Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology for Therapists and Healthcare Professionals, Second Edition

Ruth Hull

• Publisher: Lotus Publishing
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781913088200
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Medical Education

Written in a clear, no-nonsense style, this is the ideal textbook for students of complementary therapy up to Levels 2 and 3, nursing, physical therapy, or those studying any course requiring a detailed knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology.

1

Before You Begin

Introduction

If someone asked you to name an organ superior to the bladder, would you understand exactly what they meant? Before you even begin to look at the structure and function of the body, let’s learn a few of the basic anatomical terms and their meanings.

What is anatomy? Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body. It looks at what the body is made of – for example, bones and organs.

What is physiology? Physiology is the study of the functions of the body. It looks at how the body works – for example, how the blood is pumped around the body.

What is pathology? Pathology is the study of the diseases of the body. It looks at what can go wrong in the body.

Anatomical position

The anatomical position is a basic position that can always be used as a reference point. It allows you to describe or name areas of the body in terms of a specific reference that all anatomists will know. This avoids any confusion.

The person in figure 1.1 is standing in the anatomical position:

•Head facing forward

•Feet parallel

•Arms hanging by the side

•Most importantly, palms facing forward.

Figure 1.1Anatomical position

The front of the body (where the face is) is called the anterior or ventral, and the back of his body is the posterior or dorsal. These terms can also be used to indicate when something is in front of or behind something else. For example, the heart is anterior to the spine and the spine is posterior to the heart.

Directional terms

Imagine a line running right through the centre of the body: between your eyes, through the middle of your nose and mouth, down through the centre of your neck, chest, stomach and pelvis and ending between your feet. This is the midline or median line. It is an imaginary line that acts as a reference for many anatomical terms, including those describing certain movements, such as adduction (which you will learn about later).

In relation to the midline are the following directional terms:

Superior	towards the head, above
Inferior	away from the head, below
Medial	towards the midline, on the inner side
Lateral	away from the midline, on the outer side
Proximal	closer to its origin or point of attachment of a limb
Distal	farther from its origin or point of attachment of a limb
Superficial	towards the surface of the body
Deep	away from the surface of the body
Peripheral	at the surface or outer part of the body
Anterior	at the front of the body, in front of
Posterior	at the back of the body, behind
Cephalad	towards the head, above
Cranial	of or relating to the skull (can also mean towards the head or cranium)
Caudal	away from the head, below
Ventral	at the front of the body, in front of
Dorsal	at the back of the body, behind

Here are a few examples to help you get used to the anatomical terms:

The nose is superior to the mouth.

The mouth is inferior to the nose.

The nose is medial to the ears.

The ears are lateral to the nose.

The elbow is proximal to the wrist (the arm’s point of attachment is the shoulder).

The wrist is distal to the elbow (the arm’s point of attachment is the shoulder).

The skin is superficial to the muscles.

The muscles are deep to the skin.

The hands and feet are at the periphery of the body.

Terms relating to movement are covered in chapter 4.

Figure 1.2Directional terms

Anatomical Regions and Body Cavities

When studying the body it makes sense to divide it into smaller areas or regions. This enables us to discuss parts of the body without having to continually describe where they are. The body can be divided into:

•Anatomical regions: These relate to specific areas of the body. For example, the neck is the cervical regio...