Anatomy of the head

The head is the part of the body that contains the brain, the mouth, and the chief sense organs – the eyes, the ears and the nose. The skeleton of the head is called the skull. The skull is a frame made up of the bones that enclose the brain and the bones that form the face. The human skull is normally made up of 29 bones. Eight bones, called cranial bones, enclose the brain and make up the cranium. The cranium can be divided into a skull cap and a base. The cranial bones fuse together at zigzag junctions called sutures. Several sutures join to form a pterion. This process of bone fusion occurs in uterus to protect the most important organ of the body, the brain. Although most fusing is complete before birth, there are large areas of fibrous tissue (called fontanelles) where fusion is incomplete until puberty. The fontanelle above the forehead in newborns and young children is particularly easy to identify by touch. The adult cranium is separated into bones, several of which are mirrored on the right and left sides of the skull, they are: two maxillae, two zygomatic bones, two temporal bones, a single frontal bone, two parietal bones, an occipital bone and several more internal bones, which are not easily seen. The face includes fourteen bones all together.

The rest of the skull is the mandible, the bone attached to the cranium at the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This important joint allows the mandible to move for such important functions as mastication, eating and speech. Except for the mandible, all the skull bones of an adult form a rigid, united structure.

A system of muscles and tendons connects the head to the spinal column, the collarbone and the shoulder blades. These muscles and tendons control the movements of the head. The occipital bone forms the back of the skull. This bone rests on the spinal column and forms a join on which the head moves. Most of the weight of the head is in front of the occipital bone and the head is held in an erect position by the muscles of the neck. When a person becomes sleepy, these muscles relax and the head falls forward.

Muscles of the head are important for the process of chewing and swallowing. They are responsible for facial expressions such as smiling or frowning. Repeated activity of the facial muscles and gradual loss of fat pads under the skin, as well as loss of skin elasticity, cause wrinkles to form in the faces of older people.

The skin that covers the top and the back of the head is called the sculp.

At birth, the head is extremely large in relation to the rest of the body. It measures about a fourth of the total body length. By adulthood, it is only about an eighth of the body length. The size and shape of the head vary from person to person. The normal cranial capacity is about 1.390 cubic centimeters. A larger cranium does not necessarily mean greater intelligence.

Exercise 7. Answer the questions:

1. What does the head contain?

2. How many bones are there in the human skull?

3. What is a fontanelle?

4. How many bones does the face include?

5. What is a mandible?

6. What does the temporomandibular joint let the mandible do?

8. What connects the head to the spinal column, the collarbone and the shoulder blades?

9. What are the functions of the head muscles?

10. What is the skin covering the skull called?

Exercise 8. Find corresponding equivalents in the text:

Містити головні органи відчуття; черепні кістки; процес з’єднання кісток; відбуватися в утробі; незавершене з’єднання до періоду статевого дозрівання; тім’ячко над чолом; у новонароджених та маленьких дітей; анатомічні шви з’єднуються; бути розташованим по обидва боки черепа; кістка прикріплена до черепу; виявити при дотику; жування та мовлення; утримуватися м’язами шиї у вертикальному положенні; падати вперед; процес жування та ковтання; вираз обличчя; втрата еластичності шкіри призводить до утворення зморшок; нормальна місткість черепу.

Exercise 9. Match the terms with their definitions:

1. skull 2. suture 3. parietal bone 4. occipital bone 5. pterion 6. mandible 7. frontal bone 8. maxilla 9.cranium 10.zygomatic bone 11. temporal bone			a) either of a pair of bones that form the prominent part of the cheeks and contribute to the orbits b) the skeleton of the head and face, which is made of 29 bones c) a type of immovable joint d) the lower jawbone e) the point on the side of the skull at which the sutures between the parietal, temporal and sphenoid bones meet f) the part of the skeleton that encloses the brain (consists of 8 bones) g) the upper jaw h) either of a pair of bones of the cranium i) the bone forming the forehead and the upper parts of the orbits j) either of a pair of bones forming the top and sides of the cranium k) a bone of the skull that forms the back and part of the base of the cranium
1.	2.	3.		4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.	11.

Exercise 10. