Anatomy / Anatomical Terminology
submitted by Dr. Gary Farr - Contact the author here. Last Updated May, 28, 2002	Save Money! Check out our special offers here.

The term "anatomy" comes from the Greek word "anatémnein", meaning to "cut apart" or "dissect".

And yet it is not sufficient to view anatomy merely as the art of dissection. It is rather the science concerned with the construction and composition of the human body.

At the beginning of the Modern Age, the dissection of corpses led to knowledge about the human organs.

In this context, macroscopic anatomy became known as everything in the human body recognizable to the naked eye.

To recognize smaller correlations, the microscope had to be invented. In modern times, microscopic anatomy has been further complemented by submicroscopic anatomy, facilitated through the invention of the electron microscope.

The main concern of anatomy is to recognize the relationships, the connections between the individual components within the human body.

Medical professionals often refer to sections of the body in terms of anatomical planes (flat surfaces). These planes are imaginary lines – vertical or horizontal – drawn through an upright body. The terms are used to describe a specific body part.

Listed below are general anatomical terms and their meanings.
 

Anatomical Planes
Coronal Plane or Frontal Plane Sagittal Plane or Lateral Plane Axial Plane or Transverse Plane

Anatomical Terms	Direction
Medial	Toward the midline of the body
Lateral	Away from the midline of the body
Proximal	Toward a reference point (extremity)
Distal	Away from a reference point (extremity)
Inferior	Lower or below
Superior	Upper or above
Cephalad or Cranial	Head
Caudal or Caudad	Tail, tail end
Anterior	Toward the front
Posterior	Toward the back
Dorsal	Posterior
Ventral	Anterior

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