Human Body Systems & Health Vocabulary

Human Body Anatomy: Head to Toe

Inside the head is the brain, which is responsible for thinking. The top of a person's scalp is covered with hair. Beneath the hairline at the front of the face is the forehead.

Underneath the forehead are the eyes for seeing, the nose for smelling, and the mouth for eating. On the outside of the mouth are the lips, and on the inside of the mouth are the teeth for biting and chewing food, and the tongue for tasting. Food is swallowed down the throat.

At the sides of the face are the cheeks, and at the sides of the head are the ears for hearing. At the bottom of a person's face is the chin. The jaw is located on the inside of the cheeks and chin. The neck is what attaches the head to the upper body.

Upper Body and Torso

At the top and front of the upper body, just below the neck, is the collarbone. On the front side of the upper body is the chest, which in women includes the breasts. Babies suck on the nipples of their mother's breasts. Beneath the ribcage are the stomach and the waist. The navel, more commonly referred to as the belly button, is located here as well.

On the inside of the upper body are the heart for pumping blood and the lungs for breathing. The rear side of the upper body is called the back; inside, the spine connects the upper body to the lower body.

Arms and Hands

The arms are attached to the shoulders. Beneath this area is called the armpit or underarm. The upper arms have the muscles known as triceps and biceps. The joint halfway down the arm is called the elbow. Between the elbow and the next joint, the wrist, is the forearm.

Below the wrist is the hand with four fingers and one thumb. The fingers include:

• The index finger (beside the thumb)
• The middle finger (beside the index finger)
• The ring finger
• The little finger

At the ends of the fingers are the fingernails.

Lower Body and Internal Organs

Below the waist, on the left and right, are the hips. Between the hips are the reproductive organs: the penis (male) or vagina (female). At the back of the lower body are the buttocks for sitting on. They are also commonly referred to as the rear end or bum (especially with children).

The internal organs in the lower body include the intestines for digesting food, the bladder for holding liquid waste, as well as the liver and the kidneys. This area also contains the woman's uterus, which holds a baby during pregnancy.

Essential Medical Terminology

Understanding Illness and Sickness

Ill: suffering from an illness or disease; not feeling well; sick. My older sister is seriously ill in St. John's Hospital. The children started to feel ill an hour after the meal.

Sick: physically or mentally ill; wanting to vomit. I feel very sick, I don't think I can work today. Be careful with the cake; too much of it can make you sick.

Sore: painful (and often red) because of infection or because a muscle has been used too much. I have a sore throat; I mustn't take that cold drink. She says her stomach is still sore after the operation.

Health Conditions and Recovery

Illness: the state of being physically or mentally ill. Our secretary missed a lot of work through illness last month. Flu can be a serious illness if you aren't careful enough.

Disease: (enfermedad) a serious illness, often caused by infection. Peter's uncle suffers from a rare blood disease. A fatty diet increases the risk of heart disease.

Heal: to become healthy again; to make something or somebody healthy again; to make somebody feel happy again. As I see it, it will take a long time for your wounds to heal. This ointment will help to heal your scratches.

Daily Habits and Health Concepts

Daily Habits: a set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities.

Breathing: the act of inhaling air.

Hurts: causes physical damage or pain to.

Avoiding: preventing from happening.

Contractures: a disorder in which a skeletal muscle is permanently tightened.

Sleepiness: a sleepy sensation or condition.

Hobbies: the time spent with your family, partners, or friends, or doing some favorite activity.

Medical Care and Diagnosis

Cure (verb): to make somebody or something healthy again after an illness; to make an illness go away. He was seriously ill for a long time, but the doctor cured him at last. Scarlet fever is a serious illness, but it can be cured fairly fast.

Cure (noun): medicine or medical treatment that cures an illness; the act of curing or the process of being cured. There is no known cure for this illness, but it can be treated. I'm afraid you must be taken to hospital for the cure.

Treat: to give medical care or attention to somebody or something; to deal with something or somebody. I was treated for flu, but later I was diagnosed with pneumonia. This illness is usually treated with antibiotics and a strict diet.

Treatment: (the way or process of) curing an illness or injury or making somebody look and feel good; the way of dealing with something or somebody. Doctors apply various treatments for this illness. My sister goes to a wellness center to receive beauty treatments.

Diagnose: to define what an illness or the cause of a problem is. The blood test is used to diagnose all kinds of diseases. She was diagnosed (as) (a) diabetic in her early childhood.

Diagnosis: a medical description of an illness or condition. The doctors didn't share every detail of the diagnosis with the patient's family. We had to wait a lot for the exact diagnosis after the examination.