Human Anatomy
108 flashcards by MentisLibrary
Directional terms and body planes, then the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urinary, endocrine and sensory systems, structure by structure. For introductory anatomy and physiology students.
- What is the largest organ in the body?
- The skin.
- What is cartilage?
- A firm but flexible connective tissue with no blood vessels of its own, found on joint surfaces and in the nose, ears, ribs and airways.
- What is the anatomical position?
- Standing upright, facing forward, feet parallel, arms at the sides with the palms turned forward.
- Superior vs inferior
- Superior means toward the head; inferior means toward the feet.
- Anterior vs posterior
- Anterior means toward the front of the body; posterior means toward the back.
- Medial vs lateral
- Medial means toward the midline of the body; lateral means away from the midline.
- Proximal vs distal
- Proximal means nearer to the point of attachment or the trunk; distal means further from it.
- Superficial vs deep
- Superficial means nearer the body surface; deep means further from it.
- What does the sagittal plane divide?
- It divides the body into left and right parts. The midsagittal plane runs exactly down the midline.
- What does the frontal (coronal) plane divide?
- It divides the body into anterior and posterior parts.
- What does the transverse plane divide?
- It divides the body into superior and inferior parts, giving a cross-sectional view.
- What are the two main body cavities?
- The dorsal cavity, holding the brain and spinal cord, and the ventral cavity, holding the thoracic and abdominopelvic organs.
- How many bones are in the adult human skeleton?
- 206.
- Axial vs appendicular skeleton
- The axial skeleton is the skull, vertebral column and rib cage; the appendicular skeleton is the limbs and the girdles that attach them.
- Which is the longest and strongest bone in the body?
- The femur, the thigh bone.
- Which is the smallest bone in the body?
- The stapes, one of the three tiny bones in the middle ear.
- Name the four large bones of the cranial vault.
- The frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital bones.
- How is the adult vertebral column divided?
- Into 7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar vertebrae, plus the fused sacrum and the coccyx.
- What are the atlas and the axis?
- The first two cervical vertebrae. The atlas (C1) supports the skull and the axis (C2) provides the peg it pivots on.
- How many pairs of ribs does an adult have, and how are they grouped?
- Twelve pairs: seven true pairs attached directly to the sternum by cartilage, three false pairs attached indirectly, and two floating pairs with no front attachment.
- What is the sternum?
- The flat breastbone at the front of the chest, made of the manubrium, the body and the xiphoid process.
- What is the humerus?
- The single long bone of the upper arm, running from the shoulder to the elbow.
- Radius vs ulna
- Both are forearm bones. In the anatomical position the radius is lateral, on the thumb side, and the ulna is medial, on the little finger side.
- How many carpal bones are in the wrist?
- Eight, arranged in two rows of four.
- Which three bones fuse to form each hip bone?
- The ilium, the ischium and the pubis.
- What is the patella?
- The kneecap, a sesamoid bone embedded in the tendon of the quadriceps muscle.
- Tibia vs fibula
- The tibia is the thick weight-bearing shin bone; the fibula is the slender bone lateral to it that bears very little weight.
- Compact vs spongy bone
- Compact bone is the dense outer shell; spongy bone is the lighter lattice inside, at the ends of long bones and within flat bones.
- What is the periosteum?
- The tough fibrous membrane covering the outer surface of a bone, carrying its blood vessels and nerves.
- Red vs yellow bone marrow
- Red marrow makes blood cells; yellow marrow is mostly fat and stores energy.