Anatomy
Anatomy (Greek anatomē, “dissection”), branch of natural science dealing with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its beginnings in prehistoric times. For centuries anatomical knowledge consisted largely of observations of dissected plants and animals. The proper understanding of structure, however, implies a knowledge of function in the living organism. Anatomy is therefore almost inseparable from physiology , which is sometimes called functional anatomy. As one of the basic life sciences, anatomy is closely related to medicine and to other branches of biology. It is convenient to subdivide the study of anatomy in several different ways. One classification is based on the type of organisms studied, the major subdivisions being plant anatomy (see Plant ) and animal anatomy. Animal anatomy is further subdivided into human anatomy and comparative anatomy, which seeks out similarities and differences among animal types (see Animal ). Anatomy can a