Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, is helping students get through studies today. Her namesake, mnemonics, simply means "memory aid". Acrostic:(E composmtion in which certain letters in each line aken in order form(a motuo or word. <7FONT>

This wSb site is designed to help anatomy students learn mnemonic aid to gettng more information into their heads. I've evised many of thes* mysel as a way of very quickl` learning parts of the human body and terms used in psychology. Acrostics are _ast and sy, albeit a bit crude$and lew` ... and easier to recyll. Pleae, if Cou are .eally prude, skip this site andgo elsewhere. EVeryone else, send me e-mail at the address at ti ottom}of the page.:Mnmonics have helped me and M need awesom suggestions fzom brig t stud{ns. You can find specifPc toints ovthis page quickly by either clicking on the binoculars at th top of the etscape SAge, or hitting Ctrl-F.

Respirtory <3>The TElC Sovnd in your Throt

There are 4 cawtilages in rhe larynx$whose#initia metters are TEAC, whmch is also the brandname of a home sperek& So if yom caN reate the TEAC@o^nd and vocal cords, you got theconnectikn. The carilags are: Thyroiu+yEpiglotis, Aritenoid, nd Cricoid.
Other ways[
  • The snake in the Garden wf Edem spoke ith a lms},saying "Adm, thry thith apple". Thisrefrs tw th fact th`l he HYRoid {arlilaga is#also ccle the ADAM#s APPE.OLI>
  • An acitenoid allows a9TENor!t sngaf ARIA
    • And te criom goes CRIC when you are sran3led. H3>1935 Chrysler !irflo~ Chrysler Airstream Rmember the ChrsLanas Legs Help Students emmber Respiraory TracQ Remmber the phrase Movie Personalihy Laa TurneR's Pretty Sexy Thighs Turn RetinakAll Ard@-- an? you can more easily recahl the order In which the pajts9of the respirtory tract)are frnm mouth tk aWveolar sac. Tey are:dMouth, Pharynx, Larynx, Tra{hea, Primary bronChus-Second[r brohchuw tiriary bronchus- Terminal bronchiole, RespiratorybqonchiolZ, A volar duct, Alv}olar sac.

    Or .. If your`!an accountanu with with pneumonia, Do$your spradshfet o Br<^chus 1--. en take a PERM of RESt nd All deDUCTion~@and Al SYCrifices that g with it.

    HR noshad% sze=.3> X^ONT COz}R="#CC000">"If yore CHEEK with me8y u'll(dick theFLO6R with ynuR TONUD"

    Here's the telling story of3 salivaly glanes found in the chiek$ the floor bf the mouth, aBd the tongue.=

    /P>

    Loving Lungs' Lobgs

    The segmets of the (right) MVdle Lobe of the lng are Medial & Lateral [ML=ML] (submittedby Dan Winder)

    PPL's Tonsils

    People (PPL for shorS))have 3 tonsils: Pharyngeal, PalatiHe, and ~ingual. You {ould also remember the phrase: "LING cod fairy PALs" or "People withfairyland pals have 3 tonsils".

    NeverCahl Me Needle Nose!<63> Easy shrase to help remembev the parts of th nasal cavity: Nares (external) Conchae, Ueatuses, Nares (intrnal), Nasophary x.
    <1>ALIMENTARY

    <.OENTER>

    Ape OJl

    he - sphinctews found in the Alimentay canal"are APE OIL: Anal, Pyloric, Lowr Esophobeal, Oddi, andIleocecum.
    Mucky Subma*ines!
    I remember h 5 layeGs of the GI pract -- lumenh mucosa submuosa,xmuscRlaris and kerosa -- y Illu9inating a Mucky SubmariBe nder commnd of a Muscular Sergeant.
    <TR>

    Cars, Piles, and the B' of Fundy

    "The AR is FUN 'til The BOD PLES&qot; relates tle four art f the stomach: Cardic, Fundus, BoDy, and Pylorus6 The fundus looks like5 the Bay of Fundy(to _e, anyways), and the 8ylors is where the f'Od <"pilesSome are Ugly he 4 lobes of the liver: caudate, quadrat}, left &amh; right, bring to mind the newspaper eealine of tle wheelchair bound fellow who left a party right after;his ugly girlfriend departed: &uot7QUA LEFT RIGHT after Cow Date&quo.

