ANT 211 Fundamentals of Forensi

There are five terms of direction commonly used for the arms, legs, hands and feet.

1.	Proximal	Near, or toward the body, the axis or trunk. Think of words like approximate, proxy, etc. meaning "near" or "close." Proximal refers to a portion of a bone, like the portion nearest the trunk of the body or torso. It is distinct from "superior" which means above. So, there can be two features on the proximal portion of a bone, where one is superior to the other, and the other is inferior to the former. However, both are features on the proximal portion of the bone. Thus, proximal is more general, whereas superior is more specific--used more for a feature or aspect of a bone.
2.	Distal	Distance, away from the trunk or torso. The portion of a bone farthest away from the body. Similar to proximal, distal is more general and refers to a bone, whereas inferior refers to a feature on either the proximal, distal, or mid-portion of a bone. Know that proximal and distal are used only for long bones, bones of the arms and legs (this includes metacarpals and metarsals as well--the long bones of the hands and feet).
3.	Palmar	Palm side of the hand. In a standing anatomical position, where the hands are palm out, they are really facing anteriorly. In a lying-down anatomical position, the palmar view is superior (up).
4.	Plantar	This is the sole of the foot (think of a plantar's wart). In a standing anatomical position, the plantar surface is facing inferiorly.
5.	Dorsal	Back, or top of the hand or foot. In general, dorsal means the backside. In a standing anatomical position, the dorsal side of the hands are facing posteriorly. The dorsal side of the foot is really the instep, which faces superiorly when walking.