Body Direction Terms
Ventral (VEN-tral)
Refers to the front, or belly side, of the organ or body
Sagittal plane (SADJ-ih-tal)
Vertical plane that divides the body into unequal left and right portions.
Thoracic Cavity (thoh-RAS-ick)
Also known as the chest cavity or thorax, surrounds and protects the heart and the lungs.
Cells
The basic structural and functional units of the body.
also known as fat, provides protective padding, insulation, and support
Adipose tissue
(adip means fat, and -ose means pertaining to).
Cystic fibrosis (CF)
A genetic disorder that is present at birth and affects both the respiratory and digestive systems
Dorsal (DOR-sal)
Refers to the back of the organ or body
Midsagittal plane (mid-SADJ-ih-tal)
Also known as the midline, is the sagittal plane that divides the body into equal left and right halves
Abdominal cavity (ab-DOM-ih-nal)
Contains the major organs of digestion.
Cytology (sigh-TOL-oh-jee)
(cyt means cell, and -ology means study of)
The study of the anatomy, physiology, pathology, and chemistry of the cell
Bone and cartilage, form the joints and framework of the body.
Dense connective tissues
Down syndrome (DS)
A genetic variation that is associated with a characteristic facial appearance, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and physical abnormalities such as heart valve disease
Anterior (an-TEER-ee-or)
Situated in the front. It also means on the front or forward part of an organ
Frontal plane
A vertical plane that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions. Also known as the coronal plane, it is located at right angles to the sagittal plane
Pelvic cavity (PEL-vick)
The space formed by the hip bones and contains the organs of the reproductive and excretory systems.
Cytologist (sigh-TOL-oh-jist)
(cyt means cell, and -ologist means specialist).
A specialist in the study and analysis of cells
surrounds various organs and supports both nerve cells and blood vessels
Loose connective tissue
Hemophilia (hee-moh-FILL-ee-ah)
A group of hereditary bleeding disorders in which a blood-clotting factor is missing. This blood coagulation disorder is characterized by spontaneous hemorrhages or severe bleeding following an injury.
Cephalic (seh-FAL-ick)
Toward the head. This word is the opposite of caudal.
Transverse plane (trans-VERSE)
A horizontal plane that divides the body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions. A transverse plane can be at the waist or at any other level across the body
Spinal cavity
Located within the spinal column, surrounds and protects the spinal cord.
Cytoplasm (SIGH-toh-plazm)
(cyt/o means cell, and -plasm means formative material of cells).
The material within the cell membrane that is not part of the nucleus
Blood and lymph, transport nutrients and waste products throughout the body.
Liquid connective tissues
Huntington’s disease (HD)
A genetic disorder that is passed from parent to child. Each child of a parent with the gene for this disease has a 50–50 chance of inheriting this defective gene. This condition causes nerve degeneration with symptoms that most often appear in midlife. ( Degeneration means worsening condition.) This damage eventually results in uncontrolled movements and the loss of some mental abilities.
Superior
The uppermost, above, or toward the head. For example, the lungs are located **** to (above) the diaphragm. This area is the opposite of inferior.
Horizontal plane
A flat, crosswise plane, such as the horizon.
Ventral cavity
Is located along the front of the body, contains the body organs that sustain homeostasis. Homeostasis (hoh-mee-oh-STAY-sis) is the processes through which the body maintains a constant internal environment
Nucleus (NEW-klee-us)
Is surrounded by the nuclear membrane, is a structure within the cell. It has two important functions: it controls the activities of the cell, and it helps the cell divide.
Support and connect organs and other body tissues.
Connective tissues
Muscular dystrophy (DIS-troh-fee)
A group of genetic diseases that are characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement