Anatomy is the study of the body and how different parts work together. We have different "systems" in our body - these systems each have different jobs, but they can also get hurt in different ways.

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The Skeletal System

The Skeletal system is our bones, our joints, and our cartilage. They are the frame of our body.

 

Skeleton: The connected bones in our body that give us shape and let us move. Our skeleton also protects our other more fragile body parts, and connects to our muscles to help us move.

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Bones: The hard parts of the body that give us shape, protect our bodies, and help us to move. It is important to see a doctor when you break a bone: if it is a very bad break, not going to a doctor could lead to an infection and even death.

 

Skull: The bone that protects our brain and gives our head its shape.

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Ribs: The 12 bones that cover and protect your lungs.

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Joints: Where bones meet, lined by cartilage.

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Cartilage: Softer than bones, it makes up body parts like our nose and ears.

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The Muscular System

The Muscular System is all of our muscles and ligaments. When we do not use certain muscles, they stop working as well, and sometimes when we use muscles too much, they can tear.

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The Circulatory System

The Circulatory System moves blood (Yoruba: Eje) through our body. Our heart (Yoruba: Okan), Blood Vessels, Veins, and Arteries are all part of our circulatory system. The circulatory system runs through our entire body, and is all connected.

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Blood: Carries nutrients and oxygen to different parts of the body and carries waste away. Blood creates little cells called antibodies which fight bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances. Blood also carries things called platelets which stick together like glue to help stop bleeding when it starts.

 

Blood type: Each person is a different blood type - you should know your type and carry it around with you: A, B, AB, and O. Blood vessels Tubes throughout the body that carry blood to and from all body parts. When a person has an IV, it is a smaller plastic tube put directly into the blood vessel or vein. An IV can carry water when your body cannot get enough by drinking it, or it can carry medicine. Sometimes medicine is put directly into your blood vessel. It may be because the disease is in your blood or it can make the medicine act faster.

 

Heart: A muscle in our body that pumps blood all the time and keeps it moving to all parts of the body. The heart and the lungs are connected and work together to help oxygen get into the blood and for waste in the blood to be breathed out by the lungs. A heart attack occurs when a person's heart has a disease and it gets too little blood. The heart is both a muscle and the boss of the circulatory system.

 

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The Nervous System

The Nervous System is directed by the brain (Yoruba: Opolo) and connects to all the nerves. The brain is where we think, but also the computer of our body - it reminds the heart to beat, the lungs the breath, and our stomach to tell us we are hungry. Our nerves tell us when we are in pain.

 

Brain: The brain lets us think, feel and make decisions. If something happens to our body, our body tells our brain using nerves. The brain allows us to see, hear, smell, taste, feel and even move. It also controls our body - it makes sure we do things like breath, blink our eyes, and beat our heart without making it happen. The skull protects our brain - but sometimes, if we get our skull knocked too hard, our brain gets damaged, causing a concussion (temporary unconsciousness). Nerves The parts of our body that let us feel and send messages to other parts.

 

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The Respiratory System

The Respiratory System is what helps us breath - it is our lungs (Yoruba: Fuku) and our windpipe. When we cannot breathe, the rest of our body slows, and stops working. Too much time without air kills our brains.

 

Lungs: These two large organs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. The ribs protect the lungs. Diseases like tuberculosis and pneumonia can live in the lungs - these diseases have to be treated differently than a disease living in your intestines or in your blood.

 

Trachea: The windpipe that goes from throat to lungs. When it reaches the lungs, it divides in two and becomes the Bronchi.

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The Digestive System

The Digestive System is made up of many parts - the mouth (Yoruba: Enu), stomach (Yoruba: Ikun), intestines (Yoruba: Ifun), bladder (Ile Ito), etc.

 

Mouth: Our mouths are a good way to get bad diseases - by putting dirty hands in our mouth, unclean or poorly cooked food, or dirty water, we often get sick through our mouth. We can also get sick when we do not take good care of our mouth - people with bad teeth can get sick more often or even get sick from tooth infections.

 

Stomach: Helps digest food by turning it into a liquid before it goes into our intestines. Intestines The intestine is separated into two - the small intestine which helps the stomach to digest food, and the large intestine, where feces forms. If you eat something bad or have a germ in your stomach or intestine, your body pushes more water into your intestines, making you have diarrhea. This water comes from other parts of your body that need it - which is why you have to drink lots of water when you get diarrhea.

 

Bladder: The kidneys send liquid waste to your bladder, where it is stored. Our body gets rid of waste in many ways - sweat, breathing out, pooping, and peeing. This waste comes from different areas of the body - some waste is solid and goes to the intestine, some is liquid and goes to the bladder. When you are ill, testing for a disease may involve testing different kinds of waste because different diseases live in different parts of the body.