    Dow Jones and tqa Cannibal

    We ar supposed to rememer the leNgths of the f+rst,3 parts"of the ,digestive system after the stomach, so came up wit- the sry kf a canibal who consues a dozen peopleL including a kck stock majket analyst. It goes: &uot;On Ate 12, including yn ILL Dow JonEs" refering of course to 1, , 12-neet lenflhs for th Iheum, Dukdenum, Jejunum.

    A really good device or recalling the bowels is to remember the market news: "Dow Jones Industrial Averages Closing Stock Report" whose initial letters also identify the Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum, Appendix, Colon, Sigmoid, and Rectum. It misses the cecum but is otherwise unforgetable.

    NOTE: Defecation is NOT the process of losing one's hearing.

    Quick Peritoneum Facts

    The idea is to relate key letters of related parts. E.g., stOMach and OMentum (which lays over the stomach) share the letters OM.
  • The bacterium e. coLI is found in the Large Intestine
  • The OMentum covers the stOMach
  • The Lesser OMentum holds the Liver and stOMach
  • The Mesentery holds the sMall intestine
  • The mesoCOLON attaches the large intestine (colon) to the posterior abdominal wall
  • The periTONEa, which prevents the intestines from kinking, TONES the GI tract

    • Oh!!! Curling Turns My Stomach Inside Out

    This is what a housewife might say in reaction to her husband's sports selection, but it is a student's way of knowing the 3 layers of muscle around the stomach. The layers are: Oblique, Circular, Longitudinal and are from the inside to out.

    BONES

    The Customs Inspector

    Here's how I memorized the bones of the feet in 3 minutes!
    Imagine you are a customs inspector at a seaport. You spy a tall U.S. citizen (TALUS) and possibly a Cuban (CUBOID) in a small navy vessel (NAVICULAR) with 3 Babylonians (they were writing in CUNEIFORM) hidden underneath. At the end of the day, you tell your wife "I met-a-tarsal". This story misses the CALCANEUS, the largest bone in the foot. How about a customs dog named Calcan (isn't that a brand of dog food?) who heels well.
    "Never Lower Tillie's Pants... Mama Might Come Home"

    This phrase predated the "some lovers ..." line when the older names were used for the wrist bones: Navicular, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Multangular (greater), Multangular (lesser), Capitate, and Hamate.

    Try These Positions!

    The 8 wrist bones (starting from thumb) -- Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrium, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, and Hamate -- can be memorized in the cute phrase: "Some Lovers Try Positions That They Cannot Handle". Triquetrium has the sound "tri/try" in it; trapezium and trapezoid are in alphabetical order. To remember that the carpals are bones of the wrist and not the foot, remember that CARPenters use their hands.

    8 wrist bones again

    I found this scheme for the carpal bones to be more useful. Alphabetical is not helpful if you don't know the direction of starting. I have them arranged in 3 rays along the 2nd, 3rd & 4th digits ... the trapezium (see below) and pisiform are not in the 3 rays. Trapezium rhymes with thumb and is closest to the thumb. The closest to it is the one that sounds like it -- trapezoid. The 2nd ray has bones ending in -oid (trapezoid & scaphoid). The 3rd ray has bones ending in -ate (capitate & lunate), with the capital at the tip. The 4th ray has the leftovers: hamate & triquetrium. The hamate touches the 4th metacarpal "4H" (the young farmer's club). The pisiform looks like a counterpart to the hook of the hamate (hamate means hook), thus the pisiform ("pea-shaped") is by the triquetrium. (submitted by Dan Winder)

    C3-PO Breaks his Bones

    Star Wars fans can say, "Go C3PO" to recall the 7 types of bone fractures: Greenstick, Open, Complete, Closed, Comminuted, Partial, and Others. SKULL

    The PEST

    Memorizing is a pest, particularly the PEST OF 6 cranial bones: Parietal, Ethmoid, Sphenoid, Temporal, Occipital, Frontal.

