Lab 1 is where the language of anatomy stops being a vocabulary list and becomes something you point to on a torso model, a classmate, or a diagram. Every later lab assumes you can say exactly where something is, which way a cut was made, and which cavity holds which organ. This review drills all of it until it is automatic.
Your lab manual wins. Lab sections vary in which models, slides, and terms they use. If anything here differs from your lab handout or what your instructor emphasized, go with your lab material and tell your tutor so this review can be updated.
Concept Review · Orientation
Anatomical position: standing upright, facing forward, feet flat and slightly apart, arms at the sides, palms facing forward with thumbs pointing away from the body. Every directional term is defined from this pose, no matter how the body (or model) is actually lying. Right and left always mean the subject’s right and left. When a model faces you, its right side is on your left.
| Term pair | Meaning | Lab example |
|---|---|---|
| Superior / Inferior | Toward the head (cranial) / toward the feet or lower part (caudal) | The nose is superior to the mouth. |
| Anterior (ventral) / Posterior (dorsal) | Toward the front / toward the back (in humans, ventral = anterior, dorsal = posterior) | The sternum is anterior to the heart; the vertebrae are posterior to it. |
| Medial / Lateral | Toward the midline / away from the midline, toward the side | The nose is medial to the eyes; the thumb is lateral to the little finger. |
| Proximal / Distal | On a limb: closer to / farther from where the limb attaches to the trunk | The elbow is proximal to the wrist; the toes are distal to the ankle. |
| Superficial / Deep | Toward / away from the body surface | Skin is superficial to skeletal muscle; bone is deep to muscle. |
| Ipsilateral / Contralateral | On the same side / on opposite sides of the body | The right arm and right leg are ipsilateral; the right arm and left leg are contralateral. |
| Intermediate | Between a more medial and a more lateral structure | The collarbone (clavicle) is intermediate between the sternum and the shoulder. |
Proximal/distal is for limbs only. Use superior/inferior on the trunk and head. “The knee is proximal to the ankle” is right; “the chest is proximal to the abdomen” is not. Some instructors also accept proximal/distal along tubes such as the GI tract or a blood vessel, so follow your lab manual.
Concept Review · Planes
A plane is an imaginary flat surface; a section is the cut you get along it. In lab you will be shown a cut brain, a model, a fruit, or an imaging slice and asked which plane made it.
| Plane | Runs | Divides the body into | Tell-tale sign on a specimen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sagittal | Vertically, front to back | Right and left parts | You see one side; both eyes are never in the same cut. |
| Midsagittal (median) | Exactly on the midline | Equal right and left halves | Brain cut shows the corpus callosum, nose and chin split in half. |
| Parasagittal | Parallel to the midline, off center | Unequal right and left parts | Cut passes through one eye or one kidney. |
| Frontal (coronal) | Vertically, side to side | Anterior and posterior parts | You see both right and left structures at once (both lungs, both kidneys) from the front. |
| Transverse (horizontal, cross section) | Horizontally | Superior and inferior parts | Looks like a CT slice; a round cross section of a limb or the trunk. |
| Oblique | At an angle between the others | Angled parts | Elongated ovals where a tube should be round. |
Memory hook: sagittal comes from the Latin for arrow. An arrow shot at you from the front travels through the body front to back and splits left from right. Coronal follows the line of a crown or headband, running ear to ear.
Concept Review · Body Regions
Regional terms name surface areas. Most are adjectives built from a Latin or Greek root (brachium = arm → brachial). Learn the root and the region follows.
| Term | Region | Term | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cephalic | Head | Occipital | Back of the head |
| Frontal / orbital / nasal / oral / buccal | Forehead / eye / nose / mouth / cheek | Cervical | Neck (posterior neck is sometimes called nuchal) |
| Thoracic / sternal / mammary | Chest / breastbone / breast | Acromial | Point of the shoulder |
| Axillary | Armpit | Scapular | Shoulder blade |
| Brachial | Upper arm (shoulder to elbow) | Vertebral | Spinal column (midline of back) |
| Antecubital | Front of the elbow | Olecranal | Back of the elbow |
| Antebrachial | Forearm | Dorsal (dorsum) | The back (also back of hand/foot) |
| Carpal / palmar / digital | Wrist / palm / fingers (and toes) | Lumbar | Lower back, between ribs and hips |
| Abdominal / umbilical | Abdomen / navel | Sacral | Between the hips, over the sacrum |
| Pelvic / inguinal / pubic | Pelvis / groin / genital area | Gluteal | Buttock |
| Coxal | Hip | Femoral | Thigh (front and back) |
| Patellar | Front of the knee | Popliteal | Back of the knee |
| Crural | Front of the leg (shin) | Sural | Calf (back of the leg) |
| Tarsal / pedal / hallux | Ankle / foot / great toe | Calcaneal / plantar | Heel / sole of the foot |
“Leg” and “arm” are narrow words in anatomy. The arm (brachium) is shoulder to elbow only; the leg (crus) is knee to ankle only. The thigh is femoral, the forearm is antebrachial.
