Download Anatomical Position and Directional Terms

Anatomical Position and
Directional Terms
Anatomical Positions
Anatomical position is:
 standing erect facing
forward,
 head level and eyes
facing forward,
 feet flat on the floor and
directed forward,
 arms are at the sides of
the body with palms
turned forward.
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Planes of Reference
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Frontal plane: vertical plane that divides the
body into an anterior/ventral or
posterior/dorsal portions.
 Sagittal plane: vertical plane that divides the
body or organ into right and left sides
(midsagittal or median plane is down the
middle of the body creating equal parts)
 Transverse plane: divides the body into
superior (upper) or inferior (lower) portions.
Directional Terms
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Superior/Cranial: toward the upper part/head
Inferior/Caudal: away from the head/lower
part
Anterior/ventral: nearer to or at front of body;
stomach side
Posterior/dorsal: nearer to or at the back of
body; dorsal fin side
Medial: nearer to midline
Lateral: farther away from midline
Directional Terms Cont.
Proximal: nearer to attachment of limb
to trunk, nearer to origin
 Distal: farther away from attachment of
limb to trunk, farther away from origin
 Superficial: toward or on surface of
body
 Deep: away from surface of body
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Try these…
The heart is _______ to liver
 The stomach is ________ to lungs.
 The sternum (breastbone) is ______ to
the spinal column.
 The esophagus is ________ to trachea
(windpipe).
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Try these…
The stomach side of a dog is called
____.
 The ______ fin is located on the fish’s
back.
 The ______ fin is also known as the tail
fin.
 The head is ______ to the tail.
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