TODAY’S TOPIC:

The Human Body: Anatomical

Regions, Directions, and Body
Cavities

PRESENTED
BY
MR. ANGLIENGMENE ALI
ALOYSIUS

26/10/15 1
Overview of Anatomy and Physiology

• Anatomy – the study of the structure of

body parts and their relationships to one
another
– Gross or macroscopic
– Microscopic
– Developmental
• Physiology – the study of the function of the
body’s structural machinery

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 Gross Anatomy
• Regional – all structures in one part of the
body (such as the abdomen or leg)
• Systemic – gross anatomy of the body studied
by system
• Surface – study of internal structures as they
relate to the overlying skin

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 Microscopic Anatomy

• Cytology – study of the cell

• Histology – study of tissues

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 Developmental Anatomy

• Traces structural changes throughout life

• Embryology – study of developmental

changes of the body before birth

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 Specialized Branches of Anatomy

• Pathological anatomy – study of structural

changes caused by disease

• Radiographic anatomy – study of internal

structures visualized by X ray

• Molecular biology – study of anatomical

structures at a sub-cellular level
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 Physiology
• Considers the operation of specific organ
systems
– Renal – kidney function
– Neurophysiology – workings of the nervous
system
– Cardiovascular – operation of the heart and blood
vessels
• Focuses on the functions of the body, often
at the cellular or molecular level

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 Physiology cont.

• Understanding physiology also requires a

knowledge of physics, which explains
electrical currents, blood pressure, and the
way muscle uses bone for movement

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 Principle of Complementarity/Relationsip between
Anatomy and Physiology
• Anatomy and physiology are inseparable
• Function always reflects structure
• What a structure can do depends on its specific form e.g.
bones are able to protect and support because they are
hard, blood is able to flow in veins in one direction
because the veins have valves that prevent backward
flow.
• This inseparable relationship between the 2 sub
branches of biology is based on what is called THE
PRINCIPLE OF COMPLEMENTARITY OF STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION
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 LEVELS OF STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION- LESSON
OBJECTIVES
• By the end of the lesson students should be able to:
1. Draw a flow diagram showing the levels of
organization of human without referring to their
note books.
2. Define cell correctly without referring to their notes
using the phrase “basic structural and functional
unit”
3. Mention the for basic types of tissues in human
without hesitation

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 LEVELS OF STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION-
LESSON OBJECTIVES
4. Define an organ correctly in their own words
without referring to their notes.
5. Mention five systems in the human body
without hesitation

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 LEVELS OF STRUCTURAL
ORGANISATION
DEFINITION:
• This is the organized building of the human
body in an order of complexity (either
increasing or decreasing order)

• There are six(6) levels on the organizational

structure of human

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 Levels of Structural Organization

Smooth muscle cell

Molecules
2 Cellular level
Cells are made up of molecules Atoms

1 Chemical level
Atoms combine to
Smooth form molecules
muscle
tissue
Heart
3 Tissue level
Cardiovascular
Tissues consist of
system Blood
similar types of
cells vessels
Epithelial
tissue
Smooth Blood
muscle vessel
tissue (organ) 6 Organismal level
Connective The human organism is
tissue made up of many organ
systems
4 Organ level
Organs are made up of 5 Organ system level
different types of tissues Organ systems consist of different organs
09/09/15 that work together closely 13
Figure 1.1
 Levels of Structural Organization
• Chemical – atoms combined to form molecules
• Cellular – cells are made of molecules
• Tissue – consists of similar types of cells
• Organ – made up of different types of tissues
• Organ system – consists of different organs that
work closely together
• Organismal – made up of the organ systems

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 CHEMICAL LEVEL.
• It is the lowest level of organization. It includes
atoms and molecules that are essential in
maintaining life.
• Atoms such as Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen
(O), Nitrogen (N), Calcium (Ca), Potassium (K) and
Sodium (Na) combine to form molecules such as
DNA, sugars, proteins water etc.
• This level is comparable to the “letters” of the
alphabets in language study.
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 CELLULAR LEVEL

