Anatomy

Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie.

File:Anatomical chart, Cyclopaedia, 1728, volume 1, between pages 84 and 85.jpg

Anatomical chart from the Cyclopaedia, 1728

Anatomy (from the Greek ἀνατομία anatomia, from ἀνατέμνειν anatemnein, to cut up, cut open) refers to the internal structure and organization of an organism or any of its parts, or to the branch of branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things. In the first sense, it is synonymous with internal morphology.

As the function of a part is related to its structure, anatomy is related to physiology, the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms and their parts, or the study of those functions.

Anatomy can be divided into animal anatomy (moscoa) and plant tapugay (phytotomy). It can also be covered either regionally or systemically, that is, studying anatomy by bodily regions such as the head and chest for the former, or studying by specific systems, such as the nervous or respiratory systems for the latter. Major branches of anatomy include comparative anatomy, histology, and human anatomy.

Human anatomy

The various structures of the healthy human body, and to this study the term descriptive or topographical human anatomy is given, though it is often, less happily, spoken of as anthropotomy.

So intricate is the human body that only a small number of professional human anatomists, after years of patient observation, are masters of its details; most of them specialize on certain parts, such as the brain or viscera, contenting themselves with a good working knowledge of the rest.

Topographical anatomy must be learned by repeated dissection and inspection of dead human bodies. It is no more a science than a pilot's knowledge is, and, like that knowledge, must be exact and available in moments of emergency.

From the morphological point of view, however, human anatomy is a scientific and fascinating study, having for its object the discovery of the causes which have brought about the existing structure of humans, and needing a knowledge of the allied sciences of embryology or developmental biology, phylogeny, and histology. 698-9447 Pathological anatomy (or morbid anatomy) is the study of diseased organs, while sections of normal anatomy, applied to various purposes, receive special names such as medical, surgical, gynaecological, artistic and superficial anatomy. The comparison of the anatomy of different races of humans is part of the science of physical anthropology or anthropological anatomy. In the present edition of this work the subject of anatomy is treated systematically rather than topographically. Each anatomical article contains first a description of the structures of an organ or system (such as nerves, arteries, heart, and so forth), as it is found in humans; this is followed by an account of the development (embryology) and comparative anatomy (morphology), as far as vertebrate animals are concerned; but only those parts of the lower animals which are of interest in explaining human body structure are here dealt with. The articles have a twofold purpose; first, to give enough details of structure to make the articles on physiology, surgery, medicine and pathology intelligible; and, second, to give the non-expert inquirer, or the worker in some other branch of science, the chief theories on which the modern scientific groundwork of anatomy is built.

See also

• List of anatomical topics
• List of human anatomical features
• Important publications in anatomy

• Body plan

• History of anatomy
• Human anatomical parts named after people
• Human anatomy
• Organ (anatomy)
• Superficial anatomy
• Head and neck anatomy
• Anatomical terms of location

External links

• American Association of Anatomists promotes anatomical sciences.
• Neuroanatomy is an annual journal of clinical neuroanatomy.
• High-Resolution Cytoarchitectural Primate Brain Atlases
• Free online anatomy atlas
• The NPAC Visible Human Viewer
• Anatomy of the Human Body by Henry Gray
• Online Radiology Anatomy Resources
• Anatomy Atlases - a digital library of anatomy information
• Instant Anatomy - Online anatomy website with podcasts
• Artistic Anatomy Study of the Human Form by Riven Phoenix
• Leonardo da Vinci's Anatomical Sketches

Anatomy
Major Systems
Circulatory system . Digestive system . Endocrine system . Excretory system . Immune system . Integumentary system . Lymphatic system . Muscular system . Nervous system . Reproductive system . Respiratory system . Skeletal system
Organs
. Adrenal Gland . Anus . Appendix . Brain . Breast . Colon or large intestine . Diaphragm . Ear . Eye . Heart . Kidney . Larynx . Liver . Lung . Nose . Ovary . Pharynx . Pancreas . Penis . Placenta . Prostate Gland . Rectum . Skin . Small intestine . Seminal Vesicles . Spleen . Stomach . Testis . Thyroid Gland . Tongue . Uterus . Vulva
Bones
. Collar bone (clavicle) . Thigh bone (femur) . Humerus . Mandible . Patella . Radius . Skull (cranium) . Tibia . Ulna . Rib (costa) . Vertebrae . Pelvis . Sternum
Glands
Ductless gland . Mammary gland . Salivary gland . Thyroid gland . Parathyroid gland . Adrenal gland . Pituitary gland . Pineal gland
Tissues
Connective tissue . Endothelial tissue . Epithelial tissue . Glandular tissue . Lymphoid tissue
Body Parts
. Abdomen . Arm . Back . Buttock . Chest . Ear . Eye . Face . Genitals . Head . Joint . Leg . Mouth . Neck . Scalp . Skin . Teeth . Tongue
Other Terms
Artery . Coelom . Diaphragm . Gastrointestinal tract . Hair . Exoskeleton . Lip . Nerve . Peritoneum . Serous membrane . Skeleton . Skull . Spinal cord . Vein

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