Anatomical Terms.

Anatomy and Physiology 

In science there are two branches that study the human body, called Anatomy and Physiology, the two concepts provide information about the structure of the body, however it explain different things. 

The Anatomy studies the body structure and the relationship between the different parts of it.

The Physiology studies the functions of the parts of the body and how they work.  

Body positions:

In the study of the human body, several positons of the body allow making a more specific anatomical and physiological research.

These positions are:

The anatomical position, where the person stands erect, with legs and arms straight and head upright.  

The prone position, when the body is lying face down.

The supine position, where the body is lying up. 

Body Planes.

The body planes are flat structures to divide the body or the organs in different ways in order to see from a different plane the structure of the body.  A Sagittal plane is a vertical plane where the body is divided into left and right sides.

 

The Frontal plane is the division of the body in an anterior and posterior part.

A Transverse plane is a horizontal structure that divides the body in an superior and inferior part. 

Body Cavities.

As you can see in the previous images, the body has several cavities or spaces that protect different organs or bones.

The thoracic cavity is formed by the ribs, the sternum, the chest muscles and the thoracic part of the vertebral column; this cavity protects the lungs and the heart within the fluid that surrounds them.

The abdominal cavity is superior to the pelvic and protects the stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, small and large intestine. This is one of the most important cavities thanks to the vital organs that contains.  

The pelvic cavity is inferior to the abdominal, contains the urinary bladder, portions of the large intestine and the reproductive system. The cranial cavity is formed by cranial bones and contains the brain and the spinal cavity contains the spinal cord.