Important anatomical terms

afferent	conducting towards (the brain, the glomerulus, for example)
anterior, ventral	towards the front of the body
caudal	closer to the tail
cephalic	towards the head
contralateral	on the opposite side
deep	far from the surface
distal	distant from the origin
efferent	conducting away from
inferior	lower relative to another structure
ipsilateral	on the same side
lateral	away from the middle
medial	toward the midline
posterior, dorsal	towards the back of the body
proximal	near the origin
superficial	near the surface
superior	higher relative to another structure

Important numbers (1)

Body fluid compartments (70kg person)

total body fluid	42L
extracellular	14L (plasma 3L; interstitial fluid 10L; transcellular fluid 1L)
intracellular	28L

Composition

	Extracellular	Intracellular
Na+	140mM	15mM
K+	4mM	140mM
Ca2+	2.4mM	0.1μM
Cl–	110mM	less than extracellular, but variable with tissue
	25mM	10–20mM (according to intracellular pH)

Blood

plasma glucose (fasting)	4mM
plasma osmolarity	300mOsm
PaO2	100mm Hg (13.3kPa)
PvO2	40mm Hg (5.3kPa)
PaCO2	40mm Hg (5.3kPa)
PvCO2	46mm Hg (6.1kPa)
blood pH (arterial)	7.4
systemic arterial blood pressure	120/80mm Hg
pulmonary arterial blood pressure	15/5mm Hg
resting cardiac output	5L min–1

Blood cells: normal counts

(cells L^–1 differential count)

erythrocytes	5 × 1012 (haematocrit 45%)
leucocytes	~7 × 109 of which:
neutrophils	40–70%
lymphocytes	20–40%
monocytes	~6%
eosinophils	~3%
basophils	<1%

Important numbers (2)

Ventilation

ventilation at rest	5L min–1
basal oxygen consumption	250mL min–1
anatomical dead space	150mL
expiratory reserve volume	1200mL
functional reserve capacity	2500mL
inspiratory capacity	3500mL
residual volume	1200mL
tidal volume	500mL
total lung capacity	6000mL
vital capacity	5000mL
forced expiratory volume	4000mL

Urine

glomerular filtration rate	125mL min–1
urine osmolarity	Normal range 450–1200 mOsm
volume	Normal range 600–1600mL day–1
pH	4.6–8
urea	100–300mmol day–1