearer to the origin or point of attachment.
eg. The elbow is proximal to the wrist

DISTAL:
Used when referring to limbs. Farthest from the “midline”, or, away from the origin or point of
attachment.
eg. The foot is distal to the knee

SUPERFICIAL:
Anything near the surface of the body
eg. Skin is superficial to muscle

DEEP:
Located internally within the body

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eg. The intestines lie deep to the abdominal muscles
and the skin

Distal Proximal

Sectional Planes

When looking at the body or any of its organs it is usual to divide (cut) it into different sections
to allow greater study. These sections (also referred to as cuts or planes) are usually referred to
as:
SAGGITAL PLANE:
Vertical plane that divides the body into right and left
sides.

FRONTAL PLANE:
The frontal plane divides the body into anterior and
posterior positions.

TRANSVERSE PLANE:
The transverse plane divides the body into superior and
inferior positions.

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 Now have a go at these on-line activities:
1. Practice spelling the words.
2. Have a go at identifying the correct cavities.
3. Go to http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/balloon-burst/human-body
for extra vocabulary practise.
4.Choose the circle with the body:
http://concurso.cnice.mec.es/cnice2005/132_English_for_Little_children/presentacion/
presentacion.html
5. Anatomy Drill: http://www.wiley.com/college/apcentral/anatomydrill/

Names of the main body cavities to include: dorsal, ventral, cranial, vertebral, thoracic,
abdominopelvic, pleural, pericardial, mediastinal, abdominal and pelvic cavities.
______________________________________________________________________________
Body cavities are confined spaces within body that contain internal organs.
The cavities help to:
- Protect organs
- Separate organs
- Support organs

The various body cavities may be separated from each other by structures such as muscles,
bones, or ligaments.
Dorsal Body Cavity:
Located near dorsal (back) surface of body.
Subdivided into:
 Cranial Cavity
o Located in the head, near the dorsal (back) surface of the body
o Surrounded by the skull (crani/o = skull).
o Contains brain and other organs,e.g. pituitary gland (endocrine gland )
 Spinal Cavity
o It is the space surrounded by the spinal column (backbone).
o The vertebral canal is formed by vertebrae of the backbone and contains spinal
cord and the beginnings (roots) of spinal nerves.

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 o The spinal cord is the nervous tissue within it.
o Nerves enter and leave spinal cord carrying messages to and from all parts of
body.
Ventral Body Cavity:
This cavity is located on the ventral (front) aspect of the body.
A thin, slippery tissue called a serous membrane lines wall of ventral body cavity and covers the
organs within it. The organs inside are called the viscera.
It is subdivided into:
 Thoracic cavity
 Abdominopelvic cavity

1. Thoracic cavity: (thorac/o = chest)

It is the space surrounded by the spinal column (backbone, breastbone and ribs).
It is subdivided into:
 2 pleural cavities (around the lungs)
o Each pleural cavity is a small, fluid-filled space between the part of serous
membrane that covers lung, and the part that lines wall of thoracic cavity.
o The serous membrane associated with the lungs is called the pleura.
 1 pericardial cavity (around the heart)

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 o Between the lungs is the pericardial cavity
o It’s a fluid-filled space between the part of serous membrane that covers heart,
and the part that lines thoracic cavity.
o The serous membrane associated with the heart is called pericardium.
Thoracic cavity also contains the mediastinum.
The mediastinum is a region between the lungs, extending from the sternum (breastbone) to the
vertebral column or backbone. It includes all contents of thoracic cavity, except the lungs.
Among the structures in the mediastinum are the heart, oesophagus, trachea, thymus gland and
many large blood and lymphatic vessels.

Sub-divisions of the thoracic cavity.

2. Abdominopelvic cavity

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The abdominopelvic cavity, as the name suggests, is divided into two portions, although no wall
separates them. The serous membrane that lines the abdominopelvic cavity and covers the
organs within it is called the peritoneum. The upper portion of the abdominopelvic cavity is the
abdominal (abdere means to hide, because it hides the viscera) cavity and the lower portion,
the pelvic cavity.
Contains:
– Abdominal cavity
 Contains stomach, spleen, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, small intestine, kidneys, and
most of the large intestine
– Pelvic cavity
 Contains bladder, parts of large intestine and reproductive organs

Because the abdominopelvic cavity is quite large and contains many organs, it’s helpful to divide
it up into smaller areas for study. One scheme divides the abdominopelvic cavity into 4 more or
less equal regions called quadrants; the quadrants are then simply named according to their
relative positions – that is, Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ), Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ),
Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ) and Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ).

RUQ LUQ

RLQ LLQ

The structure that divides the ventral body cavity into the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities is
the Diaphragm

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 Label the following diagram.

Match principle organs of body systems to correct anatomical locations in terms of cavities

In the next 2 semesters you will study the systems listed below. You will see how all systems
influence one another and how they work together to maintain health, provide protection from
disease and allow for reproduction of the human species.

The body organ systems and their principle organs:

Body Organ System Principle Organs

1. Integumentary system Skin Nails
Hair Sweat & Sebaceous glands

2. Skeletal system Bones Cartilage

3. Muscular system Muscles Tendons

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4. Nervous system Central: Brain & spinal cord
Peripheral: Cranial & spinal nerves

5. Endocrine system Thyroid Parathyroid Suprarenal glands

Gonads Anterior and Posterior Pituitary

6. Cardiovascular system Heart Blood vessels

7. Lymphatic system Lymph Nodes Lymph vessels

8. Respiratory system Trachea Bronchi Lungs

9. Digestive system Oesophagus Stomach Liver

Pancreas Gall Bladder
Small and Large intestines
10. Urinary system Kidneys Ureter
Bladder Urethra
11. Reproductive system Male:
Testes Epididymis Vas Deferens
Prostate Seminal Vesical Penis
Female:
Ovaries Fallopian tubes Uterus
Cervix Vagina Vulva

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 BODY SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES ACTIVITY

1) Complete the following table to show the names of the main structures of each body
system. Use anatomical models to help you. Be careful to check all your spellings.

Table 1 to show the main structures associated with each body system.

Name of body system Main structures of body system

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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8.

9.

10.

11.

2) Place the main structures you have identified in the activity above into the correct ventral
body cavity

Table 2 to show in which ventral cavity the main body system structures are shown

Cavity Body System Structures

Thoracic

Abdominal

Pelvic

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Go to this online activity:

http://msjensen.cehd.umn.edu/webanatomy/intro_topics/default.html

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