Difference between superficial and anterior?

[DoctorB]

I am a little confused as to the difference between the two anatomical terms. The only difference that I can think of is that something is anterior only in respect to the anatomical position where as something can be superficial regardless of if the patient is in the anatomical position (for insance the skin on a person's back is superficial to the heart where as the skin on the back is also posterior to the heart). Am I correct as to the difference between the two terms or am I wrong? Can someone clarify this?

Thanks in advance!

PS: If you haven't realized I haven't started med school yet but figured this forum would get me the best response.

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[leopanther]

You're pretty much right. Superficial is a description of depth (skin is superficial to fat). Anterior is used to describe something that's in front of something else (sclera is anterior to iris).
I hope you're not reading anatomy this summer.

 

[Hayden2102]

Your skin is superficial to anything else inside your body.

Anterior refers to the front of everything - the side your face is on. So your face is anterior to the back of your head.

Does that help?

 

[ColinHay]

Anterior means in the front
superficial means close to the surface.
so the skin on your back is superficial but not anterior.

 

[DoctorB]

Thanks a lot for your help! I'll admit it, I am looking at anatomy this summer before I start medical school 😉

 

[browniegirl86]

Thanks a lot for your help! I'll admit it, I am looking at anatomy this summer before I start medical school 😉

Stop! Enjoy your freedom while it still exists!!!

 

[DocYuki]

MS0 here, 2 months before launch-date at my school.

I'm spending the whole summer lazing around, working (barely) part-time, and shadowing some docs.

A la Brave heart: F-r-eeeeeeeee-dooooooooom!

 

[Law2Doc]

Thanks a lot for your help! I'll admit it, I am looking at anatomy this summer before I start medical school 😉

Your superficial level of knowlege of anatomy by the time you start is a total waste of time -- someone ought to give you a kick in your anterior protuberances. Seriously.

 

[Ashers]

MS0 here, 2 months before launch-date at my school.

I'm spending the whole summer lazing around, working (barely) part-time, and shadowing some docs.

A la Brave heart: F-r-eeeeeeeee-dooooooooom!

That's what I like to see. =)

I would've taken my entire summer off, but I was waitlisted at schools I wanted to go to, and I had a full time job before hand, so I couldn't quit until I got accepted to any school. I ended up having 3 weeks of summer off -- I really wish I had more. Now I've got 2 weeks b/w M2 and M3 year, and it seems like a lot of time off to do nothing. Sad how medicine "ruins" your perceptions of normalcy.

 

[Yehosh]

Thanks a lot for your help! I'll admit it, I am looking at anatomy this summer before I start medical school 😉

you're not alone, don't feel bad. I'm coming from a diff background of compsci and bioinformatics so I figured a little anatomy here and there wouldn't really hurt. I'm not cramming anything, just a couple hours a week.

Good luck in M1

 

[Critical Mass]

Your superficial level of knowlege of anatomy by the time you start is a total waste of time -- someone ought to give you a kick in your anterior protuberances. Seriously.

Agreed.

I was going to chime in on this topic until I saw what was going on here. I suppose it should have been obvious.