Anatomy

Anatomy of Head Anatomy of Hand

The word “Anatomy” when derived from the Greek means “to cut”. Therefore, the study of anatomy involves structures that can be seen grossly (macroscopically without the aid microscope) and microscopically. Anatomy especially involves the study of gross structure of the human body starting from the head until the toe. Besides, the gross structure and function of all the intrinsic organs of a human body is also identified and analyzed. Besides the study of gross anatomy, this subject also involves two subtopics which are histology and embryology. The study of Histology involves the identification of microscopic features of cells and body tissues while Embryology mainly focuses of the development of various body parts in the fetal life before birth.

REFLECTIONS

FOUNDATION BLOCK

Pseudostratified epithelium Transitional epithelium of urinary tract

Anatomy forms the basis for the practice of medicine because it is only by having knowledge in depth about the normal structures within our body that we can diagnose a disease properly. Interpretation of clinical observations can only be done correctly with a strong foundation in the study of anatomy. In the foundation block, we learned the gross features of the upper and lower limbs as well as the head and neck. Many topics were covered within the study of a particular body structure such as the blood supply, nerves supply, muscles and the joints forming it. Besides learning the gross feature, we were also taught on how to identify various different body tissues histologically and the development of these body parts via the perspective of embryology.

Embryology

In embrylogy, we learned about the development of the body parts such as the upper and lower limbs in the fetal life. Besides that, we also learned about the development of placenta and amnion which helps in the fetal circulation for their oxygen and nutrient intake from the maternal circulation. The practical classes that I attended were very helpful because it helped me remember the gross structures and thus memorize better. I did have difficulty in remembering the course of the vessels within a particular region of the body but with the guidance of my lecturers and looking at the course by the naked eye, it makes it much easier to remember them. Therefore, one thing that I have learned in studying anatomy is that visualization of the body part is essential in remembering and applying the concept in use while diagnosing a disorder.

CARDIOVASCULAR BLOCK

Drawing the courses of coronary arteries in practical class

In the cardiovascular block, we learned about the anatomy of the heart and mediastinum together with their blood and nerve supplies. Besides that, we viewed the histology of each type of vessels comprising of the heart muscle such as elastic artery, muscular artery, veins, arterioles, capillaries and venules to help us better differentiate them based on their specific morphological features. Various heart diseases are correlated with the structures within the heart such as the dysfunction of heart valves and the congestion of vessels leading to the heart. In embryology, we learned about the development of heart and fetal circulation as well as the various congenital heart diseases that comes with it. In this block, I am able to correlate better the gross features of the heart with the diseases and along with the diagnosis and treatment because the heart is studied as a whole.