Dose of DMU blog » Anatomy

Anatomy word of the month: Uvula

Bill Dyche — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:44:59 +0000

The little fleshy appendage hanging from the back of your soft palate is called the “little grape” in Latin. As part of the palate the uvula helps seal off your nasal cavity from your throat cavity during swallowing. This works very well, except when you vomit! When the doctor asks you to say “aaah”, he or she wants to see the uvula in the midline. If it is deviated or pulled to one side, this may be a sign of paralysis of one side of your throat muscles.

Anatomy word of the month: Decussation

Bill Dyche — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:23:56 +0000

“To make an X” (Latin). A decussation is an intersection of pathways in the form of an X. Most nerve pathways between our brain and spinal cord cross over at some point. This accounts for why each side of our brain (two cerebral hemispheres) has control over the opposite side of our body. In anatomical language this is called a contralateral relationship (opposite sides). This information is useful in determining the location of a stroke. Paralysis of the right side of the body would mean that a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), the fancier name for stroke, had occurred in the left cerebral hemisphere. “Decem” is the Latin word for the number ten, or “deca” in Greek. Hence, decussation literally means to draw the Roman numeral for ten. December is also the tenth month of an early Roman calendar.

Anatomy word of the month: Acetabulum

Bill Dyche — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:25:07 +0000

“Vinegar cup” in Latin. The hip joint is made up of a deep rounded socket, the acetabulum, on the side of the pelvis and the round head of the femur (thigh bone). It is a very stable joint that is a compromise in structure which trades off the superior mobility, but less stability, of our shoulder joint for the task of supporting our body weight while walking. The Romans used a cup-like container for vinegar for the table and as a unit measure of volume. The same root, acetum, is found in acetic acid, the essential ingredient of vinegar. At the time, the primary source for vinegar was sour wine which is the exact meaning of “vinegar” in Latin!

Anatomy word of the month: Cruciate ligaments

Bill Dyche — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:28:39 +0000

“Cross-shaped” in Latin. In the knee joint are two ligaments that cross over each other, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. These ligaments help stabilize the joint, in particular, to prevent the femur (thigh bone) from slipping too far forward or backward on the tibia (leg bone). The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is frequently torn in football injuries when a leg firmly planted in the turf encounters a flying tackle. The player typically experiences “excruciating” pain. Excruciating, crucify and crucifixion all share the same root meaning referring to a cross and to the associated pain and suffering.

Anatomy word of the month: Phrenic nerve

Bill Dyche — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:18:42 +0000

The phrenic nerves control the diaphragm, our major muscle of respiration (breathing). From the Greek, phrenic means both diaphragm and mind. The ancient Greeks believed that the diaphragm was the seat of our emotions. Sound farfetched? Have you ever “heaved a sigh” of sadness or relief? The same stem is found in schizophrenic and, less obviously, in frenetic, meaning extremely agitated or maniacal. The latter word underwent a transformation from the Greek word phrenitikos. The ancient Romans had a related word in the Latin, mentum, which means both mind and chin! Maybe, not so farfetched, hmmm? Ever rub your chin while thinking? Perhaps the ancients thought massaging our chin stimulated thought. Are you familiar with Rodin’s statue of The Thinker, the sitting man with his chin resting on his hand? Conjure up a “mental” image!

Anatomy word of the month: Vagus

Bill Dyche — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:41:21 +0000

Vagus means “wandering” in Latin. This aptly named nerve (there are a pair of them) meanders from our brainstem, down the sides of our neck giving branches to our palate, larynx and pharynx, through our chest cavity providing branches to the heart and lungs, and into our abdominal cavity providing branches to most of our digestive tract. Vagal stimulation to the stomach enhances acid secretion, peristalsis (churning activity) and emptying into the small intestine. Vagal branches also stimulate secretions and peristalsis in our intestines. The same root meaning of vagus is found in the common words vague, vagrant and vagabond.

Anatomy word of the month: gluteus maximus

Bill Dyche — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:56:40 +0000

The most feared of all the Roman emperors? Not really! The gluteus maximus (Latin- largest of the buttock) is the muscle mass making up most of the buttocks. Contrary to popular opinion, we do not sit on these muscles, because they move aside laterally as we sit. Actually, we sit on our pelvic bones protected with overlying fat, connective tissue and a cushioning bursa.

Although the gluteus maximus is a powerful extensor of the hip (pulling the leg back behind us), it is not much used in walking, but in movements requiring great strength. For example, when we walk upstairs, with each step the gluteus maximus must lift up our entire body weight. Also, the gluteus maximus powerfully extends our hip and leg when getting up from a sitting position. There are two other gluteal muscles: gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. Can you guess what their names say about their size compared to the gluteus maximus?

Learn how elite athletes maximize performance

Barb Boose — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:00:46 +0000

Want to learn how the cardiovascular system works during exercise and how it responds to exercise training? Want to explore the unique “features” that allow elite athletes to attain world-class performance? Then mark your calendar for tomorrow night’s Cafe Scientifique at the Science Center of Iowa: Julia Moffitt, Ph.D., associate professor in DMU’s department of physiology and pharmacology,will explain the basic cardiovascular physiology and help attendees gain an understanding of how the cardiovascular system works during exercise and peak performance. She also will perform a live demo of an electrocardiogram with a trained endurance athlete.

Run, don't walk, to the Science Center of Iowa on October 4.

Dr. Moffitt’s presentation, “The Athletic Heart,” is free and open to all. It begins at 6:30 p.m. in Founders Hall in the Science Center, 401 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, downtown Des Moines. Coffee, beverages and appetizers will be available for purchase.

Icing on the cake: Starting at 5 p.m., you can purchase specially priced tickets to the eye-popping traveling exhibition BODY WORLDS Vital. Don’t miss it; the exhibition leaves Des Moines on October 31. And after “The Athletic Heart” presentation, you can experience “The Human Body” in the Science Center’s six-story Blank IMAX Dome Theater for just $5.

Sounds like a great opportunity to learn about the body and pump up your own athletic performance!

Anatomy word of the month: duodenum

Bill Dyche — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:52:23 +0000

“Twelve each” in Latin. The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine attached to the outlet of the stomach, the pylorus. Early anatomists measured it as approximately twelve fingers’ breadths long. Duodecim is the number 12 in Latin. Take the Latin number, pass it through old French dozaine into modern English, and you have “dozen”!

Anatomy word of the month: atlas

Bill Dyche — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:57:32 +0000

The atlas is the first, or top, vertebra of our bony spinal column supporting the “globe” of the head. In Greek mythology, Atlas was one of the early gods, called the Titans. Atlas warred against Zeus, King of the Olympian gods, and lost. For his punishment, Atlas was condemned to bear the weight of the world and heavens upon his shoulders for eternity.

Book collections of maps frequently used the icon of Atlas bearing a globe upon his shoulders. Over time, atlas came to refer to the book itself. Eventually, atlas has come to refer to any collection of plates or figures devoted to a single topic such as a street atlas or an atlas of human anatomy.