Introduction And Anatomical Terminology
Question 1. What is anatomy?
Answer.
Anatomy is the science that deals with the structure of the body from the submicroscopic to the macroscopic level. The term anatomy is derived from the Greek word ‘anatome’ meaning to ‘cut up’ (ana = apart, tomy = cut). The term dissection is the Latin equivalent of the Greek term ‘anatome’.
Question 2. Enumerate the major subdivisions of the anatomy.
Answer.
The major subdivisions of the anatomy are as follows:
- Gross anatomy, which includes cadaveric anatomy, living anatomy/surface anatomy, and endoscopic and radiological anatomy.
- Histology/microscopic anatomy
- Embryology
- Genetics
- Imaging/radiological anatomy
Question 3. Who is the father of anatomy? Briefly describe his life and achievements.
Answer.
Herophilus (325–280 BC) is considered the father of anatomy.
- He was a Greek physician and was regarded as the founder of the school of medicine at Alexandria, the then capital of Egypt. He taught anatomy in this medical school through vivisections (dissections of living humans) and dissections of human cadavers.
- Herophilus provided great descriptions of the skull, eye, various visceral organs, and their relationships. He also described the functional relationship of the spinal cord to the brain. Herophilus regarded the brain as the seat of intelligence and described many of its structures such as the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the 4th ventricle.
- He was the first to identify that nerves are either sensory or motor. He is also credited with the discovery of the ovum. Two monumental works of Herophilus were titled On Anatomy and On the Eyes.
Question 4. Who is the father of modern anatomy? Briefly describe his life and achievements.
Answer.
Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564) is considered as the father of modern anatomy. He was born in Brussels to a family of physicians. He studied anatomy and medicine for 3 years at the University of Paris. He became a Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at the age of 23 years at the University of Padua in Italy.
- He performed human dissections and initiated the use of live models to determine the surface landmarks for internal structures. His masterpiece anatomical treatise De humani corporis fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body) written in seven volumes at the age of 28 years revolutionized the teaching of anatomy and remained an authoritative text for two centuries.
- The various body systems and individual organs were beautifully illustrated and described in the fabrica. In his book, he boldly challenged hundreds of Galen’s erroneous concepts that were taught as facts. Bitter controversies ensued between
- Vesalius and Galenic anatomists. Vesalius became so incensed by the relentless attacks that he destroyed much of his unpublished work and stopped doing dissections. However, by freeing anatomy from many of Galen’s errors, Vesalius laid the foundation on which many subsequent advances in medicine and surgery could take place.
He started the era of the anatomical basis of surgery. Another credit of Vesalius is that, unlike other anatomists of his time (Sylvius, Fallopius, Eustachius, etc.), he chose not to have his name attached to the parts of the body that he described. He remained a bachelor and a teacher of anatomy throughout his life. Vesalius was the greatest anatomist of his time and is now regarded as the Father of Modern Anatomy. He is also called the ‘reformer of anatomy’.
Question 5. Enumerate the characteristic features of humans.
Answer.
The characteristic features of humans are as follows:
- Bipedal locomotion
- Well-developed cerebrum (brain)
- Skilled hand with an opposable thumb
- Well-developed articulated speech
- Prominent chin
- Stereoscopic vision
Question 6. What are the parts/regions of the human body?
Answer.
For descriptive purposes, the human body is divided into the following six parts/regions:
- Head
- Neck
- Thorax
- Abdomen
- Upper limb
- Lower limb
Anatomical terminology
Anatomical language is one of the fundamental languages of medicine. Medical doctors throughout the world use a common language of special anatomical terms while referring to the structures of the body in any position to avoid ambiguity. The anatomical terms are mostly Greek or Latin in origin.
Question 7. Define the anatomical position and give its significance.
Answer.
In anatomical position, it is presumed that the body is standing erect, the upper limbs hanging by the sides of the body with palms of the hands facing forwards, the feet parallel to each other, digits facing forwards, and eyes directed forwards.
anatomical position Significance Since the interrelationship of various parts of the body keep changing with various positions of the body (supine, prone, hanging upside down, etc.), all descriptions in the human body are expressed in relation to the anatomical position.
Question 8. Define the fundamental position.
Answer.
The fundamental position is the same as the anatomical position, except that the person stands erect with upper limbs hanging by the side of the body and palms of the hands face medially towards the sides of the body.
Question 9. Briefly discuss the fundamental planes of the body and give their significance.
Answer.
There are four fundamental planes of the body:
- Midsagittal (median) plane: It is an imaginary vertical plane that passes through the central axis of the body and divides the body into right and left halves. It corresponds to the sagittal suture of the skull, hence the name midsagittal plane.
- Sagittal plane: Any vertical plane parallel to the median plane is called sagittal plane. It may be present on right or left side of the median plane. It divides the body into two unequal halves.
Read And Learn More: Selective Anatomy Notes And Question And Answers
- Coronal plane: It is vertical plane that passes at right angle to the median plane and divides the body into anterior and posterior parts. It corresponds to the coronal suture of the skull, hence the name coronal plane.
- Transverse/horizontal plane: It passes horizontally and divides the body into upper and lower parts. This plane passes at a right angle to both sagittal and coronal planes and is perpendicular to the long axis of the body or limbs.
Note: The radiologists refer to the transverse plane as transaxial. Convention dictates that the axial anatomy is viewed as though looking from feet towards the head.
Question 10. Briefly describe the following movements:
- Circumduction,
- Supination and pronation,
- Inversion and eversion and
- Opposition.
Answer.
- Circumduction
- This movement is a combination of flexion, extension, abduction and adduction in a sequence.
- It is a cone-like circular movement in which the distal portion of moving part moves in a circle. For example, during the bowling of a cricket ball, there is circumduction of the upper limb at the shoulder joint, while the hand, holding the cricket ball moves in a circle. Such movements are possible at the shoulder, hip joints, etc.
- Supination and pronation
- In supination, the forearm and hands are rotated laterally around their longitudinal axes from midprone position so that palm of the hand faces anteriorly/upwards.
- In pronation, the forearm and hand are rotated medially around their longitudinal axes from the midprone position so that the palm of the hand faces posteriorly/downward.
- The movements of supination and pronation occur at the superior and inferior radioulnar joints.
- Inversion and eversion
- In an inversion, the medial border of the foot is raised, so that the sole of the foot faces inwards/medially, while in an eversion, the lateral border of the foot is raised so that the sole of the foot faces outwards/laterally. These movements occur at the talo-calcaneo-navicular and subtalar joints.
- Opposition
- In this movement, the tip of the thumb touches the tips of other digits, e.g. when one does count on fingers. This movement occurs at 1st carpometacarpal joint. The head includes a skull, face, and brain.
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