Vivian Ayako Mudavuda

Anatomy Did you know the study of anatomy dates back more than 2000 years to the ancient Greeks? Anatomy is a complex and dynamic field that is continually evolving as discoveries are made. It is the identification and description of the structures of living things. Anatomy is also a branch of biology and medicine. People who study anatomy study the body, how it is made up, and how it works. In this article, we shall explore human anatomy. Human Anatomy The human body is a complex and intricate piece of engineering in which every structure plays an important role. Approximately 200 bones, 650 muscles, 79 organs, and enough blood vessels to circle the earth twice. Detailed-human-anatomy-illustration-image. What Does Human Anatomy Entail? Regional anatomy organizes the body into defined parts: upper limb, lower limb, trunk and back, thorax, abdomen and pelvis, head and neck, and neuroanatomy. Systemic anatomy: it evaluates the body into defined systems: integumentary, musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, and lymphatic systems. Microscopic anatomy: Look at the microscopic structure of tissues and organs Other methods are clinical/applied anatomy, cross-section, and medical imaging. Regional anatomy It deals with large structures that are mostly seen with the naked eye. Describes where every human body structure is located (topography). It also explains how the structures are connected, their starting and end points, and their layering. Regional anatomy organizes the body into several parts or regions: upper limbs, lower limbs, trunk (thorax, abdomen, pelvis, back), head, and neck. Upper Limb They are structures responsible for interacting with the environment, locomotion, and weight-bearing. It comprises four main parts: shoulder, arm, forearm, and hand. The mobility of the limb is provided by the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints onto which various muscles act. Their action depends on innervation, and their viability on proper nutrition and blood supply. Lower Limb It has four main parts: the hip, thigh, leg, and foot. The hip knee provides flexibility, and the ankle joints allow you to kick, jump, squat, and shake on the dance floor. The lower extremities contain some of the most powerful muscles in the human body, which are organized into various compartments. Significant vessels like the femoral artery and the longest nerve in the human body, the sciatic nerve, supply this limb. Truck and back The upper and lower limbs are attached to an anatomical structure called the trunk. It is comprised of several regions called the thorax, abdomen, pelvis, and back. Running through the center of the back is a vertebral column, which contains the spinal cord. Large back muscles such as the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and rhomboids, as well as deeper, smaller ones, are attached to various points of the vertebral column. The musculature of the back helps maintain your posture, bend your trunk, move your arms, and shrug your shoulders. The large abdominal muscles, like the rectus abdominis, contribute to the trunk. Thorax In the world of anatomy, the chest is called the thorax. It is located between the neck and the abdomen. It is considered the epicenter of the circulatory system and the primary player in breathing, mainly controlled by the diaphragm. The thoracic wall protects the internal contents and also supports the breast. The thorax is as complex on the inside as on the outside. Internally it consists of the thoracic cavity that houses the lungs. These two organs are enveloped by membranes called the pleura and are responsible for breathing. The sandwich between the lungs is the mediastinum, a space that contains blood vessels, nerves, lymphatics, and most importantly, the heart. This organ is enclosed inside a sac called the pericardium and pumps five liters of blood every minute of your waking day through the entire body. Abdomen and Pelvis These two regions are taught separately for didactic purposes, but their contents blend into one large abdominopelvic cavity. Internally, it is lined by a membrane called the peritoneum, which wraps around many structures, making them intraperitoneal. The ones located outside the membrane are named extraperitoneal. The largest organ system located here is the gastrointestinal tract. The intestines are mainly responsible for absorption, snail through these regions for a total of 7.5 meters. Four accessory organs that help the gastrointestinal tract perform its functions are located inside the abdominopelvic cavity. These are the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen. They help with the digestion of protein and fats and metabolic processing. There are more organs like kidneys, ureters, urinal bladder, and female and male reproductive structures in the abdomen and pelvis. They form the entire system that works in unison to ensure you eliminate waste, react to stressful or scary situations, and reproduce. Your abdomen and pelvis are home to the largest blood vessels. They supply major organs and distal body parts, large caliber structures transporting liters of blood. Important nerves are also found in these regions, controlling the activity of the abdominopelvic organs and allowing you to feel pain. Head and Neck It is a strong and mobile neck that supports a five-kilogram head, which includes the brain. Nerves and blood vessels pass through the neck while traveling between the head and the rest of the body. The head consists of bones joined together that form the bony skull, or cranium, parts of which enclose the brain and some that form the facial skeleton. The Head has associated structures, such as eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. They have a variety of functions, for instance, vision, smell, hearing, eating, and speaking. The neck serves as the passageway between the head and thorax. The nasal and oral cavities are continued by the pharynx, commonly called the throat. This muscular passage facilitates the movement of liquids, food, and air toward your windpipe(trachea) and food pipe(esophagus). The neck also houses cartilage, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves. Important structures include the larynx (voice box), thyroid gland, hyoid muscles, carotid arteries, jugular veins, and cervical plexus. Human-head-anatomy-illustration-image. Neuroanatomy The brain communicates with other regions, for instance, the hand, to move or to sense objects through nerves, a concept