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Abbreviated to NA. International system for nomenclature and definition of terms in anatomical science.
In 1887, the German Anatomical Society took upon itself to systematize the nomenclature for human anatomy. Up to that time, there were tens of thousands of redundant names for body parts, systems and functionalities. This system reduced the number of terms from about 50,000 down to 5,528. This systematic approach was called the Basle Nomina Anatomica and was largely based upon the Latin and Greek languages.
During the period of 1950 through 1955, the system was expanded and made more global by the International Congress of Anatomists and has been updated frequently by that august body. In recent years, it has been supplanted by a system called Terminologia Anatomica.
There also exists the system used for animal anatomy, the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria (NAV) which was created by the International Committee on Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature.
REFS:
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol. 1 (Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc, London, 2002).
Wikipedia, "Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomina_Anatomica_Veterinaria
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 19th edition (FA Davis, Philadelphia, 1997).
Dorland's Medical Encyclopedia online: http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands.jspzQzpgzEzzSzppdocszSzuszSzcommonzSzdorlandszSzdorlandzSzdmd_n_10zPzhtm
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