NOTE: Figure 3-17 provided additional information on proximal and distal.
Figure 3-17. Proximal and distal segments of the arm and leg. The humerus is the
proximal segment of the arm; the carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges
make up the distal segment of the arm. For the leg, the femur is the
proximal segment; the tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges comprise the
distal segment of the leg.
h. Lateral. The term lateral refers to parts away from the median plane of the
body, away from the center, away from the middle of a part, or to the right or left. (The
Latin "later" means "side.") A lateral view of the hand would be a side view (figure
3-18). In the anatomical position, the thumb is on the lateral aspect of the hand.
lateral: refers to parts away from the median plane of the body, away from the middle
of a part, to the right or left.
MD0961
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