Gross anatomy is the study of
anatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy...
at the
macroscopic levelMacroscopic is a word commonly used to describe physical objects that are measurable and observable by the naked eye.When applied to phenomena and abstract objects, it describes existence in the world as we perceive it, often in contrast to experiences or theories considering objects of geometric...
. The term
gross distinguishes it from other areas of anatomical study, including
microscopic anatomyHistology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining a thin slice of tissue under a light microscope or electron microscope...
, which must be studied with the aid of a
microscopeA microscope is an instrument to see objects too tiny for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy. Microscopic means invisible to the eye unless aided by a microscope.-History:An early microscope was made in 1590 in Middelburg, The...
.
Gross anatomy is studied using both invasive and noninvasive methods with the goal of obtaining information about the macroscopic structure and organization of
organIn biology and anatomy, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function ....
s and organ systems. Among the most common methods of study is
dissectionDissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components...
, in which the body of an animal is
surgicallySurgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason...
opened and its organs studied.
Gross anatomy is the study of
anatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy...
at the
macroscopic levelMacroscopic is a word commonly used to describe physical objects that are measurable and observable by the naked eye.When applied to phenomena and abstract objects, it describes existence in the world as we perceive it, often in contrast to experiences or theories considering objects of geometric...
. The term
gross distinguishes it from other areas of anatomical study, including
microscopic anatomyHistology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining a thin slice of tissue under a light microscope or electron microscope...
, which must be studied with the aid of a
microscopeA microscope is an instrument to see objects too tiny for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy. Microscopic means invisible to the eye unless aided by a microscope.-History:An early microscope was made in 1590 in Middelburg, The...
.
Techniques of study
Gross anatomy is studied using both invasive and noninvasive methods with the goal of obtaining information about the macroscopic structure and organization of
organIn biology and anatomy, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function ....
s and organ systems. Among the most common methods of study is
dissectionDissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components...
, in which the body of an animal is
surgicallySurgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason...
opened and its organs studied.
EndoscopyEndoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an instrument called an endoscope...
, in which a
video cameraA video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
-equipped instrument is inserted through a small incision in the subject, may be used to explore the internal organs and other structures of living animals. The anatomy of the
circulatory system- [Headline text]--75.137.171.242 01:21, 21 October 2009 :bThe circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, nitrogen waste products, etc. to and from cells in the body to help fight diseases and help stabilize body temperature and pHb to maintain...
in a living animal may be studied noninvasively via angiography, a technique in which
blood vesselThe blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart, the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
s are visualized after being injected with an opaque dye. Other techniques of study include
X-rayX-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 10 to 0.01 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays...
and
MRIMagnetic Resonance Imaging , or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the internal structure and function of the body...
.
Many types of
multimediaMultimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which only use traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material...
exist for the study of gross anatomy, including
textbookA textbook is a manual of instruction or a standard book in any branch of study. They are produced according to the demand of educational institutions...
s and educational CDs and
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
s.
In education
Most
medical schoolA medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine.In addition to a medical degree program, some medical schools offer programs leading to a Master's Degree, Doctor of Philosophy , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
s require that students complete a course in gross human anatomy. Such courses aim to educate students in basic human anatomy and seek to establish anatomical landmarks that may later be used to aid
medical diagnosisDiagnosis is the identification of the nature of anything, either by process of elimination or other analytical methods...
. Many schools provide students with
cadaverA cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* Cadaver , a Norwegian death metal band...
s for investigation by dissection, aided by dissectors such as
Grant's Dissector, as well as cadaveric atlases (e.g. Rohen's).