    Dr. O. VESALIUS

    EZ Leg Bones

    Distinguish the two lower leg bones easily by knowing the TIBia is the Thick Inner Bone, and Fibula is Finer, Fluted, and Lateral.

    This mnemonic device is almost too good to be true. The Flemish physician's name is really a checklist of factors causing back troubles. (He obviously lived in a non-violent time ... no knife wounds are mentioned)
  • O - Osteomyelitis
  • V - Vertebral fracture
  • E - Extraspinal tumour
  • S - Spondylolisthesis
  • A - Ankylosing spondylitis
  • L - Lumbar disk disease
  • I - Intraspinal tumour
  • U - Unhappiness
  • S - Stress

    • Facing the Loss of a Common Lover?

    Have you broken up with your lover? Common Love gone Zip? (Abbr. CMMNLVZP) Well, memorizing the 8 facial bones will make you feel better: Conchae, Mandible, Maxilla, Nasal, Lacrimal, Vomer, Zygomatic, Palatine.
    Applying the first 3 letters rule to the facial bones, I came up with Con Man Max and Pal Ziggy Lack Nasty Voices.

    Invasion of the FLEZMS

    ufo There's a science-fiction story about spaceships from the planet FLEZM in orbit around the face of the earth. In reality, the FLEZMS are the bones of the orbit (eye) socket: Frontal, Lacrimal, Ethmoid, Zygomatic, Maxilla, Sphenoid.

    PAPA! PAPA!

    Joke: Why are babies born with soft spots in their skulls?
    A: so the nurses can pick them up five at a time!
    A baby's first words might be "PAPA", which is an acronym for the 4 fontanels in an infant's skull: Posterior, Anterior, Posterio-lateral, and Anterio-lateral.

    Sutures have CLASS!

    Well, they have CLSS anyway. The cranial sutures are: Coronal, Lambdoid, Squamous, Sagittal. The first 3 letter exercise came up with Corona beer and Squid turn Lambs into Sages.

    REPRODUCTIVE & URINARY

    Anna has Large Breasts!

    BIG boobs I remember the mitotic phases of a cell by reciting "I Proposed Marriage to Anna by Telephone". That of course indicates Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase. How do I remember which phase has cell division? Anaphase ... Anna has Cleavage!

    Boob Tube

    Want to recall the milk-production portions of the female breast? How about "Al Sachs, who watches a Second-rate boob-tube MD, Lacks Sin, Lacks Ducks. The parts are: Alveoloar sacs, Secondary Tubules, Mammary Ducts, Lactiferous Sinus, Lactiferous Duct.
    Something is Fishy

    SPERM, which swim like FISH, are stimulated by FSH, the follicle stimulating hormone.

    Have Sperm, Will Travel

    Note: keywords in this story are capitalized
    "We filled with fuel at the INTERSTATE Shell before renting a boat at LUMEN's dock. Our ship was the SS REED V, fitted with a 14-cylinder MITOCHONDRIA engine. We left our berth between the SEMINIFEROUS trees and took a heading thru the Strait of TUBULE to RETE's Marina, a large place with lots of mooring. We passed a musician with an "E Flat Fer Rent" and manoeuvered through the convoluted waterway designed by EPPI -- a Testy fellow, before hitting the Vast of DEFERENS. SS REED V We headed north, then west where the PUBLIC SYMPHONY rehearsed, around the URINALS to pause at a preacher's houseboat (a SEMINARY VESSEL) for some sugar and to go pee. We saw a DUCK EJACULATING -- much to our embarrassment. Still needing food, we pulled up to the nationalist PRO-STATE store, a chestnut colored vessel, for milky substances. The next stop was at COWPER's Garage for oil, a place we hated because he was downright alkaline and viscous. Next section was for "MEMBERS only", followed by beggars Sponging for valuables. We gave 'er full throttle and squirted to the U-TURN bar for some real fun!"