Label It · Regions 1
The figure is in anatomical position, facing you. Click a pin, choose its regional term, then press Check answers.
Label It · Regions 2
Same figure, new pins. Watch the difference between the front of the knee and the back, and between ankle and foot.
Label It · Regions 3
Posterior view: you are looking at the subject’s back. Name each region.
Concept Review · Cavities
| Cavity | Subdivision | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Dorsal body cavity (posterior; protects the CNS) | Cranial cavity | Brain |
| Vertebral cavity (vertebral or spinal canal) | Spinal cord | |
| Ventral body cavity (anterior; holds the viscera) | Thoracic cavity → right and left pleural cavities | One lung in each |
| Thoracic cavity → mediastinum | Central compartment: heart, trachea, esophagus, great vessels, thymus | |
| Mediastinum → pericardial cavity | Heart (inside the pericardial sac) | |
| Abdominopelvic cavity → abdominal cavity | Stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, small and most of the large intestine, kidneys (behind the peritoneum) | |
| Abdominopelvic cavity → pelvic cavity | Urinary bladder, rectum, internal reproductive organs |
The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominopelvic cavity. There is no wall between the abdominal and pelvic cavities; the dashed line from the sacrum to the pubic bone (the pelvic inlet) is the imaginary boundary.
| Serous membrane | Parietal layer (lines the wall) | Visceral layer (on the organ) | Cavity between (serous fluid) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleura | Parietal pleura | Visceral pleura (on each lung) | Pleural cavity |
| Pericardium | Parietal pericardium (with the fibrous sac) | Visceral pericardium = epicardium | Pericardial cavity |
| Peritoneum | Parietal peritoneum (abdominal wall) | Visceral peritoneum (on abdominal organs) | Peritoneal cavity |
Why it matters: the serous fluid lets organs glide. When the layers become inflamed (pleurisy, pericarditis, peritonitis), they rub and cause sharp pain with every breath or heartbeat.
Label It · Cavities
The figure faces left (anterior is on the left). Name each cavity or structure.
Label It · Serous Membranes
Anterior view of the thorax. Solid blue line = outer layer of the pleural sac; dashed blue line = layer on the lung surface; red sac around the heart. The gaps are drawn wider than real life so you can see them.
Concept Review · Abdominopelvic Map
Two systems describe the same space. Quadrants are quick and clinical (“RLQ pain”). The nine regions are more precise and anatomical. Both use the subject’s right and left.
| Region | Where | Major organs (or parts) |
|---|---|---|
| Right hypochondriac | Upper right, under the ribs | Most of the liver, gallbladder |
| Epigastric | Upper middle, over the stomach | Stomach, part of the liver, pancreas, aorta |
| Left hypochondriac | Upper left, under the ribs | Spleen, part of the stomach, splenic flexure of colon |
| Right / left lumbar | Sides at waist level | Ascending colon (R) / descending colon (L), parts of the kidneys and small intestine |
| Umbilical | Center, around the navel | Small intestine, transverse colon |
| Right iliac (inguinal) | Lower right | Cecum and appendix |
| Hypogastric (pubic) | Lower middle | Urinary bladder, sigmoid colon, uterus (female) |
| Left iliac (inguinal) | Lower left | Descending and sigmoid colon |
Naming varies: the lumbar regions are also called lateral (abdominal) regions; the iliac regions are also called inguinal regions; the hypogastric region is also called the pubic region. All of these are accepted in the practical below. Quadrant shortcuts: RUQ = liver and gallbladder, LUQ = stomach and spleen, RLQ = appendix and cecum, LLQ = descending and sigmoid colon.
