• Anatomical position

• Planes of section
• Directional terms
• Regions of the body
• Body cavities and membranes

• Person stands erect

• Feet flat on floor
• Arms at ________
SIDES

• Palms, eyes & face facing ______

FORWARD

• Standard frame of reference for

anatomical descriptions &
dissection

1
• Planes are imaginary flat surfaces
passing through the body
– sections are anatomical views if body is
cut on a plane

• ____________
SAGITTAL
– divides body into right and left halves

• ________
FRONTAL
– divides body into front & back portions

• ___________
TRANSVERSE

– divides the body into upper & lower

portions

• Sagittal plane divides

body into right and left
_________
HALVES
– divides body into equal
right and left halves

– divides the body into right

and left portions
• PARASAGITTAL
__________
– an infinite number

2
 Sagittal Frontal Transverse

• SUPERIOR
above; (toward the head) - __________
• below - Inferior
• MEDIAL
toward the midline - __________
• away from the midline - Lateral
• PROXIMAL
closer to the origin of a body part - ________
• farther from the origin of a body part - Distal
• SUPERFICIAL
toward the body surface - __________
• away from the body surface - Deep
– more internal

3
• Different meanings for humans and animals
– Anterior surface of human is surface of chest & belly
• anterior in a four-legged animal is the head end
– __________
POSTERIOR surface of human is back side
• posterior in a four-legged animal is the tail end
• belly-side - __________
VENTRAL

• backside - __________
DORSAL

• In humans Anterior is the same as Ventral

• In humans Posterior is the same as Dorsal