Monday, September 24, 2007

The hip bone's connected to the thigh bone...

We're studying bones in my anatomy and physiology lab. There WILL be a test. In October.

So, of course, I've got Monty Python in my head all day. "Look at the BONES!!!"

I think my favorite so far has to be the ethmoid, which can be found in the cranium posterior to the nasals (translation for Muffin Man: in your head behind your nose). Appropriately enough, it looks like a balled-up tissue.

We're also learning about telling left bones from right bones. In the leg, the medial (closer to the center line of your body) portion of a bone or set of bones will be larger because it carries more weight. The heads of the femur and humerus are medial. In your cranium, the parietal bones have the smooth edge at the bottom (inferior) and the part that looks like a side burn? that goes towards the front (anterior). On the temporal bones, the part that looks like a mike from a blue tooth headset? That points to the front just like the mike would.

I'm going to have some trouble with the pelvic girdle, I can tell.

And thank the powers that be, I don't need to know the individual ribs or vertebrae or the individual bones in the hands and feet. I just need to know what type they are. Ribs is ribs, but I need to know what general region of the spine the vertebrae come from and where in the hands and feet the bones come from.

And don't you just love the word, "phalanges"?

7 comments:

S. said...

I'm actually jealous! I loved anatomy class! My favorites were the sesamoid bones, because sesamoid is fun to say, and because I love the way they're extras.

Anonymous said...

Haha! I suddenly have that song Potsy sang on Happy Days in my head ("Pump Your Blood" -I think it was) when he was failing anatomy.

Anonymous said...

Should have been "Potsie".

susan said...

Can I just say that I think it's adorable that you have a favorite-so-far bone?

When we were on vacation this summer, we saw a Hannah Montana episode where she makes up a song about the bones to save her failing biology grade--you can get that one stuck in your head at http://tinyurl.com/2wa3fw

And the Potsy lyrice are at
http://tinyurl.com/3yf7gk with a link to an audio file. (Who me, procrastinating? Nah..)

Magpie said...

Did you know that all of Gray's Anatomy is on Bartleby? I love that.

http://www.bartleby.com/107/index.html

ccw said...

phalanges has always been one of my favorite words; I love the way it sounds.

I loved anatomy classes. Using cadavers made it easier to remember.

Miranda said...

I loved my anatomy and physiology class as well. I think I loved studying with my buddies in that class even more. We would make up silly songs to learn the bones and muscles.

Good times! Glad you are enjoying them as well.