Label It · Nine Regions
Anterior view, facing you, so the subject’s right is on your left. Name each region.
Check Yourself
Two tries per question. Read each explanation, especially when you get one right by guessing.
Rapid Recall
Say the answer out loud, then tap the card to check. Shuffle and go again until every card is automatic.
Practical Simulation
This runs like a real lab practical: one structure or question per station, a timer, and you type the answer — no word bank. Spelling counts on most practicals, so spell it fully. Your score and every correct answer appear at the end.
20 stations · 50 seconds each · stations come in random order every attempt.
| # | Station | Your answer | Correct |
|---|
Watch Out
| The mistake | The fix |
|---|---|
| Using your own right and left on a model that faces you. | Always name the subject’s side. Facing you = mirrored. Pause and say “its right is my left” before answering. |
| Using proximal/distal on the trunk (“the chest is proximal to the hips”). | Proximal/distal is for limbs. Use superior/inferior for the head, neck, and trunk. |
| Calling any sagittal cut “midsagittal.” | Midsagittal only if the halves are equal (right on the midline). Off center = parasagittal. |
| Mixing up frontal and transverse because both “go across.” | Frontal is vertical (front/back pieces). Transverse is horizontal (top/bottom pieces). |
| Patellar vs. popliteal, crural vs. sural. | Front of the knee and shin (patellar, crural) vs. back of the knee and calf (popliteal, sural). |
| Antecubital vs. antebrachial. | Antecubital = front of the elbow (where blood is drawn). Antebrachial = the whole forearm. |
| Calling the pericardial cavity a separate division from the thoracic cavity. | The pericardial cavity sits inside the mediastinum, which is part of the thoracic cavity. |
| Swapping visceral and parietal. | Visceral touches the viscera (organ). Parietal lines the wall (think parietal bone = wall of the skull). |
| Labeling the nine regions from the viewer’s side. | The liver is in the RIGHT hypochondriac region, which appears on your left on a figure facing you. |
Cheat Sheet
Print it or screenshot it for a last look before the lab.
| Topic | Know this |
|---|---|
| Anatomical position | Upright, facing forward, arms at sides, palms forward, thumbs lateral, feet flat. Right/left = subject’s. |
| Superior / inferior | Toward head (cranial) / toward feet (caudal) |
| Anterior / posterior | Front (ventral) / back (dorsal) |
| Medial / lateral / intermediate | Toward midline / toward side / in between |
| Proximal / distal | Limb only: nearer / farther from trunk attachment |
| Superficial / deep | Toward / away from the surface |
| Ipsilateral / contralateral | Same side / opposite sides |
| Planes | Sagittal = R/L (midsagittal equal, parasagittal unequal); frontal (coronal) = anterior/posterior; transverse (horizontal) = superior/inferior; oblique = angled |
| Anterior regions | Cephalic, orbital, nasal, oral, buccal, cervical, thoracic, sternal, axillary, brachial, antecubital, antebrachial, carpal, palmar, digital, abdominal, umbilical, pelvic, inguinal, pubic, coxal, femoral, patellar, crural, tarsal, pedal, hallux |
| Posterior regions | Occipital, cervical (nuchal), acromial, scapular, vertebral, dorsal, olecranal, lumbar, sacral, gluteal, femoral, popliteal, sural, calcaneal, plantar |
| Dorsal cavity | Cranial (brain) + vertebral (spinal cord) |
| Ventral cavity | Thoracic [2 pleural + mediastinum (pericardial)] / diaphragm / abdominopelvic [abdominal + pelvic] |
| Serous membranes | Parietal (wall) + visceral (organ) with fluid-filled cavity between: pleura (lungs), pericardium (heart; visceral = epicardium), peritoneum (abdomen) |
| Quadrants | RUQ liver/gallbladder; LUQ stomach/spleen; RLQ appendix/cecum; LLQ descending/sigmoid colon |
| Nine regions | R hypochondriac | epigastric | L hypochondriac / R lumbar | umbilical | L lumbar / R iliac (inguinal) | hypogastric (pubic) | L iliac (inguinal) |
Debrief
You now have the map and the vocabulary that every later lab uses. Next up is Lab 2, where you zoom from the whole body down to the cell: the compound microscope, cell structures, and the stages of mitosis on real slides.
💭 Before the real thing: run the practical simulation until you score 90% or better twice in a row. Then do it once with the timer on.