Organization of the Body

The Directional Terms on your body consists of Superior and Inferior, Anterior and Posterior, Medial Lateral and Intermediate, Proximal and Distal, Superficial and Deep. 

          Superior~ The upper part of your body.
          Inferior~ The lower part of your body.

          Anterior~ In front of your body.
          Posterior~ Behind your body.

          Medial~ The midline of your body.
          Lateral~ The outer side of your body.
          Intermediate~ Between a medial and a more lateral structure.

          Proximal~ Close to the origin of the body part, the point of attachment
                          of a limb to the body part.
          Distal~ Farther away from the origin of the body part.

          Superficial~ At the body surface.
          Deep~ Away from the body surface.

       Body Planes:
Sagittal~ It divides your body into right and left parts.
Midsagittal~ This is the saggital plane that is on the midline.
Frontal or Coronal~ Divides your body into anterior and posterior parts.
Transverse or Horizontal~ Divides your body into superior and inferior parts.
Oblique section~ Cuts are made diagonally.

     Body Cavities:
The Dorsal cavity protects the nervous system, and it is spit into two subdivisions.
Cranial cavity~ This is located in your skull, and it encloses your brain.
Vertebral cavity~ This runs through the vertebral column, and it encloses the spinal cord.
Ventral cavity~ It is divided into two subdivisions which are the thoracic and abdominopelvic.

Thoracic cavity~ Split into pleural cavities which are the mediastinum, and the pericardial cavity.
Pleural cavities~ They each surround a lung.
Mediastinum~ This contains the pericardial cavity, and it surrounds the area of the remaining thoracic organs.
Pericardial cavity~ Bounds the heart.

The abdominopelvic cavity is separated from the superior thoracic cavity, and it is composed of two subdivisions.
Abdominal cavity~ This contains your stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, and many other organs.
Pelvic cavity~ This lies within the pelvis and it contains your bladder, rectum, and reproductive organs.

         Other Body Cavities:
Oral and Digestive~ These are the mouth and cavities of the digestive organs.
Nasal~ This is located posterior to your nose.
Orbital~ This surrounds your eyes.
Middle Ear~ Contains bones that passes sound vibrations.
Synovial~ These are your joint cavities.