"It is highly dishonourable for a reasonable Soul to reside in so divinely built a mansion as the Body she resides in,
altogether unacquainted with the exquisite structure of it"
- Robert Boyle, 17th century Chemist
The human body is made up of a number of organs and systems that have their own unique function yet interact with one another to make up the machinery of a complex living individual. Anatomy is the investigation of body structure. It is an extensive field of study that has various subdivisions and specialties.
The study of the gross structure of the organs and systems studied as macroscopic and topographical anatomy deals with their morphological features, their arrangement within the body and their functions, with emphasis on their relevance to clinical medicine. Three dimensional anatomy together with its application in diagnostic and visual imaging procedures will also form part of this study.
To appreciate the detailed organization of these organs and systems and how they function in health and disease it is necessary to understand their structure at cellular, subcellular levels - microscopic anatomy and at molecular level (molecular biology).
An insight into intricate process of human prenatal development will be dealt with in its early stages as basic embryology and later as a part of development of the organs and systems referred to as organogenesis. Embryology is essential not only to learn about the normal process of development but as a basis of understanding the various congenital defects that may occur.
Anatomy, as one of the basic medical sciences is an essential foundation to the study of medicine. Microscopic anatomy is fundamental to the science of anatomy and can be considered as the meeting point of all preclinical sciences - Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry.
