Human anatomy is a complex but fascinating subject, and is perhaps one of the most personal subjects a student will encounter during his or her education. Yet it is also a subject that can create a great deal of anxiety for students because of the sheer volume of material, and a misconception among students that it’s “all about memorization.” Too often, confusion in the anatomy laboratory only enhances this misconception and enhances student frustration with the subject. My goal in writing this laboratory manual was to create a manual that guides students through their laboratory experience in an organized and focused way, and to provide them with tools that make the material more relevant to the student’s daily experiences with their own bodies and the world around them.

The study of human anatomy really comes to life in the anatomy laboratory. Here is where students get hands-on experience with human cadavers and bones, classroom models, preserved and fresh animal organs, and histology slides of human tissues. Many students are at a loss when it comes to knowing how to proceed in the anatomy laboratory. They are given numerous lists of structures to identify and histology slides to view, but comparatively little direction as to how to recognize structures or how to relate what they encounter in the laboratory to the material presented in lecture. In addition, most laboratory manuals on the market contain little more than material repeated from anatomy textbooks, which provides no real benefit to a student. All of these things lead to student frustration and take away from the joy that comes from discovering the beauty of the human body through touch, observation, and dissection. This laboratory manual is designed to be a user-friendly manual to the human anatomy laboratory that addresses just such issues.

Contents

Chapter 1 The Laboratory Environment
Chapter 2 Orientation to the Human Body
Chapter 3 The Microscope
Chapter 4 Cellular Anatomy
Chapter 5 Histology
Chapter 6 Integument
Chapter 7 Skeletal System Overview: Bone Anatomy
Chapter 8 The Skeletal System: Axial Skeleton
Chapter 9 The Skeletal System: Appendicular Skeleton
Chapter 10 Articulations
Chapter 11 Muscle Tissue and Introduction to the Muscular System
Chapter 12 Axial Muscles
Chapter 13 Appendicular Muscles
Chapter 14 Nervous Tissues
Chapter 15 The Nervous System: General and Special Senses
Chapter 16 The Endocrine System
Chapter 17 The Cardiovascular System: The Heart
Chapter 18 Vessels and Circulation
Chapter 19 The Lymphatic System
Chapter 20 The Respiratory System
Chapter 21 The Digestive System
Chapter 22 The Urinary System
Chapter 23 The Reproductive System
Chapter 24 The Brain and Cranial Nerves
Chapter 25 The Spinal Cord and Spinal Nerves
Chapter 26 The Autonomic Nervous System
Chapter 27 The Cardiovascular System: Blood