Download Body Cavities The internal body is divided into a number of spaces

Body Cavities
The internal body is divided into a number of spaces or cavities. This is a breakdown of those spaces:
their location and contents.
The organs of the body lie mostly within two major cavities: the Ventral cavity and Dorsal cavity. The
Dorsal cavity lies within the skull and vertebral column and has two subdivisions: the Cranial cavity and
the Spinal cavity. As the names suggest, the cranial cavity hosts the brain and the spinal cord is found
within the spinal cavity. These two cavities are lined by a special, continuous, membrane called
the Meninges.
The ventral cavity also has two main subdivisions, the Thoracic cavity and the Abdominaopelvic cavity.
These two cavities have an obvious division seperating them; The large, dome
shaped Diaphragm muscle that sits below the lungs and above the stomach.
The Thoracic cavity is divided into right and left, lung containing sides by a medial partition called
the Mediastinum, which contains the heart, trachea and esophogus. The lungs are seperated from each
other and the heart into right and left Pleural cavities. Each cavity is lined by a membrane, the Parietal
pleura, which is continuous and covers the lungs proper, forming the Visceral pleura. A similar situation
exists with the heart, which resides within the Pericardial cavity, which is lined by the Parietal
Pericardium, a membrane which is continuous with the Visceral Pericardium, covering the heart.
The abdominopelvic cavity is subdivided in it's own right, although this division is not obvious as it's
division with the thoracic cavity. The upper Abdominal cavity is divided from the lower Pelvic cavity by
an imaginary line from the pubis up and back to the top of the sacrum.
The abdominal cavity contains the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, spleen and pancreas. The pelvic
cavity is a small space encased by the pelvic bones and contains the urinary bladder, the lower end of the
colon, and the internal reproductive organs (primarily female). The abdominal cavity is lined by a
membrane, the Parietal Perotineum, which is continuous with the organs of the abdominal cavity. This
membrane is called the Visceral Perotineum. The space between these two is the Peritoneal cavity.
Anatomy & Physiology
Anatomical positionanddirectional terms
The healthcare industry has its own terminology, especially anatomy and physiology. In
order to provide exquisite care and understand the inner workings of the human body,
anatomical terminology is a necessity. We’ll begin by going over “anatomical position
and directional terms”.
In order to describe body parts and positions correctly, the medical community has
developed a set of anatomical positions and directional terms widely used in the
healthcare industry. The anatomical reference point is a standard body position called
the anatomical position. In the anatomical position, the body is erect, the palms of the
hand face forward, the thumbs point away from the body, and the feet are slightly apart.
It’s important to understand the anatomical position because most directional terms are
based off it.
Orientationanddirectional terms

Superior (cranial)- toward the head or upper part of the body; above

Inferior (caudal)- away from the head or toward the lower part of the body; below

Ventral (anterior)- toward or at the front of the body; in front of

Dorsal (posterior)- toward or at the back of the body; behind

Medial- toward or at the midline of the body

Lateral- away from the midline of the body

Intermediate- between a medial and lateral position

Proximal- closer to the origin of the body part or point of attachment of a limb to
the body trunk

Distal- away from the origin of a body part or point of attachment of a limb to the
body trunk

Superficial (external)- toward or at the body surface

Deep (internal)- Away from the body surface
Directional terms allow us to explain where one body part is when compared to another.
Regional Terms
The two main divisions of the body are its axial and appendicular parts. The axial
partmakes up the main axis of the body and includes the head, neck, and trunk.
Theappendicular part consists of the limbs (appendages) attached to the body’s
axis.View the image above for an in depth look into all the regional terms used to
designate specific areas within the human body. You will have to know them!
Body planes and sections
For anatomical purposes, the body is often sectioned into flat surfaces called planes.
Thost frequently used body planes are the sagittal, transverse, and frontal planes. The
image above shows how the body is cut into corresponding planes.