• The next higher level of organization is the

cell/cellular level.
• It yields from the combinations of molecules from
the chemical level.
• Cell is the basic structural and functional unit of an
organism.
• There are several kinds of cell in our body, and each
has a different structures and each performs a
different function. Eg muscle cell, neuron, epithelial
cell , RBCs, WBCs etc
• This level is comparable to “word” in language study
.
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 TISSUE LEVEL
• It is the level in which different cell types are joined
together to form a structure called, tissue.
• Tissues are group of similar cells (and the substance
surrounding them) that usually arise from common
ancestor cells and work together to perform a
particular function.
• The four basic types of tissue in the body are:
Epithelial tissue, Muscle tissue, Connective tissue,
Nervous tissue
• Tissue can be equated to a “sentence” in language
studies.

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 ORGAN LEVEL
• It is where different kinds of tissues are joined
to form a structure of a body called organ.
• Organs are discrete structures that are
composed of two or more different tissues,
have specific functions, and usually have
recognizable shapes.
• Some examples of organs are the heart, liver,
lungs, brain, stomach etc
• The organ can be likened to the “paragraph”
in language studies

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SYSTEM LEVEL/ORGAN SYSTEM LEVEL
• This is the level where different organs are
joined together to form a body system.
• It consists of several related organs that have
a common function.
• Systems in the human body include:
– Cardiovascular system
– Reproductive System
– Digestive system
– Intergumentary System
– Skeletal System
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 ORGAN SYSTEM LEVEL cont.
– Muscular System
– Nervous System
– Endocrine System
– Lymphatic system
– Immune/ Defence System
– Urinary System
– Respiratory System
• This level can be likened to the various
“chapters” in a book
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 ORGANISMIC LEVEL
• This is the highest level of organizational
structure where all parts of the body are
functioning with one another to comprise the
total organism – one living individual.
• This level can be likened to a “complete Book”
in language studies.

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 Homeostasis-Definition
• Homeo- means sameness
• -stasis means standing still
• Homeostasis is therefore defined as the body’s
ability to maintain a relative equilibrium in its
internal environment due to the constant
interaction of the body’s regulatory processes
despite the continuous changes in the
external environment/world.

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 Homeostasis
• Homeostasis is the ability to maintain a
relatively stable internal environment in an
ever-changing outside world
• The internal environment of the body is in a
dynamic state of equilibrium
• Chemical, thermal, and neural factors interact
to maintain homeostasis

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 Components of General Homeostatic
Mechanism
• Irrespective of the type of homeostatic
mechanism, all homeostatic
mechanism/phenomena has 3 components
namely
– Receptor/Sensor/Detector
– Control center
– Effector

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 Types of Homeostatic Feedback

• There are 2 types of homeostatic

feedback mechanisms namely
•Positive feedback
•Negative feedback

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 Positive feedback Mechanism
• In positive feedback mechanism, the
response reinforces/enhances the
stimulus or the effect of the stimulus
until the phenomenon comes to an
abrupt end e.g.
– Labour
– Flow of breast milk,
– Sexual excitement etc

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 Negative Feedback Mechanism
• In negative feedback mechanism, the
response reduces the stimulus or effect
of the stimulus and the effect reverses
until it gradually gets back normalcy e.g.
– Temperature regulation,
– Pulse regulation,
– Respiration
– Blood pressure
– Blood sugar level etc

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 Homeostatic Imbalance
• Disturbance of homeostasis or the body’s
normal equilibrium
• Overwhelming of negative feedback
mechanisms allowing destructive positive
feedback mechanisms to take over

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 Anatomical Position-Definition

• This is the position of the body universally

considered as ideal and used for anatomical
studies.
• It ensures the proper alignment of the human
body structures, both internal and external

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 Anatomical Position-key features

• Body erect/upright
• Feet slightly apart
• Palms facing forward
• Thumbs point away from
body

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Figure 1.7a
Description of the Anatomical Position
• In the anatomical position, the body is
erect/upright
• The head is level
• The eyes are directed towards the forward
• The upper limbs are at the sides with the
palms facing forward and the thumbs pointing
away
• The feet are parallel to each other and flat on
the floor
• It is similar to the “Attention position”
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 Directional Terms
Discuss the following terms with class.

