1 Introduction to Anatomy

Welcome to MacAnatomy–your trusted guide for learning anatomy! This resource has been developed for students, by students. This first chapter is meant to introduce you to the basic concepts you will see in your anatomy classes.

Your first step: To get a better understanding of this resource, take some time to explore this introduction page! It will outline how you should go about reading the content below.

Structure of Anatomy:

You are more than likely sitting or standing as you read this guide, your eyes fixated on each word. You might even be eating a snack or thinking about all the stuff you have to do today. Simultaneously, your body is hard at work – sensing, processing, and executing hundreds of functions all at once so you can stand upright, interpret the surroundings, digest food, and process complex thoughts (about anatomy, of course!).

You will notice that throughout the following chapters, we focus on the very basics of human anatomy. While human anatomy has many different components, it is often reduced to a simple relationship. Each system can be broken into organs which are made of tissues, consisting of various types of cells which are ultimately composed of chemicals.

Chemical < Cellular < Tissue < Organ < System

fig 1. hierarchy of anatomical components

Chemical: The most basic unit of anatomy (water, HCL, sodium).

Cellular: The smallest unit of life composed of several chemicals and molecules (chief cell, neuron, B-cell)

Tissue: A collection of different types of cells (epithelial, nervous, connective, muscular).

Organ: A collection of tissues forming a specialized unit performing a function (gall bladder, stomach, pancreas).

System: A set of organs working together to perform a function or task (digestive system, respiratory system).

Organism: The culmination of systems, organs, tissues, cells and chemicals which compose a life form (humans, cows).

Anatomical systems:

As mentioned above, your very existence requires the cohesion and execution of several systems. Your nervous system interprets cold sensations of the air conditioning, your digestive system is processing your last meal, and your visual system is interpreting the letters you are reading right now. The human body is vast, however it can be simplified by breaking it down into systems.

A system is an organization of organs and tissues that work together like a well-oiled machine to fulfill a specific function. By the end of this manual, you should have a basic understanding of each of the systems identified below:

Congrats–you have officially completed your first chapter of MacAnatomy. Great work! Now, let’s head onto sectioning planes!