October 25 thru October 31...

Okay, so we finished up the foot, did a review activity for chapter 5 and are about to put the skeleton and the bones behind us so we can start adding flesh to this skeletal framework of knowledge that we have regarding human anatomy (lame metaphor, but sorta funny if you think about it.).  Since we've begun our studies of the joints, moving on to how our skeleton is structured and moved by muscles will be the next third of the course.  Expect some calculation work here and there and expect to be haunted by thoughts of levers. Alas, though, you're probably reading this to get some extra credit or some insight into the midterms...so here you go...write out 10 rules of three from your studies in anatomy so far...ex.  the shoulder is made up of three bones and they are... and I'll give you two points for each rule of three if you get ten, otherwise, they're only worth one.  I also need that prior to taking your midterm.  As far as what's on the midterm, well, I'm glad you asked...

If you choose the hand...there will be questions about the carpals, phalanges, and joints of the hands.  you will have an anterior view of the hand...just like the x-ray above, thumb is to your left.
If you choose the foot...there will be questions about the tarsals, phalanges, and joints of the foot...you will have a top-down view of the foot....just like below

After that, you'll have about seven questions about specific bumps on bones or holes in bony surfaces...things like the greater trochanter, the coracoid process, the olecranon process, and the foramen magnum.

Next, there will be about twenty questions in a matching type format and a survey where you'll answer some questions regarding how the course has gone so far.  The matching will include three categories...

The big eleven, joints and articulations, and tissues.  That will be it.  here are some of the questions...

What function of the big eleven, do squamous cells allow for...
What is joint between the distal phalange and the middle phalange...
What type of joint is found between the sacrum and the pelvis (ilium)..
What type of movement does a fibrous joint allow?
What type of movement does a synovial joint allow?
What type of joint has fluid, articular cartilage, and a capsule of ligaments?
What holds bone to bone and is made from connective tissue?
What type of tissue has cells that are long, full of protein, and have many nuclei?
What type of tissue has cells that secrete a hard mineral-rich matrix?
What part of the big eleven deals with cells taking materials that they've absorbed and making new molecules with them?

October 22 thru 24

Okay, this week we've begun putting the memorization and rote-work involved with Anatomy on the backburner a bit.  Knowing the bones and all their processes is certainly important, but it's important not to lose site of the big picture:  which is the real world and how knowing anatomy could be really important to getting through everyday situations.

Our structure of the week is a case in point.  Many of you thought the "anatomical snuff box" was something I made up, but it's not.  In fact, if you read up on this little area of the human body, you'll find that tenderness in this area following a fall of some kind might mean that you've fractured a carpal.  You should also notice that this structure of the week is really just an area, but it's interesting in that it's bound by two tendons and that to understand what it is you have to know the joints that are nearby and that it can only truly be located by moving your thumb into a particular position...explain that position in the comments below and you'll find yourself in extra credit territory.

We also engaged in reading "Pitched from the Vertical" a dramatic story about falling written by Peter Stark, in his book Last Breath.  Since we've all fallen at times, this is a story we can all relate to.  Many of us are also afraid of heights, so that's another point we can identify with...think about it, are you really afraid of the height? or just the sudden stop after falling that distance?

Today, Wednesday, we traced your feet and reviewed the anatomy of the foot from the perspective of our footprint.  Which tarsals really bear our weight?  Reply again, and there's some more extra credit.  Also, today we looked specifically at your text from 192 to 194 and reviewed the different categories and classification schemes for joints in your body.  Now, obviously the content (diarthrosis, synovial, etc) was important, but as important was the way we looked at these three pages.  We took pains to organize the text into a small concept map and drew connections between the various types of joints.  So the point of the work was to get familiar with the vocabulary as well as with how the narrative of your text could be read and then put into a format that could be usable for you.  Try this on any two to three pages of text from Chapter 5 and show me what you come up with...include at least 7 to 8 important terms and make sure that you write some connections and I'll throw in a free quiz for work like that.  Thanks for reading...