Introduction

A natomy , which is a word of Greek origin, and which like its Latin equivalent dissectio means ‘cutting up’, originally implied the study of the disposition of the different parts of the body. The information thus obtained constituted gross or macroscopic anatomy, sometimes known as topographical anatomy, if the emphasis was more especially on topography . Modern anatomy is much wider in scope, for it deals both with the make-up of the body and with the factors on which its development and maintenance depend. It therefore comprises not only gross topographical features such as the arrangement of muscles, nerves and veins, but also microscopic anatomy or histology , which includes cytology , the name given to the specialized branch of study which deals with the organization of the individual cell. The subject also includes developmental anatomy or embryology . A further division is comparative anatomy, which is concerned with the way all living things are made. It is through comparative study that the underlying pattern of all organic structure is revealed, and in this field anatomy becomes the science of morphology . These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.