explained by neuroanatomy. The nervous system controls every function of the human body. Such as, it is involved in physiological processes like body temperatures, voluntary movements, and higher-order thinking such as consciousness and emotional behavior. The nervous system has two structural divisions: central and peripheral. The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and the spinal cord, which are protected by layers called meninges and bathed in cerebrospinal fluid. The brain is the master regulator of the body and has four main parts. The cerebrum, subcortical structures, brainstem, and cerebellum. The cerebrum is divided into five lobes and forms the largest part of the human brain, responsible for cognition. The spinal cord is the continuation of the brainstem, traveling through the vertebral column. It consists of five regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx. Spinal nerves emerge from the spinal cord through the vertebrae, carrying nerve impulses to and from the periphery. The brain and spinal cord communicate via neutral pathways called tracts. Ascending tracts carry peripheral information toward the brain, while descending tracts transport information back down from the brain. The PNS refers to all neural tissue outside the CNS. It consists of 12 cranial nerves, the 31 pairs of spinal nerves mentioned previously, and all their branches. The PNS reaches and innervates every single anatomical structure of the human body. Systemic Anatomy It is the second branch of human anatomy, subdividing the body into discrete organ systems that work together towards a common goal or function. The ten systems are integumentary, musculoskeletal (skeletal, muscular), nervous, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, and lymphatic. Integumentary system It comprises the skin and associated appendages, such as hair follicles, nails, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands. It has various functions, including protection, tactile and thermal sensation, and temperature regulation through sweating. Musculoskeletal System The 200 bones of the human body act as a scaffold, providing support and protection, facilitating locomotion, and even storing various cells and substances. The bones are the pulley systems onto which muscles act, the latter capable of contracting and relaxing, ultimately moving. Nervous System Nerves are responsible for transporting electrical impulses, allowing communication between the brain, spinal cord, senses, and every peripherical anatomical structure. This communication allows you to interact with your environment, sense, feel emotions, think, and perform other cognitive tasks. Endocrine System The endocrine system consists of glands that release hormones into the bloodstream. These allow chemical communication between anatomical structures, including regulatory effects upon reaching their targets. Circulatory System It is responsible for keeping us alive by providing oxygenated arterial blood to every part of the human body. The key player is the heart, an organ that pumps oxygenated blood into arteries, which then return to the heart via veins as deoxygenated blood. Respiratory System Its main function is to keep us alive via the inhalation of oxygen and the removal of carbon dioxide. The lungs and alveoli represent the site of gas exchange, which involves a series of convoluted air passages and membranes. Digestive System It is essentially a hollow system with two openings consisting of several organs. Food is ingested via the mouth, it is processed and absorbed inside the system, and the resulting solid waste called feces is eliminated via the anus. Urinary System The urinary system is the human body’s major filtering unit, purifying blood and eliminating waste. The entire blood continuously passes through the kidneys and the unwanted or toxic substances are passed to the bladder, ultimately eliminated via the urethra. Reproductive System The main responsibility of the reproductive system is to facilitate the generation of new offspring and pass on our genes. The female system produces eggs and nourishes the developing fetus until birth, while the male system synthesizes sperm and delivers it to the egg to aid fertilization. Lymphatic System It is involved in the removal of interstitial fluid from tissues, the transport of absorbed fats digestion, and protection. Immune cells and substances travel via the lymphatic system, sampling lymph for potential invaders and mounting an immune response if needed. Microscopic Anatomy It is the second branch of human anatomy, the study of tissue and their organization into organ systems. Microscopic anatomy and histology are used interchangeably, but they are quite distinct. Histology has a much broader scope, dealing with the structure and organization of tissues at all levels, from intracellular components to cells and organs. In contrast, microscopic anatomy has a narrower scope, dealing with microstructures and the organization of tissues into organs. Example of the skeletal muscle motor unit to put it into context. Microscopic anatomy describes skeletal muscles as consisting of fascicles and subsequent fibers, while neurons consist of axons. However, histology explains much more, including the internal structures of the fibers, of each muscle cell, the axons, and the appearance of the nuclei. Clinical and Applied Anatomy Clinical and applied anatomy is a way to learn difficult anatomical aspects in a clinical context. These aspects are then integrated with your anatomy knowledge to put the entire case into context and help you learn the importance of various anatomical structures encountered during your daily studies. Cross-Sections It is created by transverse cuts, resulting in a view that adds a dimension of depth to the typical frontal and lateral views used in standard anatomy learning. The combination of height, width, and depth ultimately builds a complete 3D picture of the precise location of every anatomical structure. Human anatomy is the study of the structures of the human body. The understanding of anatomy is key to the practice of medicine and other areas of health. The word “anatomy” comes from the Greek words ‘ana’ meaning ‘up’ and ‘tome’ meaning a cutting. Traditionally, studies of anatomy have involved cutting up or dissecting organisms. However, technology can show us much about how the inside of a body works, reducing the need for dissection. Vivian. Writes. Meta Description: Understand what anatomy is and human anatomy.