Saggital plane- is a vertical plane that divides the body into right and left parts

midsaggital plane- is the saggital plane that lies directly in the midline

parasaggital planes- are saggital planes offset from the midline

Frontal plane (coronal plane)- also lies vertically; divides the body into posterior
and anterior sections

Transverse plane (horizontal plane)- runs horizontally; divides the body into
inferior and superior sections

Oblique sections- are diagonal cuts made between the vertical and horizontal
planes; seldom used
A). Integumentary System (skin)



epidermal & dermal regions
cutaneous sense organs
cutaneous glan
B). Skeletal System




bones
cartilage
ligaments
joints
C). Muscular System

skeletal muscle

tendons
D). Nervous System




brain
spinal cord
nerves
sensory receptors
E). Endocrine System








pituitary
thyroid
parathyroid
adrenal
pineal glands
ovaries
testes
pancreas
F). Cardiovascular System



heart
blood vessels
blood
G). Lymphatic System


lymphatic vessels
lymph nodes




spleen
thymus
tonsils
lymphoid tissues
H). Respiratory System






lungs
nasal passages
pharynx
larynx
trachea
bronchi
I). Digestive System










oral cavity
esophagus
stomach
small intestine
large intestine
teeth
salivary glands
pancreas
liver
gallbladder
J). Urinary




kidneys
ureters
bladder
urethra
K). Reproductive
Male





testes
scrotum
penis
prostate
duct system
Female





ovaries
uterine tubes
uterus
vagina
mammary glands
MURDER INC
muscle
urinary
reproduction
digestive
endocrine
respiratory
integumentary
nervous
circulatory
RIGHT
HYPOCHONDRIAC
REGION
EPIGASTRIC
RIGHT LUMBAR
REGION
UMBILICAL
REGION
LEFT
HYPOCHONDRIAC
REGION
LEFT LUMBAR
REGION
REGION
RIGHT ILIAC
REGION
HYPOGASTRIC
LEFT ILIAC
REGION
(PUBIC) REGION
Return to the Anatomy Activities Index
Tissues - Epithelium, Muscle, Connective Tissue and
Nervous Tissue.
Anatomy
Activity
Age: 7th-12th
Objectives: Students will be able to identify the fours basic body tissues,
their characteristics and function.
Equipment: Microscopes and histological slides.
Tissues are groups of cells with a common structure (form) and function
(job). There are four main tissues in the body –epithelium, muscle,
connective tissue and nervous tissue.
I. EPITHELIUM (EPITHELIAL TISSUE)
Functions (jobs):
1) It protects us from the outside world - skin
2) Absorbs – stomach and intestinal lining (gut)
3) Filters – the kidney
4) Secretes – forms glands
Characteristics (Traits):
1) Closely attached to each other forming a protective barrier.
2) Always has one free (apical) surface open to outside the body or inside
(cavity) an internal organ.
3) Always had one fixed (basal) section attached to underlying connective
tissue.
4) Has no blood vessels but can soak up nutrients from blood vessels in
connective tissue underneath.
5) Can have lots of nerves in it (innervated).
6) Very good at regenerating (fixing itself). i.e. sunburn, skinned knee.
Classifications (types):
1) By shape:
a) squamous - flat and scale-like
b) cuboidal - as tall as they are wide
c) columnar - tall, column-shaped
2) By cell arrangement:
a) simple epithelium - single layer of cells (usually for absorption and
filtration)
b) stratified epithelium - stacked up cell layers (protection from abrasion mouth, skin.)
II. CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Functions (jobs):
1) Wraps around and cushions and protects organs
2) Stores nutrients
3) Internal support for organs
4) As tendon and ligaments protects joints and attached muscles to bone
and each other
5) Runs through organ capsules and in deep layers of skin giving strength
The 3 Elements of Connective Tissue:
1) Ground substance – gel around cells and fibers
2) Fibers – provide strength, elasticity and support
3) Cells
IIa. SPECIAL CONNECTIVE TISSUES
1) Cartilage
Functions (jobs):
1) provides strength with flexibility while resisting wear, i.e. epiglottis,
external ear, larynx
2) cushions and shock absorbs where bones meet, i.e. intervertebral discs,
joint capsules
2) Bone
Functions (jobs):
1) provides framework and strength for body
2) allows movement
3) stores calcium
4) contains blood-forming cells
3) Blood
Functions (jobs):
1) transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients around the body
2) immune response
III. NERVOUS TISSUE
Functions (jobs):
1) Conducts impulses to and from body organs via neurons
The 3 Elements of Nervous Tissue
1) Brain
2) Spinal cord
3) Nerves
IV. MUSCLE TISSUE
Functions (jobs):
1) Responsible for body movement
2) Moves blood, food, waste through body’s organs
3) Responsible for mechanical digestion
The 3 Types of Muscle Tissue
4) Smooth Muscle – organ walls and blood vessel walls, involuntary, spindleshaped cells for pushing things through organs
5) Skeletal Muscle – large body muscles, voluntary, striated muscle packed
in bundles and attached to bones for movement
6) Cardiac Muscle – heart wall, involuntary, striated muscle with intercalated
discs connecting cells for synchronized contractions during heart beat.
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