Quick Definition: scientific study of the bodies and body parts; body; dissection of body
anatomy (
ə-năt'ə-mē)
n.,
pl. -mies.
- The bodily structure of a plant or an animal or of any of its parts.
- The science of the shape and structure of organisms and their parts.
- A treatise on anatomic science.
- Dissection of a plant or animal to study the structure, position, and interrelation of its various parts.
- A skeleton.
- The human body.
- A detailed examination or analysis: the anatomy of a crime.
[Middle English anatomie, from Late Latin anatomia, from Greek anatomē, dissection : ana-, ana- + tomē, a cutting (from temnein, to cut).]
Anatomy Structure of the body and of the relationship between its parts.
anatomy (
ənăt'əmē) , branch of biology concerned with the study of body structure of various organisms, including humans. Comparative anatomy is concerned with the structural differences of plant and animal forms. The study of similarities and differences in anatomical structures forms the basis for
classification of both plants and animals. Embryology (see
embryo) deals with developing plants or animals until hatching or birth (or germination, in plants); cell biology covers the internal anatomy of the cell, while
histology is concerned with the study of aggregates of similarly specialized cells, called tissues. Related to anatomy is morphology, which involves comparative study of the corresponding organs in humans and animals. There are four major types of tissue present in the human body: epithelial tissue (see
epithelium), muscular tissue (see
muscle),
connective tissue, and nervous tissue (see
nervous system). Human anatomy is often studied by considering the individual systems that are composed of groups of tissues and organs; such systems include the skeletal system (see
skeleton), muscular system, cutaneous system (see
skin), circulatory system (including the
lymphatic system), respiratory system (see
respiration),
digestive system,
reproductive system,
urinary system, and
endocrine system. Little was known about human anatomy in ancient times because dissection, even of corpses, was widely forbidden. In the 2d cent.,
Galen, largely on the basis of animal dissection, made valuable contributions to the field. His work remained authoritative until the 14th and 15th cent., when a limited number of cadavers were made available to the medical schools. A better understanding of the science was soon reflected in the discoveries of
Vesalius, William
Harvey, and John
Hunter. Various modern technologies have significantly refined the study of anatomy:
X rays,
CAT scans, and
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are only several of the tools used today to obtain clear, accurate representations of the inner human anatomy. In 1994, for the first time, a detailed three-dimensional map of an entire human being (an executed prisoner who volunteered his body) was made available worldwide via the Internet using data from thousands of photographs, CAT scans, and MRIs of tiny cross sections of the body.
Bibliography
See H. Gray, Gray's Anatomy (1987).
anatomy
The structure of an animal or plant; also, the study of this structure through techniques such as microscopic observation and dissection. (Compare morphology and physiology.)
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words. The noun anatomy has 3 meanings:
Meaning #1: the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals
Meaning #2: alternative names for the body of a human being
Synonyms: human body, physical body, material body, soma, build, figure, physique, shape, bod, chassis, frame, form, flesh
Meaning #3: a detailed analysis
anatomy
Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the
Encyclopdie.
Anatomy (from the Greek ἀί anatomia, from ἀέ anatemnein, to cut up, cut open), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things. It can be divided into animal anatomy (zootomy) and plant anatomy (phytonomy). Furthermore, anatomy can be covered either regionally or systemically, that is, studying anatomy by bodily regions such as the head and chest for the former, or studying by specific systems, such as the nervous or respiratory systmes for the latter. Major branches of anatomy include comparative anatomy, histology, and human anatomy.
Animal anatomy
Animal anatomy may include the study of the structure of different animals, when it is called comparative anatomy or animal morphology, or it may be limited to one animal only, in which case it is spoken of as special anatomy.
Human anatomy
From a utilitarian point of view the study of humans is the most important division of special anatomy, and this human anatomy may be approached from different points of view.
From that of Medicine it consists of a knowledge of the exact form, position, size and relationship of the various structures of the healthy human body, and to this study the term descriptive or topographical human anatomy is given, though it is often, less happily, spoken of as anthropotomy.
So intricate is the human body that only a small number of professional human anatomists, after years of patient observation, are complete masters of all its details; most of them specialize on certain parts, such as the brain or viscera, contenting themselves with a good working knowledge of the rest.
Topographical anatomy must be learned by repeated dissection and inspection of dead human bodies. It is no more a science than a pilot's knowledge is, and, like that knowledge, must be exact and available in moments of emergency.
From the morphological point of view, however, human anatomy is a scientific and fascinating study, having for its object the discovery of the causes which have brought about the existing structure of humans, and needing a knowledge of the allied sciences of embryology or developmental biology, phylogeny, and histology.
Pathological anatomy (or morbid anatomy) is the study of diseased organs, while sections of normal anatomy, applied to various purposes, receive special names such as medical, surgical, gynaecological, artistic and superficial anatomy. The comparison of the anatomy of different races of humans is part of the science of physical anthropology or anthropological anatomy. In the present edition of this work the subject of anatomy is treated systematically rather than topographically. Each anatomical article contains first a description of the structures of an organ or system (such as nerves, arteries, heart, and so forth), as it is found in humans; this is followed by an account of the development (embryology) and comparative anatomy (morphology), as far as vertebrate animals are concerned; but only those parts of the lower animals which are of interest in explaining human body structure are here dealt with. The articles have a twofold purpose; first, to give enough details of structure to make the articles on physiology, surgery, medicine and pathology intelligible; and, secondly, to give the non-expert inquirer, or the worker in some other branch of science, the chief theories on which the modern scientific groundwork of anatomy is built.
Major body systems
Externally visible parts of the human body
Other anatomic terms (not classified)
See also
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations for: Anatomy Nederlands (Dutch)
anatomie, ontleding, menselijk lichaam, onderzoek (van vakgebied etc.)
Franais (French)
anatomie
Deutsch (German)
n. - Anatomie
ή (Greek)
n. (., .) ή, ή, ί
Italiano (Italian)
anatomia
Portugus (Portuguese)
n. - anatomia (f)
Русский (Russian)
анатомия
Espaol (Spanish)
n. - anatoma
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - anatomi, dissekering
中国话 (Simplified Chinese)
n. - 解剖学, 骨骸, 剖析
中國話 (Traditional Chinese)
n. - 解剖學, 骨骸, 剖析
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 解剖学, 解剖学的構造, 分析
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) علم التشريح
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - אנטומיה, מבנה הגוף, ניתוח
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
Some good anatomy pages on the web:
