INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN

ANATOMY
BY

YUSUF UTHMAN ADEMOLA

(B.Tech,M.Sc, PhD IN VIEW)
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN ANATOMY
UNIVERSITY OF GITWE, GITWE
RWANDA
 A Brief History of Anatomy
• Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body is one of the oldest basic
medical sciences; it was first studied formally in Egypt (approximately 500 B.C.E.
[B.C.]).
• The earliest descriptions of anatomy were written on papyruses (paper red)
between 3000 and 2500 B.C.E. (Persaud, 1984).
• Much later, human anatomy was taught in Greece by Hippocrates (460-377
B.C.E.), who is regarded as the Father of Medicine and a founder of the science of
anatomy. In addition to the Hippocratic Oath, Hippocrates wrote several books on
anatomy.
• In one he stated, The nature of the body is the beginning of medical science.
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) was the first person to use the term anatome, a Greek
word meaning cutting up or taking apart. The Latin word dissecare has a similar
meaning.
• Andreas Vesalius's (1514-1564 C.E [A.D.]) marked a new era in the history of
medicine. At that time, the study of anatomy became an objective discipline
based on direct observations as well as scientific principles.
• Vesalius recognized anatomy as the firm foundation of the whole art of medicine
and its essential preliminary.
• Hieronymus Fabricius (1537-1619) was responsible for the construction in 1594
of the famous anatomical theater at Padua. He was one of the teachers of
William Harvey, and it is believed that Fabricius's discovery of the valves in the
veins led Harvey to the discovery of the circulation of blood.
• The publication in 1628 of Harvey's book Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et
Sanguinis in Animalibus, on the movements of the heart and the circulation of
blood in animals, represents a milestone in the history of medicine (Persaud,
1997).
• By the 17th century, human dissections became an important feature in
European medical schools, and anatomical museums were established in many
cities.
• During the 18th and 19th centuries, anatomists published impressive treatises
and lavish atlases with illustrations that introduced new standards for depicting
the human body.
• The shortage of cadavers for dissection and anatomical demonstrations led to
illegal means of obtaining human bodies.
• Professional grave robbers supplied anatomy schools with corpses, in some cases
by murdering their victims.
• Medical students and their teachers had also been involved in body snatching
(Persaud, 1997).
• In Britain, the Anatomy Act was passed by Parliament in 1832. It
made legal provisions for medical schools to receive unclaimed and
donated bodies for anatomical studies. This paved the way for similar
legislation in other countries.
 Approaches to Studying Anatomy
• The three main approaches to studying anatomy are regional, systemic, and
clinical (applied), reflecting the body's organization and the priorities and
purposes for studying it.
• Regional Anatomy
• Regional anatomy (topographical anatomy) considers the organization of the
human body as segments or major parts based on form and mass : a main body,
consisting of the head, neck, and trunk (subdivided into thorax, abdomen, back,
and pelvis/perineum), and paired upper limbs and lower limbs.
• Regional anatomy also recognizes the body's organization by layers: skin,
subcutaneous tissue, and deep fascia covering the deeper structures of muscles,
skeleton, and cavities, which contain viscera (internal organs). Many of these
deeper structures are partially evident beneath the body's outer covering and
may be studied and examined in living individuals via surface anatomy.
• Surface anatomy is an essential part of the study of regional anatomy. It is
specifically addressed in this book in surface anatomy sections (orange
background) that provide knowledge of what lies under the skin and what
structures are perceptible to touch (palpable) in the living body at rest and in
action.
• Systemic Anatomy
• Systemic anatomy recognizes the organization of the body's organs into systems
or collective apparatuses that work together to carry out complex functions; thus
it is a sequential study of the functional systems of the body. The basic systems
and the field of study or treatment of each are
• The integumentary system consists of the skin and its appendages hair, nails, and
sweat glands.
• The skeletal system (osteology) consists of bones and cartilage; it provides our
basic shape and support for the body and is what the muscular system acts on to
produce movement.
• The articular system (arthrology) consists of joints and their associated ligaments,
connecting the bony parts of the skeletal system and providing the sites at which
movements occur.
• The muscular system (myology) consists of muscles that act (contract) to move or
position parts of the body (e.g., the bones that articulate at joints).
• The nervous system (neurology) consists of the central nervous system (brain and
spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system.
• The circulatory system (angiology) consists of the cardiovascular and lymphatic
systems, which function in parallel to transport the body's fluids.
• The cardiovascular system (cardiology) consists of the heart and blood vessels that propel
and conduct blood through the body, delivering oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells
and removing their waste products.
• The lymphatic system is a network of lymphatic vessels that withdraws excess tissue fluid
(lymph) from the body's interstitial (intercellular) fluid compartment, filters it through
lymph nodes, and returns it to the bloodstream
• The digestive or alimentary system (gastroenterology) consists of the organs and
glands associated with ingestion, mastication (chewing), deglutition (swallowing),
digestion, and absorption of food and the elimination of feces (solid waste)
remaining after the nutrients have been absorbed.
• The respiratory system (pulmonology) consists of the air passages and lungs that
supply oxygen to the blood for cellular respiration and eliminate carbon dioxide
from it.
• The urinary system (urology) consists of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and
urethra, which filter blood and subsequently produce, transport, store, and
intermittently excrete urine (liquid waste).
• The reproductive or genital system (gynecology for females; andrology for males)
consists of the gonads (ovaries and testes) that produce oocytes (eggs) and
sperms, the ducts that transport them, and the genitalia that enable their union.
After conception, the female reproductive tract nourishes and delivers the fetus.
• The endocrine system (endocrinology) consists of discrete ductless glands (such
as the thyroid gland) as well as isolated and clustered cells of the gut and blood
vessel walls and specialized nerve endings that secrete hormones. Hormones are
organic molecules that are carried by the circulatory system to distant effector
cells in all parts of the body. The influence of the endocrine system is thus as
broadly distributed as that of the nervous system. These glands influence
metabolism and other processes, such as the menstrual cycle.
• Clinical Anatomy
• Clinical (applied) anatomy emphasizes aspects of bodily structure and function
important in the practice of medicine, dentistry, and the allied health sciences. It
incorporates the regional and systemic approaches to studying anatomy and
stresses clinical application. Endoscopic and imaging techniques (e.g.,
examination of the interior of the stomach) also demonstrate living anatomy.
PLANES
SECTIONS
 Terms of Movement
• Flexion indicates bending or decreasing the angle between the bones or parts of
the body.
• Extension indicates straightening or increasing the angle between the bones or
parts of the body.
• Abduction means moving away from the median plane in the frontal plane (e.g.,
when moving an upper limb away from the side of the body).
• Adduction means moving toward the median plane in a frontal plane (e.g., when
moving an upper limb toward the side of the body).
• Circumduction is a circular movement that is a combination of flexion, extension,
abduction, and adduction occurring in such a way that the distal end of the part
moves in a circle.
• Rotation involves turning or revolving a part of the body around its longitudinal
axis, such as turning one's head to face sideways. Medial rotation (internal
rotation) brings the anterior surface of a limb closer to the median plane,
whereas lateral rotation (external rotation) takes the anterior surface away from
the median plane.
• Pronation is the rotational movement of the forearm and hand that swings the
radius (the lateral long bone of the forearm) medially around its longitudinal axis
so that the palm of the hand faces posteriorly and its dorsum faces anteriorly.
• Supination is the rotational movement of the forearm and hand that swings the
radius laterally around its longitudinal axis so that the dorsum of the hand faces
posteriorly and the palm faces anteriorly (i.e., moving them into the anatomical
position).