anatmoy

Anatomy science was first reviewed by distinguishing parts of dead bodies through dissection (cutting up). That is why it is called in the ancient Greek language “anatomē”, where “ana” means up and “tome” means to cutting. Anatomy itself refers to the study of the structure of the body an organism, hence, it is called sometimes the “description Anatomy”. This type of anatomy could be handled with the naked eye, unlike the Microscopic anatomy, which need microscope in order to be studied.

Since Anatomy identify the different sections of plants and describe bodies’ parts of humans and animals, with their main characteristics, it has a crucial role in the field of science.

Human Anatomy

This type involves the study of human bodies. Human anatomy works on describing different body’s systems such as, cardiovascular system, digestive system, nervous system, urinary system etc.

Animal anatomy 

It is concerned with the dissection and anatomy of animals, including cells, tissues, organs, bones and other organs It is also called zootomy. 

Plant Anatomy

The plant anatomy is called phytotomy. This science describes different sections of plants including the tissues, root system, stem, leaves, flower, fruit and seeds.

This anatomy studies the appearance and structure the organs and tissues that could be seen with the naked eye, that is why it is called gross anatomy. It is useful in identifying the whole structure of the human body and its gross features. 

The specialist who works in this field is the histologist, hence it is called Histology. It is concerned in studying the microscopic features of tissues. In order to do this, the histologist dissect the required sample and fix it on slides. Then stains could be added to distinguish different cells. Histology plays a crucial role in defining the cellular components and the cell cycle.

The formation of the fetus goes through specific process, beginning from gametes, ending in delivering a baby. The science concerned in studying this process is called Embryology. During the development of a baby, all organs and systems are formed within two processes: growth and differentiation. Growth process leads to an increase in the amount and volume of cells, whereas differentiation is responsible on giving each organ its own specialized function.  During the development of the fetus, a structure called neural tube and neural crest cells form the central and peripheral nervous system. Studying this part is called Neuroembryology.

The nervous system in vertebrates is divided is the central nervous system (CNS) which includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that serves as paths for neural signals. Studying these concepts is called Neuroanatomy. Scientists have rest on picturizing neural components in order to understand the nervous system. For instance, brain functions have been studied by observing lesions affecting the brain and their consequences on body functions.

It combines the different aspects of another anatomies in order to make them applicable in the clinical setting. That helps clinicians in making decision regarding diagnostic and interventional approaches in addition to updated them with latest issues. That way, clinical anatomy would be a bridge between anatomists and clinicians.

Different organisms have different structures and anatomies. Studying these differences is termed as comparative anatomy. It includes studying homology that indicates to the similarity of origin, and analogy which represents similar functions. Comparative anatomy also compares the differences between vertebrates with their invertebrates’ counterparts.