THE HUMAN BODY: READING THE MAP

Chapter 2 The Human Body: Reading the Map I. The Map of the Human Body A. Body Positions 1. To standardize the orientation for the study of anatomy, the anatomical position was developed: Stand erect, face forward, feet apart, arms at side, palms forward. 2. Supine position: laying face upward (sUPine = face UP) 3. Prone position: laying face downward (prONe = ON stomach) 4. Trendelenburg position: head lower than feet 5. Fowler’s position: seated with bed upright a. Semi-Fowler’s: seated at 45-degree angle b. High Fowler’s: seated at 90-degree angle 6. Additional positions include lithotomy, dorsal recumbent, Sims', knee-chest. B. Directional Terms 1. Depend on comparison with other body parts. 2. The point of reference is always from the patient’s point of view and is not dependent on which way the patient is facing you. 3. Terms usually come in pairs. a. Superior (cranial or cephalic): above, toward the head b. Inferior (caudal): below, toward the tail c. Anterior (ventral): toward the front, belly d. Posterior (dorsal): back, toward the back d. Medial: toward the midline f. Lateral: toward the side (away from the midline) g. Proximal: near the origin h. Distal: far from the origin i. External: near the outside of the body j. Internal: inside the body k. Superficial: near the surface l. Deep: away from the body's surface m. Central: near center of body (torso, head) n. Peripheral: near edges of body (extremities) C. Body Planes 1. A plane is an imaginary line drawn through the body or organ to separate it into specific sections. 2. Transverse or horizontal plane: Divides body into superior and inferior sections; also called cross-sectioning the body. 2. Sagittal plane: Divides body into right and left halves. 3. Frontal or coronal plane: Divides body into anterior (ventral) and posterior (dorsal) parts. 4. Median or midsagittal plane: Divides body into right and left halves. D. Body Cavities 1. Anterior (ventral) cavity a. Divided by the diaphragm b. Thoracic cavity i. The thoracic cavity is superior to the diaphragm. ii. Contains heart, lungs, blood vessels. c. Abdominopelvic cavity: inferior to diaphragm i. Abdominal cavity a. Superior to imaginary line at pelvis b. Contains abdominal organs: stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen. ii. Pelvic cavity a. Inferior to imaginary line at pelvis b. Contains pelvic organs such as the urinary bladder, reproductive system, rectum, and anus. 2. Posterior (dorsal) cavity a. Cranial cavity houses the brain. b. Spinal cavity (vertebral cavity) houses the spinal cord. 3. Many smaller cavities throughout the body, including the nasal, oral (buccal), and orbital cavities E. Body Regions 1. The abdominal region is divided into nine quadrants: a. Epigastric is superior to the umbilical region. b. The right and left hypochondriac are lateral to the epigastric. c. Umbilical region is located in the center, over the umbilicus. d. The right and left lumbar regions are located on either side of the umbilical region. e. The hypogastric region lies inferior to the umbilical area. f. The left and right iliac regions are located on either side of the hypogastric region. 2. It is simpler to divide the abdominal region into four quadrants, with the center line of the inferior/superior and left/right division being the umbilicus; quadrants are generally abbreviated. 1. Right lower quadrant (RLQ): appendix 2. Right upper quadrant (RUQ): liver, gallbladder 3. Left lower quadrant (LLQ): rectum 4. Left upper quadrant (LUQ): spleen 5. Midline area: aorta, pancreas, small intestine, bladder, spine Classroom Activities 1. Have students demonstrate various body positions by calling out the different positions and having students move to demonstrate them. 2. Play “Go to the Head of the Class.” Have all students start in the back of the classroom. Every time they answer a question correctly, they can move one seat forward until eventually they reach the head of the class. Rewards can be extra credit points, food, or privileges. 3. Play “Pin the Tail on the Anatomy.” Have students look for the body part based only on the technical name, or have blindfolded students directed to the point on the “body” by other students using only directional terms. Teaching Strategies 1. Give students the names of organs, and ask them to identify in which body cavity the organs would be located. 2. The classic board game “Operation” can be a wonderful teaching tool for body cavities, organs, and anatomical divisions. Play a game where students must answer questions related to the chapter to win a chance to remove one of the “organs” in the game board. Questions should include things like “What is that organ called in real life?” or “What is the name for the body cavity where that organ is located?” If they successfully remove the organ without making the buzzer go off, they get to draw a card that awards them “money.” At the end of the game, they can use the money they’ve earned to buy rewards like extra credit points. Factoids 1. Species with a vertebral column are classified as vertebrates and include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The various planes apply to veterinary medicine as well, and add the term “rostral” to refer to the direction toward the nose. Dorsal and ventral describe the sides closest to the sky and closest to the ground, respectively, in animals. The terms anterior and posterior are not necessarily the same as ventral and dorsal in four-legged animals or invertebrates like lobsters. 2. A sagittal plane divides the body into right and left, but does not have to run down the center of the body—it can divide the body at any point. If the plane does run down the center of the body, dividing the body in half, it is a midsagittal plane. 