    What was said? Sperm are nourished by the intestate cells and born in the seminiferous tubules of the lobules. Using 14 mitochondria to power their tails, they travel to the straight tubules, Rete testis, efferent ducts, epididymus ductus, epididymus tubule, vas deferens, pubic symphysis, seminal vesicle, ejaculatory duct, prostate gland, cowper's gland, and the three parts of the urethra: prostatic, membranous, spongiosa, and occasionally end up in the uterine cavity.

    A Journey through the kidneys

    Note: keywords in this story are capitalized
    The sun was setting on the desert and I raised my eyes to the heavens. In the northern sky glowed ARCTURUS, the sight of which made my ARTIERIES throb. I started along a winding path lined with trees bearing reddish-brown bark (cortex). One tree held a sign advertising A FLAT FOR RENT. The trees gave way to COLUMNS of an old temple next to one of the many PYRAMIDS of NEPHRON. Nephron was fussy about concentration ... no imbalances in the salt trade were tolerated. I went inside the tomb of Nephron and saw a drawing of a GLOMERULIAN space CAPSULE. Further along the winding passageway DESCENDED and I could hear a popular song playing ahead of me. Where the path made a U-turn, the music became clearer ... it was a Don HENLY song LOOPed over and over. The CONVOLUTED and ASCENDING path took me to the FRoNT passage where I found myself walking past a DUCK COLLECTING money for a PAPAL visit from the MAJOR and MINOR CALICES. My PELVIS hurt and I felt that Urinating now would make me GLADDER. Once inside a large room I realized I could not leave the way I entered because a guard named DETRUSSER wouldn't allow it. I walked across a RUG (rugae is plural) floor and past the Egyptian sphynx (SPHINCTER is plural) and out the URETHERA. adrenals

    What you saw: A water molecule travels from the arctuate artery to afferent arteriole, glomerulus, glomerulian capsule, proximal convoluted tubule, descending limb, loop of Henle, ascending limb, distal convoluted tubule, collecting duct, papillary duct, minor calyx, major calyx, pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder, urethera.

    RAF

    Any student familiar with Canadian or British air forces will recognize the RAF as the great protector in times of war. The kidneys too are protected by the RAF, except in this case it stands for Renal capsule, Adipose tissue, and Fascia.

    CARDIOVASCULAR

    "Celiac" he gasps

    This could be a phrase lifted from a crime novel, but here it describes the 3 branches of the celiac artery: Hepatic, Gastric, Splenous.

    Celia the Bad Driver

    "Celia Smith's Supra Rams Green Impala Past Stop Light" tells us the 9 branches of the abdominal portion of the aorta: Celiac, Supra mesenteric, Supra-renal, Renal, Gonadal, Inferior mesenteric, Phrenic, Sacral, and Lumbar.

    Girl in car Here's another phrase: "Celia's Supra sure runs good in Mesa, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Loma". This line uses words closer to the actual terms but may be less easy to remember.

    Transexuals Remember the Aorta

    Here's a line about a transexual getting directions through a room: "Come In Ex-Female, Pop And Prance Past Doors and Planters". This of course refers to the branches of the aortic artery in the lower torso: Common Iliac, Internal iliac, External iliac, Femoral, Popliteal, Anterior tibia, Posterior tibia, Peroneal, Dorsalis, medial And lateral Plantars. Or, the first 3 letter rule gives Common Ills in Ex-Females include Popping Anteriors, Posting Perrenials, Dorsal fin Medicine, and Late Plans.

    A Vietnamese Lumberjack's Heart

    Several vessels join the inferior vena cava and they can be easily recalled by the phrase: "He Commonly Lumbers in the Viet Cong ReGion". It clues us in to the Hepatic, Common iliac, Lumbar, Vena Cava, Renals, Gonadals.

    Tall Dark Virgins

    Tall Dark Virgins Almost Never Hesitate when they learn the tendons and neurovascular structures inside their slender pretty ankles. They are: Tibialis posterior tendon, Digitorum longus tendon, tibialis Vein, tibialis Artery, tibialis Nerve, Hallis longus tendon.

