Human anatomy (from the Gk. anatemno - dissect) is the science of the structure of organs, organ systems and parts of the human body, considered from the standpoint of development, functionality and constant interaction with the surrounding environment.
Human anatomy corresponds to the Morphology, which is one of the most important departments of Biological Sciences. Morphology is a complex science of the form and structure of the human body in normal and pathological conditions. Morphological sciences include the descriptive (normal) anatomy, functional anatomy, age anatomy, experimental anatomy, histology, cytology, topographical (regional) anatomy for surgery, plastic (relief) anatomy for artists, comparative anatomy, radiographic anatomy, cross-sectional anatomy and pathological anatomy. As a science, the anatomy has objectives like studying of a shape, an internal structure, a position of organs and their relations based on age, sex and individual characteristics.
The process of fetal development of a human body is a study of embryology, detailing the mechanisms of organ formation and the body as a whole; identifying ways of improving the structure of living beings. The study of the complete life cycle of an organism from fertilization to death is known as ontogeny (onthos - individual).
The human body continues to develop after birth: changing the structure and shape of organs, their position and relations. The age anatomy includes the studying of laws of the anatomical structure of the human body after birth. Significant differences in the structure of the male and female bodies require the research
of signs of sexual dimorphism (gender peculiarities).
There are individual differences in the structure, shape, and position of organs between people of the same age group. On the one hand, the individual characteristics of the body structure are related to the fact that embryos develop at different rates and attain different final weights and sizes. On the other hand, individual differences in the structure of the human body caused by the development of organs after birth which depends on life conditions. It's necessary to take into account the influence of social factors, which is the subject of anthropology, that studies man in their evolutionary development. Human anatomy should be studies from the point of view of the functional characteristics of individual organs (functional anatomy) because the function relates to the structure.