3 ms·
The strict distinction between "anatomy" and "physiology" in medicine, with the former not including description of function but only structure, is also fairly
by _delirium 12y ago
The strict distinction between "anatomy" and "physiology" in medicine, with the former not including description of function but only structure, is also fairly recent, with older texts frequently using "anatomy" in a broader sense of "let's look inside and see what parts this has and what they do". The borrowing of that sense for the non-medical context happened before usage in medicine became more technical and specific, so more recent developments in medical jargon haven't changed the more generally understood meaning of the English word.
In any case, it's an established English word with a well-understood non-medical meaning that goes back really far in this sense, at least to the early 17th century, with John Donne's An Anatomy of the World (1611) and Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy (1622).
- loxs 12y agoInteresting, didn't know this usage is so old. I (non-native) thought that it's some hipster programmer talk.
- gumby 12y agoStrictly speaking it means dissection (to chop up or cut into I would more colloquially put it), which is appropriate in this case. (Finally getting some use out of those years of Greek class!)