ANATOMICOMEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
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Anatomical terminology introduces and makes up a large part of medical terminology. To be understood, you must express yourself clearly, using the proper terms in the correct way. Although you are familiar with common, colloquial terms for parts and regions of the body, you must learn the international anatomical terminology (e.g., axillary fossa instead of armpit and clavicle instead of collarbone) that enables precise communication among health care professionals and scientists worldwide. Health professionals must also know the common and colloquial terms people are likely to use when they describe their complaints. Furthermore, you must be able to use terms people will understand when explaining their medical problems to them.
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The terminology in this book conforms to the new International Anatomical Terminology. Terminologia Anatomica (TA) and Terminologia Embryologica(TE) list terms both in Latin and as English equivalents.Unfortunately, the terminology commonly used in the clinical arena may differ from the official terminology. Because this discrepancy 90 may be a source of confusion, this text clarifies commonly confused terms by placing the unofficial designations in parentheses when the terms are first used— for example, pharyngotympanic tube (auditory tube, eustachian tube) and internal thoracic artery (internal mammary artery). Eponyms, terms incorporating the names of people, are not used in the new terminology because they give no clue about the type or location of the structures involved. Further, many eponyms are historically inaccurate in terms of identifying the original person to describe a structure or assign its function, and do not conform to an international standard. Notwithstanding, commonly used eponyms appear in parentheses throughout the book when these terms are first used—such as sternal angle (angle of Louis)—since you will surely encounter them in your clinical years. Note that eponymous terms do not help to locate the structure in the body.
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Structure of terms. Anatomy is a descriptive science and requires names for the many structures and processes of the body. Because most terms are derived from Latin and Greek, medical language may seem difficult at first; however, as you learn the origin of terms, the words make sense. For example, the term gaster is Latin for stomach or belly. Consequently, the esophagogastric junction is the site where the esophagus connects with the stomach, gastric acid is the digestive juice secreted by the stomach, and a digastric muscle is a muscle divided into two bellies.
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Many terms provide information about a structure’s shape, size, location, or function or about the resemblance of one structure to another. For example, some muscles have descriptive names to indicate their main characteristics. The deltoid muscle, which covers the point of the shoulder, is triangular, like the symbol for delta, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. The suffix -oid means “like”; therefore, deltoid means like delta. Biceps means two-headed and triceps means three-headed. Some muscles are named according to their shape—the piriformis muscle, for example, is pear shaped (L. pirum, pear + L. forma, shape or form). Other muscles are named according to their location. The temporalis muscle is in the temporal region (temple) of the cranium (skull). In some cases, actions are used to describe muscles—for example, the levator scapulae elevates the scapula (L. for shoulder blade). Anatomical terminology applies logical reasons for the names of muscles and other parts of the body, and if you learn their meanings and think about them as you read and dissect, it will be easier to remember their names.
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Abbreviations. Abbreviations of terms are used for brevity in medical histories and in this and other books, such as in tables of muscles, arteries, and nerves. Clinical abbreviations are used in discussions and descriptions of signs and symptoms. Learning to use these abbreviations also speeds note taking. Common anatomical and clinical abbreviations are provided in this text when the corresponding term is introduced—for example, temporomandibular joint.