Inglese - The Medical alphabet

Anatomy

Definition: Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that considers the morphology and structures of living things. The term anatomy derives from the Greek, meaning "to cut up and separate".

Collocations:

• Human Anatomy (referred to human beings)
• Animal Anatomy (Zootomy)
• Plant Anatomy (Phytotomy)
• Gross Anatomy
• Microscopic Anatomy
• Superficial Anatomy
• Systemic Anatomy
• Morbid Anatomy
• Comparative Anatomy
• Anthropological Anatomy
• Artistic Anatomy

Anatomy is subdivided into:

1. Gross anatomy or macroscopic anatomy (also called topographical anatomy, regional anatomy or anthropotomy) as the study of those anatomical structures visible with the naked eye;
2. Microscopic anatomy or the study of minute anatomical structures assisted with microscopes, which includes Histology (the study of the organization of tissues) and Citology (the study of cells)
3. Superficial Anatomy or Surface Anatomy is the study of anatomical landmarks that can be easily seen by observing the contours of the external

Anatomical pathology (also called morbid anatomy or histiopa-thology) is the study of either gross and microscopic appearances of diseased organs

Comparative anatomy: it relates to the comparisons of anatomical structures (both gross and microscopic) in different animals

Anthropological anatomy or physical anthropology relates to the comparison of the anatomy of different human races

Artistic anatomy refers to anatomic studies for artistic reasons

Anatomy can be studied by means of:

• anatomical models
• skeletons
• textbooks
• atlas
• diagrams
• photographs
• lectures
• tutorials
• inspections
• dissections

The discipline of Human anatomy is complementary to the disciplines of Physiology and Biochemistry and they are considered basic sciences in the medical curriculum.

Human anatomy can be taught and learned by studying bodily regions such as the head and chest or by studying specific systems and their organs (systemic anatomy).

A good approach to the study of anatomy is by

Considering the complex systems that perform all the vital functions:

• The skeletal system
• The digestive system
• The muscular system