Human Anatomy Health Article

KEY TERMS

Abduction—Movement away from the midline along the coronal plane.

Adduction—Movement toward the midline along the coronal plane.

Anatomic position—Standing erect with feet slightly apart, arms at the side with palms facing forward, thumbs pointing away from the body.

Anterior—Situated before or in front of.

Circumduction—Movement that combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction.

Deep—Situated farther from the surface of the body.

Distal—Situated farther from the origin of a limb.

Eversion—Movement that turns the sole of the foot laterally.

Extension—Movement that straightens a joint.

Flexion—Movement that bends a joint.

Inferior—Situated farther from the crown of the head.

Inversion—Movement that turns the sole of the foot medially.

Lateral—Situated farther from the midline.

Medial—Situated closer to the midline.

Organ—A structure composed of different tissues that is capable of performing specialized tasks.

Plane—An imaginary line or surface that passes through the body.

Posterior—Situated after or behind.

Pronation—Movement that turns the hand so that it faces posteriorly.

Prone—The body lying face down.

Proximal—Situated closer to the origin of a limb.

Superficial—Situated closer to the surface of the body.

Superior—Situated closer to the crown of the head.

Supine—The body lying face up.

Tissue—Groups of similar cells that unite to perform a specific function.

BOOKS

Marieb, Elaine N. Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology. Boston: Benjamin Cummings, 2001.

Shier, David, Jackie Butler, and Ricki Lewis. Hole's Human Anatomy and Physiology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999.

Snell, Richard S. Clinical Anatomy for Medical Students. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.

Thibodeau, Gary A., and Kevin T. Patton. Structure and Function of the Body. St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book, Inc., 1997.

Tortora, Gerard J. Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology. New York: Biological Sciences Textbooks, Inc., 1997.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Association of Anatomists. 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3998. (301) 571-8314. <http://www.anatomy.org/anatomy>.

OTHER

The Visible Human Project. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2001. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html>.

Stéphanie Islane Dionne