Editing Anatomy (section)

== Etymology and definition ==
[[File:An écorché figure (life-size), lying prone on a table Wellcome L0020561.jpg|thumb|A dissected body, lying prone on a table, by [[Charles Landseer]]]]

Derived from the Greek {{lang|grc|ἀνατομή}} ''anatomē'' "dissection" (from {{lang|grc|ἀνατέμνω}} ''anatémnō'' "I cut up, cut open" from ἀνά ''aná'' "up", and τέμνω ''témnō'' "I cut"),<ref>O.D.E. 2nd edition 2005</ref> anatomy is the scientific study of the structure of [[organism]]s including their systems, [[organs]] and [[tissue (biology)|tissues]]. It includes the appearance and position of the various parts, the materials from which they are composed, and their relationships with other parts. Anatomy is quite distinct from [[physiology]] and [[biochemistry]], which deal respectively with the functions of those parts and the chemical processes involved. For example, an anatomist is concerned with the shape, size, position, structure, blood supply and innervation of an organ such as the liver; while a physiologist is interested in the production of [[bile]], the role of the liver in nutrition and the regulation of bodily functions.<ref name=Everyman>{{cite book |title=Everyman's Encyclopedia: Anatomy |editor-last=Bozman |editor-first=E. F.|year=1967 |publisher=J. M. Dent & Sons |asin=B0066E44EC |page=272 }}</ref>

The discipline of anatomy can be subdivided into a number of branches, including gross or [[macroscopic]] anatomy and [[microscopic]] anatomy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/microscopic+anatomy |title=Anatomy |year=2007 |work=The Free Dictionary |publisher=Farlex |access-date=8 July 2013 |archive-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115225224/https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/microscopic+anatomy |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gross anatomy]] is the study of structures large enough to be seen with the naked eye, and also includes [[superficial anatomy]] or surface anatomy, the study by sight of the external body features. [[Microscopic anatomy]] is the study of structures on a microscopic scale, along with [[histology]] (the study of tissues), and [[embryology]] (the study of an organism in its immature condition).<ref name="intro HGray" /> Regional anatomy is the study of the interrelationships of all of the structures in a specific body region, such as the abdomen. In contrast, systemic anatomy is the study of the structures that make up a discrete body system—that is, a group of structures that work together to perform a unique body function, such as the digestive system.<ref name="openstax">{{cite book |author=J. Gordon Betts |title=Anatomy & physiology |date=2013 |publisher=OpenStax |chapter=1.1 Overview of Anatomy and Physiology |location=Houston, Texas |isbn=978-1-947172-04-3 |url=https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-1-overview-of-anatomy-and-physiology |access-date=14 May 2023 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403194414/https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-1-overview-of-anatomy-and-physiology |url-status=live }}</ref>

Anatomy can be studied using both invasive and non-invasive methods with the goal of obtaining information about the structure and organization of organs and systems.<ref name="intro HGray" /> Methods used include [[dissection]], in which a body is opened and its organs studied, and [[endoscopy]], in which a [[video camera]]-equipped instrument is inserted through a small incision in the body wall and used to explore the internal organs and other structures. [[Angiography]] using [[X-ray]]s or [[magnetic resonance angiography]] are methods to visualize blood vessels.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Use of Angiography to Outline the Cardiovascular Anatomy of the Sand Crab Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus |vauthors=Gribble N, Reynolds K | journal=Journal of Crustacean Biology | year=1993 | volume=13 | issue=4 | pages=627–637 | doi=10.1163/193724093x00192 | jstor=1549093|bibcode=1993JCBio..13..627. }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=Characterization of the Renal Portal System of the Common Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) by Digital Subtraction Imaging |vauthors=Benson KG, Forrest L | journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine | year=1999 | volume=30 | issue=2 | pages=235–241|pmid=10484138 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/test_procedures/cardiovascular/magnetic_resonance_angiography_mra_135,14/ |title=Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) |publisher=Johns Hopkins Medicine |access-date=29 April 2014 |archive-date=7 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007124356/https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/test_procedures/cardiovascular/magnetic_resonance_angiography_mra_135,14 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/angiography/Pages/Introduction.aspx | title=Angiography | publisher=[[National Health Service]] | access-date=29 April 2014 | archive-date=7 September 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907045854/https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Angiography/Pages/Introduction.aspx | url-status=live }}</ref>

The term "anatomy" is commonly taken to refer to [[human anatomy]]. However, substantially similar structures and tissues are found throughout the rest of the animal kingdom, and the term also includes the anatomy of other animals. The term ''zootomy'' is also sometimes used to specifically refer to non-human animals. The structure and tissues of plants are of a dissimilar nature and they are studied in [[plant anatomy]].<ref name=Everyman/>