    Hot Blooded Whores

    blood The 8 functions of blood are: "Old Charlie Foster Hates Women Having Dull Clothes" for Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Food, Heat, Waste, Hormones, Disease, and Clotting. A better method (making more use of the first few letters of each word) "Wasted Ox Cart Food Disease makes Clot in Heated Whore".

    E.T. & ALIEN Drugs

    The 5 drugs that can be put into an endotracheal tube (ET)are ALIEN: Atropine, Lidocaine, Isuprel, Epinephrine, Narcan.

    Misc. Arteries

    Inferior to the umbilicus, Arteries are usually Anterior to veins (A & A)

    The aorta Bifurcation, L4 & Umbilicus are at the same level. (B4U=before you) (submitted by Dan Winder)

    NERVES

    Oh No, another way!

    I overheard two teachers discussing this unmention- able-in-class mneumonic for the cranial nerves: "Oh, oh, oh, to touch and feel a girl's vagina -- soft, ah, heaven!".

    Try Abducting your Face

    The twelve cranial nerves have challenged students for years ... there seems to be no really good way of remembering them in sequence. The old standby is "On Old Olympus' Towering Top, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hawks". I came up with 3 short phrases using several initial letters to make it easier: "Olaf Opted to Occlude his Truck", "Try Abducting your Face", and "Alex Grinder's Very Special Hippo".

    The real nerves are, in order: Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducens, Facial, Auditory, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Spinal Accessory, Hypoglossal. To remember which have motor fibres (M), sensory fibres (S), or both (B), "Some Say Money Matters But My Brother Says Big Boobs Make More Sense" in the same order as the nerves run.

    12 Facial Nerves .... Again!

    Sometimes it is easier to recite a story in which a list of terms is embedded rather than memorize a list. For years, med students have been struggling to come up with a way of remembering the 12 cranial nerves, and I think this short story by Gordon Bower does the trick well.
    "At the OIL FACTORY, the OPTICIAN looked for the OCCUPANT of the TRUCK. He was searching because 3 GEMS had been ABDUCTED by a man who was hiding his FACE and EARS. A GLOSSY PHOTOGRAPH has been taken of him, but it was too VAGUE to use. He appeared to be SPINELESS and HYPOCRITICAL."

    Got them yet? In order, the oil factory is the olfactory nerve; the optician is the optical nerve; the occupant is the occulomotor nerve; the truck represents the trochlear nerve; the 3 gems are the trigeminal nerve; abducted is really the abducens; face is facial; ears really means auditory; glossy photograph is glosso-pharyngeal; spineless relates to the spinal accessory nerve; and hypocritical is the hypoglossal nerve.
    Spinal Cord PAD

    The spinal cord is protected by a 3-layered PAD -- pia mater, arachnoid layer, and dura mater.

    I Ate a Dozen Live Wives One Tuesday

    Shades of Bluebeard -- the spinal nerves have never been easier! This phrase tells me there are 8 (ate) pair of cervical nerves, 12 (dozen) of the thoracic nerves, 5 pair each (rhymes with Live and Wives) of the lumbar and sacral nerve, and 1 (one) coccygeal nerve pair. Furthermore, there are 31 nerve pairs, and 31 letters in the mneumonic phrase.

    These nerves are grouped into PLEXUSES (plexi?) that number 4. The terms lumbar, cervical, brachial, sacral and plexi are contained in the phrase: Lumberjack serves sack of bras on plexiglass.
    Afferent and Efferent

    Afferent is A Feeling
    Efferent Exercises muscles.

    10 Zebras

    There are 5 superficial branches of the facial nerve -- Temporal, Zygomatic, Buccal, Mandibular, Cervical -- that can be remembered as either "Ten Zebras Bit My Cheek" or "Two Zulus bought my cab".

    schong@ormond.unimelb.edu.au remembers the facial nerve: Tall Zulus Bear Many Children.

