Comparative and Functional

Anatomy of the Skeleton

BIOL 240W
 Goals of the week
Get familiar with the skeletal anatomy
Some say anatomy is all about memorization, but Dr. Waters says
anatomy is more observations.

Understand the important concepts of skeleton

Learn to determine the sex by characteristics of skull

Learn to use an outside caliper

 Be cautious when handling models
Theyre expensive: The plastic skulls worth $250 per set. You
should especially pay attention to the tethers among the three
pieces.

Some of the vertebral columns are from human donors so please

respect the bone!
 Anatomic terms (in human)
Superior top
Inferior bottom
Anterior front
Posterior back
Medial middle
Lateral sides (left and right)
Distal further away from body
Proximal where appendage joins the body
The Axial Skeleton
Part I The top of the axial skeleton
-Skull-
Human skull
Frontal bone
Please find the following structures on your skull model!
Glabella (a small bump)
Superciliary arches
(bony ridges)

Supraorbital foramen
or notch

Supraorbital margin
Orbit of eye
Zygomatic bones
Please find the following structures on your skull model!

(A small stubby
protrusion towards
temporal bone)
Temporal bones
Please find the following structures on your skull model!
Occipital bone
Please find the following structures on your skull model!
Mandible
Please find the following structures on your skull model!
Comparative anatomy of the skull
Determination of Sex
The bones of the skull develop somewhat differently in
response to the relative amounts of reproductive hormones
However there is no clear difference between the shape of
female and male skeletal structures, and sometimes there is
so much ambiguity that one cannot tell the sex.
In order to make as accurate determinations as possible,
scientists look at multiple features
 Determining if a skull is female or male
Score =
1 : hyperfeminine
2 : typical feminine
3 : cant tell
4 : typical male
5 : hypermasculine
 Part II The rest of the axial skeleton
-Ribs, Sternum, Vertebrae and Sacrum-
 The rib cage protects multiple organs

Rib cage consists of vertebrae, ribs, sternum and costal cartilage.

Structure of a Typical Vertebrae
Different types of Vertebrae
Blue Green Orange
Measurement of vertebral columns
 Measurement of vertebral columns
Using an outside caliper an indirect or transfer type measuring tool
with precision

Step 1. Adjust the knot/screw to

fit the tips on the sample.

Dont crush the bone!

Step 2. Use a ruler to read the

scale (transfer measurement)

Be careful not to change the size.

Youtube demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xaGrgIU52A

Lateral view of a human vertebral column
 Pros and cons of S-shaped vertebrae

Better for walking

But narrower pelvis
Difficulty to give birth
Part III Anatomy of the Neck and Heart
Identify the structures of the neck in cross section
Anatomy of the neck
Using ultrasound to explore the neck while the
subject breathes normally
Ultrasound imaging allows us to view the inside of
the body.

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves (like

sonar in bats).
Sound waves are transmitted into body.
Structures in the body reflect some sound
waves back to the transducer (probe).

The computer uses information from the reflected

sound waves to paint a picture of the inside of
the body.
Using ultrasound to explore the neck while the
subject breathes normally
When the transducer is held
SLICE side-ways as shown on the
left, the computer paints a
picture, as if the body has
been sliced through.
In the picture painted by the
ultrasound, superficial

the structures closest to

the transducer appear at
superficial the top
and the deeper
SLICE

structures appear at the

bottom.
deep deep
Using ultrasound to explore the neck while the
subject breathes normally
The actual ultrasound image
will be in black / white / and
SLICE
shades of gray.
Some structures will reflect
sound waves better than Abdominal
other structures. wall
Some structures will be Intestinal
hidden behind other loops
structures (for instance, you
cant ultrasound through
bone).
Using ultrasound to explore the neck while the
subject breathes normally
Today you will obtain an ultrasound image of
the common carotid artery
and the internal jugular vein.
Other visible structures include
the thyroid gland
and sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Remember: superficial structures

are toward the top of the
SLICE thyroid ultrasound image.
Using ultrasound to explore the neck while the
subject breathes normally
 Using ultrasound to explore the neck
while the subject performs the Valsalva Maneuver
You can manipulate the pressure in veins by performing
the Valsalva Maneuver.

How to do it:
Plug your nose or close your throat so that you dont
exhale.
Bear down (contract your abdominal muscles) like
you are trying to have a bowel movement
i.e. imagine forcing a big dump!

This will cause your blood pressure to change.

Do not perform the Valsalva Maneuver for more than 2-

3 seconds!
 Using ultrasound to explore the neck
while the subject performs the Valsalva Maneuver
How does the Valsalva Maneuver work?
As you bear down, contracting the abdominal
muscles causes the volume of the abdominal cavity
to:
decrease.

Therefore the pressure in the abdominal cavity will:

increase.

If this causes the diaphragm to move, then the

volume of the thoracic cavity will:
decrease.

Therefore the pressure in the thoracic cavity will:

increase.
 Using ultrasound to explore the neck
while the subject performs the Valsalva Maneuver
How does the Valsalva Maneuver work?

The increased thoracic pressure will cause the veins

in the chest bringing blood to the heart to:
become wider.

This will cause veins a little further away in the neck

to:
expand with backed up blood,