Anatomy is the Biology’s branch that study the physical structure of living organisms, focusing on the study of interaction and organization of the constituent’s parts.
Branches of Anatomy
Anatomy includes the plant field and the human and animal field. The plant field concerns its study on plants and is called Phytology. On the other hand, the human and animal field, as the name implies, focus its study in humans and animals and it is divided in:
a) Macroscopic, which concerns the study of the structures that are easily seen with the naked eye and includes:
- Systemic anatomy, which studies the body systems (Skeletal system, Muscular system, Nervous system, Respiratory system, Cardiovascular system, Lymphatic system, Endocrine system, Digestive system, Urinary system, Integumentary system, Male Reproductive system and Female Reproductive system);
- Regional anatomy (also known as topographic anatomy), which studies the body divided by regions (head, neck, thorax, abdominal, pelvic, upper limb, lower limb), that way all the systems in that region are studied at the same time and its interactions are highlighted; and
- Surface anatomy, which is based in the fact that some characteristics are observable and/or palpable at the surface of the body and can give information about a certain organ.
b) Microscopic, which concerns the study of the structures that can be seen only with the help of a microscope, and includes:
- Cytology, which studies the features of isolated cells, and
- Histology, which analyses tissues as a whole (cells and surrounding environment).
The Human and Animal anatomy has other areas of study, including: developmental anatomy, which studies structural alterations that occurs through human and animal life; and embryology, which is based on the study of structural alterations from fertilization to the first weeks after birth. Its history goes back to the VI a.C. century when Greek philosophers dissected dead bodies in order to study the organs and intern structures of the human and animal body. Over the centuries there was an evolution on the techniques and, currently, it is possible to watch and study all human and animal organs in living beings using medical imaging techniques (such as: X-ray, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound, etc.).