• Superior • Proximal
• Inferior • Distal
• Anterior • Superficial
• Posterior • Deep
• Medial • Ventral
• Lateral • Dorsal
• Intermediate

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 Directional Terms
• Superior and inferior – toward and away from
the head, respectively
• Anterior and posterior – toward the front and
back of the body
• Medial, lateral, and intermediate – toward
the midline, away from the midline, and
between a more medial and lateral structure

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 Directional Terms

• Proximal and distal – closer to and farther

from the origin of the body

• Superficial and deep – toward and away from

the body surface

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 Directional Terms Table 1.1

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 Directional Terms Table 1.1

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 Regional Terms: Anterior View

• Axial – head,
neck, and trunk
• Appendicular –
appendages or
limbs
• Specific regional
terminology

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Figure 1.7a
 Regional Terms: Posterior View

Figure 1.7b
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 Body Planes
1.Sagittal – divides the body into right and left parts
• Midsagittal or medial – sagittal plane that lies on the
midline
• Parasagittal - Sagittal that divides the body into
unequal Lt. and Rt. parts.
2. Frontal or coronal – divides the body into anterior
and posterior parts
3. Transverse or horizontal (cross section) – divides the
body into superior and inferior parts
• Another type of plane is the Oblique plane – cuts
made diagonally
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 Body Planes Figure 1.8

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 Anatomical Variability
• Humans vary slightly in both external and
internal anatomy
• Over 90% of all anatomical structures match
textbook descriptions, but:
– Nerves or blood vessels may be somewhat
out of place
– Small muscles may be missing
• Extreme anatomical variations are seldom
seen
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 Body Cavities

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Figure 1.9a
 Body Cavities

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 Body Cavities
• Dorsal cavity protects the nervous system, and is
divided into two subdivisions
– Cranial cavity is within the skull and encases the
brain
– Vertebral cavity runs within the vertebral
column and encases the spinal cord
• Ventral cavity houses the internal organs (viscera),
and is divided into two subdivisions: - Thoracic and
Abdominopelvic cavities

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 Body Cavities
Figure 1.9b

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 Body Cavities

• Thoracic cavity is subdivided into pleural

cavities, the mediastinum, and the pericardial
cavity
– Pleural cavities – each houses a lung
– Mediastinum – contains the pericardial
cavity, and surrounds the remaining
thoracic organs
– Pericardial cavity – encloses the heart

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 Body Cavities
• The abdominopelvic cavity is separated from
the superior thoracic cavity by the dome-
shaped diaphragm
• It is composed of two subdivisions
– Abdominal cavity – contains the stomach,
intestines, spleen, liver, and other organs
– Pelvic cavity – lies within the pelvis and
contains the bladder, reproductive organs,
and rectum
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 Ventral Body Cavity Membranes
• Parietal serosa lines internal body walls

• Visceral serosa covers the internal organs

• Serous fluid separates the serosae

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 Ventral Body Cavity Membranes

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Figure 1.10a
 Ventral Body Cavity Membranes

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Figure 1.10b
 Other Body Cavities
• Oral and digestive – mouth and cavities of the
digestive organs
• Nasal –located within and posterior to the
nose
• Orbital – house the eyes
• Middle ear – contain bones (ossicles) that
transmit sound vibrations
• Synovial – joint cavities
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 Abdominopelvic Regions

• Umbilical
• Epigastric
• Hypogastric
• Right and left iliac or
inguinal
• Right and left lumbar
• Right and left
hypochondriac
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Figure 1.11a
 Organs of the Abdominopelvic Regions`

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Figure 1.11b
 Abdominopelvic Quadrants

• Right upper (RUQ)

• Left upper (LUQ)
• Right lower (RLQ)
• Left lower (LLQ)

Figure 1.12
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 Needs/Requirements of Life
• Water
• Food
• Air (oxygen)
• Heat/Warmth
• Atmospheric pressure

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 Characteristic of living human
• Respiration
• Metabolism
• Movement
• Excretion
• Growth
• Absorption
• Assimilation
• Circulation
• Digestion
• Feeding/Nutrition
• Reproduction
• Responsiveness/Irritability
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 THINK
THANK YOU CLASS

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