    Naked French Tarts

    The nerves of the superior orbital tissue in the skull (in order): "Lazy French Tarts Lie Naked in Anticipation" for Lacrimal, Frontal, Trochlear, Lateral, Nasociliary, Internal, and Abducent.

    Rhyming the phrenic nerve

  • Innervation of phrenic nerve to diaphragm:
    • C3, 4 & 5 to keep you alive
  • pudendal nerve (to sphincters)
    • L2, 3 & 4 not to shit on the floor

    Foramina that divisions of 5th nerve go through: SRO=standing room only: superior orb fis, rotundum, ovale.
    submitted by Dan Winder

    schong@ormond.unimelb.edu.au adds his variation as: C3,4,5 keeps the diaphragm alive, and S2,3,4 keeps the shit off the floor.

    HEALTH

    "Live like the DEVIL!"

    Believe it or not, the formula for a long life is DEVIL: Diet, Exercise, Vitamins & minerals, Involvement, and Love.
    -- William H. Baumer, US Army Major General (retired)

    An Ancient Method of Treating Hangover

    Last evening you were drinking deep,
    So now your head aches. Go to sleep;
    Take some boiled cabbage when you wake;
    And there's the end of your headache
    --Alexis

    Feeding Time for Brats

    Think of B.R.A.T. when feeding a baby?
    Right on!
    Good baby food includes Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast.

    Gardener's Rule

    When young, sow wild oats.
    When old, grow sage

    Bedtime Rhyme

    When face is red, raise the head
    When face is pale, raise the tail

    S.O.A.P.

    The four factors used to evaluate a patient are Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan ... or SOAP for short.

    Poem for Young Meds

    You've received some excellent resources, but also don't neglect to practice good medicine by listening to patients and writing down their stories (which are also poems, of course). You have the opportunity for a truly rich life: blending medicine and poetry.
    Sun and moon.
    Maps and prayers.
    Keep writing,
    keep copies.
    David Schiedermayer, MD
    Div. of General Internal Medicine
    Med. College of Wisconsin
    dschieds@post.its.mcw.edu.

    SKIN & TISSUES

    YUCK!

    Two-thirds of most household dust is dead skin.

    S.C.A.L.P.

    The 5 layers of the SCALP are easily remembered because the keyword is also the acronym: Skin, Connective tissue, Aponeurosis, Loose connective tissue, and Periosteum.

    S.K.I.L.L.

    There are 5 organs that rid out bodies of useless material by excretion: Skin, Kidneys, Intestines, Liver and Lungs, or SKILL for an acronym. The first 3 letter mantra gave me Kids Lounging In Lime Skin.

    Yes Heather!

    The 7 senses of the skin (cold, pressure, heat, touch, pain, vibration, and proprioception) are in order in the phrase "Could you Pressure Heather into Painting and Touching my Vibrator Properly?".

    MUSCLES

    Careful!

    By some weird coincidence, the four muscles which control the mandible -- masseter, temporal, lateral and medial pterygoids -- form the letters MTPP, which could be read as "Empty Peepee" which could be construed as a command (or wish) to empty one's peepee via ... oh we'd better not say it.

    Spare TIRE

    Remember when your dad would point to someone with a pendulous belly and say "There's a man with a spare tire"? Well, the four abdominal muscles -- transversus, internal oblique, rectus, and external oblique -- form the acronym TIRE.

    Doctor on the Floor?

    No, not a call over the hospital PA system. On the floor of the mouth are two muscles -- mylohyoid and digastric -- MD. Also, if infected, you have Mouth Disease.

    You Will DIE!

    If you don't have'em, you D.I.E., refers to the Diaphragm, Inner costal, and External costal muscles which regulate breathing.

    MISCELLANEOUS

    Into Insulin

    INsulin gets sugar INto cells. Without insulin, a person can have excess sugar in his blood yet die of lack of sugar. Excess sugar is removed via urine. Romans noticed bees attracted to the urine of diabetics and coined the term "diabetes" to describe the overflow of sugar.

