Download Orientation to the Maniken KEY - Belle Vernon Area School District

Name _________________________
Orientation to Your Maniken® - 50 Informal Points
*Use complete sentences wherever possible.
Introduction
Congratulations you have a child! You have decided if its a boy or girl and have named it!
Throughout the Human Body Systems course, you will model human anatomy and explore human
physiology on your own two-foot skeletal Maniken®. You will build muscles, create blood vessels
and nerves, and sculpt a brain. You have decided on gender and in the future will pick the eye
color and other key traits, and watch your Maniken® come alive with clay organs and tissues. This
is a year-long project designed to be both fun and educational!
In this activity, you will learn terminology that will help you navigate human anatomy.
 Directional terms are words used to describe the location of one structure in relation to
another. These terms are also used to indicate specific locations on organs or bones.
 Regional terms are words used to describe specific regions or locations on the body.
You will use both types of terms throughout the year to orient yourself around the amazing human
body and to build accurate anatomy on your Maniken®.
Procedure
Part I: Directional
Terms
1. Use the Internet to define the following directional terms. Provide two examples for each to
make the definitions understandable and real to you.
Definitions
Anterior – Front (top) of body
Example #1
The belly button is an anterior
structure on a human.
Example #2
The back is a posterior structure on
a human.
Posterior – Back (hind) of body
The face is an anterior structure on
a human.
The back of the head is a posterior
structure on a human.
The whole head is an anterior
structure on a dog.
Inferior – Situated closer to the feet
The chin is superior to the elbow,
but the elbow is superior to the
The knee is inferior to the elbow.
Superior – Situated closer to the head
knee.
Hips are lateral to the belly button.
The belly button is medial to the
hips.
The hand is distal to the elbow.
The knee is proximal to the foot.
The elbow is proximal to the hand.
The foot is distal to the knee.
The rib cage is superficial to the
heart.
The heart is deep to the rib cage.
Medial – Situated closer to the mid
line of the body
Lateral – Situated closer to the side of
the body
Distal – Situated away from a point of
attachment on the body
Proximal – Situated near a point of
attachment on the body
Superficial – Closer to the surface of
the body
Deep – Deeper inside the body
Ventral – Front of body (same as
anterior in human); belly side of 4legged animal
The belly button is a ventral
structure on a human and a dog.
The back is a dorsal structure on a
human and a dog.
Dorsal – Back of body (same as
posterior in human); Back of 4legged animal
2. Create a flag for each term. Write the name of the term directly on the flag.
3. Place these flags on your Maniken®. Choose placement that shows the difference between
each pair of terms. Be able to explain your reasoning. You may find that drawing an arrow on
your tape flag will help you in your explanation. The examples you provided in the table in #1
will help with this activity.
4. After you have placed all your flags on the Maniken take a few pictures for reference and then
share your placements with a friend as well as observe where they have placed theirs. You
many want to take a few pictures of your partner’s Maniken too since its most likely a little
different. Then, answer the following questions:
a. Did your partner have different examples than you did for each pair of words? If so how
were they different?
b. Even though your partner may have had different pairs of placements, why is it likely
you were both correct?
Part II: Regional
Terms
To accurately describe body parts and position, scientists have agreed on a standard body orientation,
called the anatomical position. In anatomical position, the body is standing up straight with the arms
hanging at the sides and palms facing forward.
5. Use the internet to define each of the following regional terms. Then, label each term on the
skeletal images below. Also, with a friend, work together to find each region on your Maniken
and point it out. (No labeling is necessary in this activity.)
Regional Term
Definition
Abdominal
Stomach area
Antecubital
In the fold of the inside of the arm
Axillary
Armpit area
Brachial
Arm area
Buccal
Cheek area
Calcaneal
Heel of foot
Carpal
Wrist area
Cephalic
Head area
Cervical
Throat area
Coxal
Hip area
Digital
Finger and Toe area
Femoral
Thigh area
Gluteal
Buttock area
Inguinal
Groin area
Lumbar
Lateral to the umbilical region
Nasal
Nose area
Occipital
Posterior side of the head
Olecranal
Posterior surface of the elbow
Oral
Mouth area
Orbital
Eye area
Anterior knee area
Patellar
Inferior to the abdominal cavity
Pelvic
Posterior knee area
Popliteal
Posterior landmark area between hips
Sacral
Upper back, scapula area
Scapular
Breastbone area
Sternal
Along the front of the foot around the ankle
Tarsal
Superior area of ventral body cavity; separated by diaphragm
Thoracic
Belly Button area
Umbilical
Spine area
Vertebral
Label regional terms on the following skeletons posterior and anterior skeletons. You may
want to use colored pencils or highlighters.
6. If you haven’t already remove all tape flags from the Maniken®.
Conclusion Questions
1. What are the benefits of using universal terms and anatomical position to refer to locations on
the human body? How do they help identify all humans?
Everyone in the medical field will be able to understand the terms and be able to locate
specific regions of the body quickly.
2. What does it mean when a doctor says he/she is about to dissect the distal end of the popliteal
artery?
The artery on the back of the knee (anterior (or dorsal)) side of the body will be dissected at
the point furthest from attachment to the body.
3. Your friend assures you that “anterior” and “posterior” can always be used interchangeably with
“ventral” and “dorsal”. Politely explain to him/her that this statement is not always true. (HINT:
Think about what these terms mean for four-legged animals.)
In humans the words posterior and dorsal are interchangeable as well as anterior and
ventral. However, in 4-legged creatures, such as dogs, dorsal means back, ventral
means belly, posterior means head region and anterior means tail region.