ABSTRACT
IN THE MAIN part of this book the anatomy of the body is considered according to its various parts or regions, e.g. head, hand, thorax, pelvis, etc. (regional anatomy), but the various structures of the body can also be grouped together according to their common function, to make up what are commonly called systems (systematic anatomy). Thus, the heart and blood vessels form the cardiovascular system (or circulatory system), the air passages and lungs form the respiratory system, and so on; these and the other systems are summarized briefly below, although the nervous system has a rather longer explanation to provide an adequate background to the later descriptions of the brain and spinal cord.
