Editor's Choice Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 07 Aug 2012 - 22:00 PDT
Current ratings for: What Is Anatomy?
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The word anatomy comes from the Greek ana- meaning "up", and tome- meaning "a cutting". Anatomy, especially in the past, has depended heavily on dissection. In Greek and Latin the words "anatomy" and "dissection" have virtually the same meanings. Although both words have similar origins, anatomy has evolved to become a broad discipline of its own, while dissection remains a technique of anatomical science.
Anatomy can be divided into Gross Anatomy (macroscopic anatomy) and Microscopic Anatomy.
Gross anatomy may involve dissection or noninvasive methods; the aim is to acquire data about the larger structures of organs and organ systems.
In dissection, the human or animal cadaver is cut open and its organs are studied. Endoscopy, inserting a tube with a camera at the end, might be used to study structures within living animals. There are non-invasive way of studying, for example, the blood vessels of living animals or humans; an opaque dye may be inserted into the animal to observe the circulatory system (angiography). Live beings may also be studied using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or X-ray.
Medical and dental students, as part of their course, will have to perform some kind of practical work in gross human anatomy, this will involve dissection. In many cases, the students dissect human corpses (cadavers).
Sectioning - is cutting tissue into very thin slices so they can be examined. Histological stains are added to biological structures (such as tissues) to add colors or to enhance their colors so they can be more easily distinguished when they are examined, especially if different structures are next to each other. Histology is a discipline that is vital for the understanding and advancement of medicine, veterinary medicine, biology, and some other sub-disciplines of the life sciences.
Histology is used for:
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What Is Anatomy?
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