3. Ipsilateral means on the same side, whereas contralateral means on the opposite side. Ethical Dilemmas 1. Imagine that the doctor told you to surgically prepare the left hypochondriac region of the abdomen for surgery, and you didn’t know where that region was located. Ask students how they would go about finding out where that area was located. Ask them to discuss the ethics of “guessing” the location and potential consequences. 2. What obligation do you have to your patient to understand the information provided in this chapter? What consequences could occur if you fail to meet your obligation? Answers to Test Your Knowledge Test Your Knowledge 2–1 Answers, p. 23 1. Person should be standing face forward, palms out as in Figure 2-1. 2. Best body position for following circumstances: a. Getting a back massage: prone b. Eating in a hospital bed: Fowler’s c. Watching television in bed: Fowler’s d. Watching the stars at night: supine 3. Give the opposite directional term: a. Superior: inferior b. Posterior: anterior c. Caudal: cephalic or cranial d. Ventral: dorsal e. Distal: proximal f. External: internal g. Superficial: deep h. Peripheral: central i. Medial: lateral 4. superficial 5. proximal; distal 6. superior 7. peripheral or pedal 8. central cyanosis Test Your Knowledge 2–2 Answers, p. 26 1. transverse or horizontal 2. anterior or ventral; posterior or dorsal 3. midsagittal 4. Identify the major body cavity in which each of the following organs is located: a. Heart: thoracic or pericardial b. Spinal cord: spinal or vertebral c. Stomach: abdominal or peritoneal d. Lungs: thoracic or pleural e. Reproductive organs: pelvic f. Brain: cranial 5. nervous 6. magnetic Test Your Knowledge 2–3 Answers, p. 32 1. oral or buccal 2. axillary 3. umbilical 4. lumbar 5. patellar 6. spleen or liver 7. sternal Answers to Case Study, p. 33 a. right knee b. center of the chest (breastbone area) c. left arm d. no stomach pain e. in front of elbow f. feet Answers to Review Questions, p. 37 Multiple Choice 1. a, 2. d, 3. d, 4. d, 5. a, 6. d Fill in the Blank 1. anatomical 2. supine 3. inferior; superior 4. brain 5. peripheral or acrocyanosis 6. midsagittal Short Answers 1. The organs found in the abdominal cavity are the liver, stomach, pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, small intestine, and part of the large intestine. 2. In the prone position, a person is laying face downward. In the supine position, a person is laying face upward. In the Trendelenberg, a person's head is lower than the person's feet. In the Sims' position, a person is lying on the left side, with the left hip and lower extremity straight and the right hip and right knee bent. In the Fowler’s position, a person is sitting up at a 45- to 60-degree angle. 3. There are three superior regions in the abdominal cavity. The medial superior region is the epigastric (above the stomach) region. The lateral superior regions are the hypochondriac (under the ribs) regions. Inferior to those three regions are two lateral regions—the lumbar regions—and a medial region, the umbilical region. The three most inferior regions are two lateral regions—the iliac regions—and one medial region, the hypogastric (under the stomach) region. Chapter 2—Worksheet Multiple Choice 1) In this position, a patient is lying on the back, face upward. A) Prone B) Supine C) Trendelenburg D) Fowler’s 2) In this position, a patient is lying on the stomach, face downward. A) Anatomical B) Trendelenburg C) Prone D) Supine 3) In this position, a patient is lying with the head of the bed lower than the feet. A) Trendelenburg B) Prone C) Fowler’s D) Anatomical 4) A patient is standing erect, with face forward, feet parallel, arms hanging to the side, and palms facing forward. In which position is this patient? A) Supine B) Anatomical C) Fowler’s D) Prone 5) Which of the following would be found in the midline area of the abdomen? A) Liver B) Aorta C) Appendix D) Ureter Fill in the Blank 6) The _____ plane divides the body into left and right portions. 7) The _____ plane divides the body into anterior and posterior parts. 8) Another name for the midsagittal plane is the _____ plane. 9) The _____ plane divides the body into superior and inferior parts. 10) The cranial and spinal cavities are both part of the larger _____ cavity. 11) The thoracic and abdominal cavities are part of the larger _____ cavity. Worksheet—p. 1 of 2 Matching Please match the following terms with the correct definition. 12) _____ Sternal 13) _____ Pedal 14) _____ Occipital 15) _____ Axillary 16) _____ Cervical 17) _____ Epigastric 18) _____ Thoracic 19) _____ Gluteal 20) _____ Lumbar 21) _____ Oral 22) _____ Buccal 23) _____ Antecubital 24) _____ Digital 25) _____ Nasal A. Foot region B. Neck region C. Cheek region D. Breastbone region E. Finger region F. Chest region G. Nose region H. Posterior head region I. Buttock region J. Superior central portion of the abdomen K. Front of the elbow L. Low back region M. Mouth region N. Armpit region Short Answer/Essay 26. List three organs that might be found in the abdominal cavity. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 27. Give one example of an organ found in the thoracic cavity. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Worksheet—p. 2 of 2 Answer Key Chapter 2—Worksheet 1) B 2) C 3) A 4) B 5) B 6) sagittal 7) frontal/coronal 8) median 9) horizontal/transverse 10) dorsal 11) ventral 12) D 13) A 14) H 15) N 16) B 17) J 18) F 19) I 20) L 21) M 22) C 23) K 24) E 25) G 26) Answers will vary, but may include stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, and bladder. 27) Answers will vary, but may include heart, lungs, and esophagus. Name __________________ Labeling Activity #1 Instructions: Please label the cavities in the following diagram. Labeling Activity #1 answer key Labeling Activity #2 Instructions: Please label the following regions. Labeling Activity #2 answer key 1 1 1