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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
HUMAN BODY

Dr. M- Al-Jarrah
 Principles of
Human Anatomy
13th Edition
Gerard J. Tortora & Mark T. Nielsen

CHAPTER 1
An Introduction to the Human Body
 ANATOMY
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 Anatomy is the study of structure and the relationships among structures.

 Physiology is the study of functions of the parts of the body; physiology is
dependent on anatomy because a body part is able to perform a specific function
due to that part’s specific structure.

 Subdivisions
 a. Embryology
 b. Developmental Biology
 c. Cell Biology
 d. Histology
 e. Sectional Anatomy
 f. Gross Anatomy
 g. Systemic Anatomy
 h. Regional Anatomy
 i. Surface Anatomy
 j. Imaging Anatomy
 k. Pathological Anatomy
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Levels of Organization
 Chemical
 Cellular
 Tissue
 Organs
 System Level
 Organismic
Level

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 LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
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 The human body consists of several levels of structural

organization
 The chemical level
 atoms, the smallest units of matter that participate in chemical
reactions, and molecules, two or more atoms joined together.
 Cells
 the basic structural and functional units of an organism. cells are
the smallest living units in the human body.

 Tissues
 cells are organized into tissues
 groups of similarly specialized cells and the substances
surrounding them and perform certain special functions.
 LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
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 Organs
 structures that are composed of two or more different
tissues and have specific functions.
 Systems
 related organs that have a common function.
 The human organism
a collection of structurally and functionally integrated
systems; any living individual.
 Organ
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Systems
 LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
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 The systems of the human body are the

integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous,
endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory,
urinary, digestive, and reproductive.
 Life Processes
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 As living organisms, humans perform several life processes that are essential for
life and that distinguish living organisms from nonliving things:
i. Metabolism is the total of all chemical reactions occurring in the body; it
includes breaking down large, complex molecules into smaller, simpler ones as well as
building the body’s structural and functional components.
ii. Responsiveness is the ability to detect and respond to changes occurring
outside the body and inside the body.
iii. Movement includes motion of the entire body, individual organs, single cells,
or even structures inside cells.
iv. Growth refers to an increase in overall body size due to an increase in the
number and/or size of cells, or the amount of substance surrounding cells.
v. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells develop into
specialized cells; stem cells are the cells which can divide and give rise to progeny
that undergo differentiation.
vi. Reproduction is the process by which new cells are formed for growth,
repair, or replacement or for the production of a new individual.
 BASIC ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY
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 Anatomical position

 Regions of the body

 Anatomical planes and directional
terms
 Anatomical Position
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 When describing any region of the body, it is
assumed that the body is in the anatomical
position, a standard position that ensures
directional terms are clear so that any body part
can be clearly described relative to any other
parts. In the anatomical position, the body is
erect with the feet flat on the floor, and the
upper limbs are at the sides with the palms
facing forward..
 standing upright
 facing the observer, head level
 eyes facing forward
 feet flat on the floor
 arms at the sides
 palms turned forward (ventral)
 Reclining Position
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 If the body is lying face up, it

is in the supine position.

 If the body is lying face

down, it is in the prone
position.
 Regional Names
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 Regional names are names given to specific regions

of the body for reference.
 Examples of regional names include:
 Directional Terms
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 These are terms used to accurately locate one body

structure relative to another body structure;
important examples include superior, inferior,
anterior, posterior, medial, lateral, proximal, distal,
etc.
 Commonly used directional terms:

Next slides
 Superior or Inferior

 Superior
 towards the head
 The eyes are superior to the
mouth.

 Inferior
 away from the head
towards the feet
 The stomach is inferior to
the heart.

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Dorsal or Ventral

 Dorsal or Posterior
 at the back of the body
 The kidneys is posterior (dorsal)
to the stomach.

 Ventral or Anterior
 at the front of the body
 The sternum is anterior to the
heart.

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 Medial or Lateral
 Medial
 nearer to the midline of the body
 The heart lies medial to the lungs.

 Lateral
 farther from the midline of the body
 The thumb is on the lateral side of the
hand.

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 Proximal or Distal
 Proximal
 nearer to the attachment of the
limb to the trunk
 The knee is proximal to the
ankle.
 Distal
 farther from the attachment of
the limb to the trunk
 The wrist is distal to the elbow.

