Question

What do posterior, medial, proximal, peripheral, and superficial mean?

Answer 1

Anatomy is a study of the structure of body parts in organisms. This is a study that establishes the relationship between body parts and detects their functions. Anatomy is the study of an organism’s posture.

Complete answer:
A correct anatomical position is when the body is erect, palms face forward and the thumbs are away from the body. There are various anatomical terms used to define body organization.
Some of the various terms are:
Superior: It describes the body part that is near to the head of an organism. The other term used to define superior is cranial.
Inferior: It describes the body part that is closer to the feet of an organism. The other word used is caudal.
Anterior: This terminology is used to describe the front portion of the organism. For example, the eyes are anterior to the head in humans.
Posterior: This terminology is used to describe the back portion of an organism. For example, the pharynx is posterior to the oral cavity.
Medial: A vertical imaginary line is presumed to be dividing an organism’s body into two halves. Medial describes the parts of the body that lie on that line. For example, the nose is medial to the eyes in humans.
Lateral: Lateral describes the sides of the organism concerning the imaginary midline. For example, ears are lateral to the eyes.
Proximal: Proximal defines the body parts that are closer to the body part that is considered as a reference point. For example, taking the wrist as a reference point, the elbow is a proximal body part.
Superficial and Peripheral: Body parts that are closer to the surface are defined to be superficial/ peripheral. For example, the skin is superficial to the bones.

Note:
A human body also comprises body cavities that are hollow spaces that consist of internal organs. The main two body cavities present are the dorsal and the ventral cavity. The dorsal cavity is located towards the posterior of the body that holds the brain, spinal cord, and vertebral column. The ventral cavity is present towards the anterior that is divided into the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.