Anatomy is quite distinct from physiology and biochemistry, which deal respectively with the functions of those parts and the chemical processes involved. It includes the appearance and position of the various parts, the materials from which they are composed, their locations and their relationships with other parts. Methods have also improved dramatically, advancing from the examination of animals by dissection of carcasses and cadavers (corpses) to 20th century medical imaging techniques including X-ray, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging.Ī dissected body, lying prone on a table, by Charles Landseerĭerived from the Greek ἀνατομή anatomē 'dissection' (from ἀνατέμνω anatémnō 'I cut up, cut open' from ἀνά aná 'up', and τέμνω témnō 'I cut'), anatomy is the scientific study of the structure of organisms including their systems, organs and tissues. The history of anatomy is characterized by a progressive understanding of the functions of the organs and structures of the human body. Microscopic anatomy involves the use of optical instruments in the study of the tissues of various structures, known as histology, and also in the study of cells. Gross anatomy also includes the branch of superficial anatomy. Macroscopic anatomy, or gross anatomy, is the examination of an animal's body parts using unaided eyesight. The discipline of anatomy is divided into macroscopic and microscopic. Human anatomy is one of the essential basic sciences that are applied in medicine. Anatomy and physiology, which study the structure and function of organisms and their parts respectively, make a natural pair of related disciplines, and are often studied together. Anatomy is inherently tied to developmental biology, embryology, comparative anatomy, evolutionary biology, and phylogeny, as these are the processes by which anatomy is generated, both over immediate and long-term timescales. It is an old science, having its beginnings in prehistoric times. Anatomy is a branch of natural science which deals with the structural organization of living things. Anatomy (Greek anatomē, 'dissection') is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts.

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