BIOL 4 – W5559
Wk1 / Lecture 1 – The Human Body: An Orientation
20 August 2019
Learning Objectives
1. Define anatomy, and describe the subdisciplines of anatomy.
2. Use meaning of word roots to help in understanding anatomical terminology.
3. Identify the levels of structural organization in the human body, and explain the interrelationships
between each level.
4. List the organ systems of the body, and briefly state the functions.
5. Define anatomical position.
6. Use anatomical terminology to describe body directions, regions, and planes.
7. Locate the major body cavities and their subdivisions.
8. Name the four quadrants of the abdomen, and identify the visceral organs located within each
quadrant.
9. Understand how human tissue is prepared and examined for its microscopic structure.
10. Distinguish tissues viewed by light microscopy (LM) from those viewed by electron microscopy (EM).
11. Be familiar with the medical imaging techniques used to visualize structures inside the body.
Lecture Outline
I. Overview of Anatomy (pp. 2–6)
A. Subdisciplines of Anatomy (p. 2)
1. Gross anatomy: visible to the naked eye
a. systemic anatomy
• Organs with related fxn
b. regional anatomy
• Specific regions
c. surface anatomy
• Body landmarks
2. Microscopic anatomy (= histology)
• Histo= tissue
• Cells, tissues
3. Developmental anatomy
• Growth, maturity over life span, aging
4. Embryology
• Development before birth
B. Hierarchy of Structural Organization (pp. 2-6, Figs. 1.1, 1.2)
1. Structural Organization
a. Levels of structural organization:
i. chemical
ii. cellular
iii. tissue
iv. organ
v. organ system
vi. human organism
b. Organ systems Know the general functions
i. integumentary
• Forms the external body coverings, and protects deeper tissues from injury
o Ex: hair, skin, nails
ii. skeletal
• Protects and supports body organs and provides a framework the muscles use to cause
movement
o Ex: joint, bones
iii. muscular
• Allows manipulation of the environment, locomotion, and facial expression
o Ex: Skeletal muscles
iv. nervous
• As the fast acting control system of the body, it responds to internal and external changes
by activating the appropriate muscles and glands
o Brain, spinal cord, nerves
v. endocrine
• Glands that secrete hormones that regulate processes such as growth, reproduction, and