    He Licks Her Helix and Other Ear Facts

  • Two parts of the outer ear (auricle) are easily recalled by amorous students because a male lover will often lick the helix (top part) of a girl's ear. The LOwer portion is the LOver's LObe.
  • The Utricle and Saccule (US) are tiny organs within the cochlea (inner ear) which tells us if we're tipping over or not. They keep US balanced.
  • CERuminus glands produce EaR wax.
  • Mr. Spock had no trouble recalling the three auditory ossicles -- Malleus, Incus, Stapes -- for when young ladies ask what are on the side of his head, he replies "Ears, MIS".

    Reader Dan Winder (@ Boston U.) adds ... MIS can be expanded to MISO (as in japanese noodle soup) to include O for oval window

    How Many Baby Teeth?

    tooth fairy Baby teeth are deciduous teeth because, like deciduous tree leaves, they fall out. How many teeth does a baby have? The prefix for "10th" is "deci" which is also the prefix in the compound word "deciduous" ... and a baby has 10 teeth on each jaw.

    Enough Hormones to Make a GOAT FLAP

    The pituitary gland is attached to the lower surface of the brain and looks like a miniature scrotum. The two "balls" are termed adenohypophysis and neurohypophysis. The Adenohyphysis is Anterior. The pituitary produces eight hormones: growth hormone, oxytocin, adenocorticotropin, thyroid stimulating hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, leutinizing hormone (interstitial cell stimulating hormone in males), anti-diruetic, and prolactin ... which can be remembered by their initial letters making GOAT FLAP. A 9th hormone, melanocyte stimulating hormone, is not well-understood.

    Adrenal

    The adrenal gland sits atop the kidney and secretes 4 hormones -- 2 from the medulla and 2 from its cortex. The medulla produces epinephrine and norepinephrine (a stimulant and a relaxer). The CORTex makes CORTisol and aldosterone.

    Interestingly, the adrenal cortex also produces a small amount of androgen which has an insignificant affect on males, but can cause increased sex drive and libido in women.

    Layers of the adrenal spell GFR -- Glomerular, Fascicular, Reticular (submitted by Dan Winder)

    Active ATP

    Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is crucial for Active Trans-Port.

    Acronym Defined

    Acronyms were apparently invented by the USSR to reduce wordy bureau names and anti-capitalistic schemes to easily pronounced words. SMERSH, DINK, and CREEP* are true acronyms; CIA and YUPPIE are not acronyms because they are either not used as words in conversation or are slang terms based on an acronym.

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  • Physiology Study Page
  • Latin & Greek prefixes and suffixes
  • Medical Humour
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  • Link to Medical Humour Website
  • Link to Amanda's Mneumonics Page
  • Link to Top 100 Brain Structures
  • Link to Greg Gay's Mneumonic Page
  • Link to 9000 websites at EDU2

    • *SMERSH: I read it in a James Bond novel and it means "Death to Spies". DINK: double income, no kids. CREEP: committee to re-elect the president. Yuppie is a slang term based on YUP: young urban professional. CIA is pronounced see-eye-eh; if it were used as an acronym we would pronounce it: see-ah.

    Last updated Sept. 18 1997

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    CATEGORIES

  • Respiratory
  • Alimentary
  • Bones
  • Reproductive & Urinary
  • Cardiovascular
  • Nerves
  • Health
  • Skin and Other Tissue
  • Muscles
  • Miscellaneous

    • MUSCLE TERMS

    teres = long & round

    rectus = fibres across midline

    coraco = coracoid process

    brachia = arm

    anconeal = elbow

    carpi = wrist

    pollicis = thumb

    superficialis = close to surface

    minimi = little finger

    ilium = flank

    scalene = uneven

    psoas = muscle of loin

    tensor = makes tense

    latae = wide

    fascia = band

    oblique = diagonal to midline

    masseter = chewer

    platysma = flat and broad

    risorius = laughter

    supercilium = eyebrow

    corrugator = wrinkle

    palpebrae = eyelid

    labii = lip

    rectus = strait

    digastric = two bellies

    splenius = bandage

    phragma = wall

    latissimus = widest

    costals = ribs

    omo = related to shoulder

    glosso = tongue