R_Bibb_Medical_Modelling_The_Application_of_Adv.pdf

4 Medical modelling
savings that have been so successfully achieved in product design and
engineering.
This text aims to describe some of the product design technologies that
have been successfully utilised in the fi eld of human reconstruction and
rehabilitation and illustrate their application through case studies. As we
will discover, there are many benefi ts to be found from applying modern
technologies, yet they are not without their obstacles. The nature of the
human form makes the transfer of techniques that are well suited to product
design and engineering a particularly challenging yet ultimately rewarding
fi eld of work.
1.3 Basic anatomical terminology
Whilst this book does not intend to be used as a guide to human anatomy,
the descriptions of techniques, medical conditions and treatments require
the use of accepted anatomical nomenclature. For those readers with
medical training this nomenclature will be well known. However, for those
from a technical, design or engineering background some basic terminology
will prove useful. This section will introduce some basic terms that will
enable the reader to proceed with the rest of the text, but further reading
on the subject is recommended. There are many excellent texts on anatomy
and a selection of titles is provided in the bibliography. Attending a short
course in human anatomy and physiology would be highly recommended
to any engineer or designer wishing to specialise in clinical or medical
applications, and many universities offer such courses.
When referring to human anatomy the relative positions of organs, limbs
and features are only useful if the body is in a known pose. Therefore it is
standard practice to assume the body is in the ‘anatomical position’ when
describing relative positions of anatomy. The anatomical position is with
the body and limbs straight, feet together, head looking forwards, arms
at the sides of the torso with the palms facing forward and fi ngers straight.
The principal axis of the human is through the centre of the body running
from head to feet; this is referred to as the long axis. This is shown in
Fig. 1.1.
Once the anatomical position is known, perpendicular planes can divide
the body. The plane through the body perpendicular to the long axis is
known as the axial plane. The planes perpendicular to this are known as
the coronal and sagittal. Directions and distances are described as they
relate to the centre of the body. Parts nearer to the body are known as
proximal and those furthest from the body centre are distal. Parts that are
nearer the midline of the body are known as medial and those further from
it are described as lateral. These terms are summarised in Table 1.2 and
illustrated in Figs. 1.2 and 1.3.