Standard anatomical position Standard anatomical position is rigidly defined for human anatomy. In standard anatomical position, the human body is standing erect and at rest. Unlike the situation in other vertebrates, the limbs are placed in positions reminiscent of the supine position imposed on cadavers during autopsy. Therefore, the body has its feet together (or slightly separated), and its arms are rotated outward so that the palms are forward, and the thumbs are pointed away from the body (forearms supine). As well, the arms are usually moved slightly out from the body, so that the hands do not touch the sides. The positions
Ancient Egyptian anatomical studies the reign of the pharaoh, within which the book is known to have been written. Two individuals, Herophilus, and Erasistratus, both living within Alexandria and participating within the so-called School of Alexandria, both contributed to anatomical understanding and knowledge, as they began a practice of human dissection. Egyptian civilization was responsible for the advent of terms for external body parts, of all body parts practitioners were aware of, "metu", understood to refer to the heart, was central to ancient understandings of anatomy within relevant areas of Egypt. Knowledge of anatomical studies is drawn from papyri and ostraca, especially the Ebers,