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 Contralateral or ipsilateral
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 Contralateral
 On the opposite side of the
body’s midline as another
structure.
 Ipsilateral
 On the same side of the
body’s midline from another
structure.
 Planes
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 Planes are imaginary flat surfaces

that are used to divide the body or
organs into definite areas
 Principal planes include:
 midsagittal (medial) and parasagittal
 frontal (coronal)

 transverse (cross-sectional or
horizontal)
 oblique
Sagittal Plane

 Sagittal plane
 divides the body or an organ
into left and right sides
1. Midsagittal plane
 produces equal halves
2. Parasagittal plane
 produces unequal halves

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Other Planes

 Frontal or coronal plane

 divides the body or an organ into front
(anterior) and back (posterior) portions
 Transverse(cross-sectional) or horizontal
plane
 divides the body or an organ into upper
(superior) or lower (inferior) portions
 Oblique plane
 some combination of 2 other planes

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 Body Cavities
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 Body cavities are spaces within the body that help

protect, separate, and support internal organs.
 Dorsal Body Cavity
 Near dorsal surface of
body
 2 subdivisions
 cranial cavity
 holds the brain
 formed by skull
 vertebral or spinal canal
 contains the spinal cord
 formed by vertebral column

 Meninges line dorsal body

cavity

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Ventral Body Cavity
 Near ventral surface of body
 2 subdivisions
 thoracic cavity above
diaphragm
 abdominopelvic cavity
below diaphragm
 Diaphragm = large, dome-
shaped muscle
 Organs called viscera
 Organs covered with serous
membrane

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 Ventral Body Cavity
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 The thoracic cavity contains two pleural cavities, and the

mediastinum, which includes the pericardial cavity
 The pleural cavities enclose the lungs.
 The pericardial cavity surrounds the heart.

 The abdominopelvic cavity is divided into a superior

abdominal and an inferior pelvic cavity.
 Viscera of the abdominal cavity include the stomach, spleen,
pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, and most of the large
intestine.
 Viscera of the pelvic cavity include the urinary bladder, portions of the large
intestine and internal female and male reproductive structures .
 Serous Membranes
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 Thin membrane lines body

cavities
 parietal layer lines walls of
cavities
 visceral layer covers viscera
within the cavities
 Serous fluid between these
two layers to reduces friction
 Thoracic and Abdominal Cavity
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Membranes
 A thin, slippery serous membrane covers the viscera
within the thoracic and abdominal cavities and also
lines the walls of the thorax and abdomen.
 Parts of the serous membrane
 the parietal layer lines the walls of the cavities
 the visceral layer covers and adheres to the viscera
within the cavities.
 Serous fluid between the two layers reduces friction
and allows the viscera to slide somewhat during
movements.
 serous membranes
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 The serous membranes include the pleura, pericardium and

peritoneum .
 The pleural membrane surrounds the lungs
 visceral pleura clings to the surface of the lungs
 parietal pleura lines the chest wall
 The pericardium is the serous membrane of the pericardial
cavity
 visceral pericardium covers the surface of the heart
 parietal pericardium lines the chest wall
 The peritoneum is the serous membrane of the abdominal
cavity
 visceral peritoneum covers the abdominal viscera
 parietal peritoneum lines the abdominal wall
 Pleural & Pericardial Cavities
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 Visceral and Parietal Pleura

 Visceral and Parietal Pericardium
 Peritoneum

 Visceral peritoneum
 serous membrane that covers the abdominal viscera
 Parietal peritoneum
 serous membrane that lines the abdominal wall

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 Abdominopelvic Regions and
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Quadrants
 To describe the location of organs or
abdominopelvic abnormalities easily, the
abdominopelvic cavity may be divided into
 nine regions by drawing four imaginary lines.
 quadrants by passing imaginary horizontal and
vertical lines through the umbilicus.
 Nine regions
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Nine regions by drawing four

imaginary lines.
 Rt. & Lf. Hypochondriac
 Rt. & Lf. Lumbar
 Rt. & Lf. Inguinal (illiac)
 Epigastric
 Umbilical
 Hypogastric (pubic)
 Quadrants
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 quadrants by passing
imaginary horizontal and
vertical lines through the
umbilicus.
 Right and left upper
quadrants
 Right and left lower
quadrants
 Clinical Application: Autopsy
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 An autopsy is a postmortem examination of the

body and dissection of the internal organs to
confirm or determine the cause of death.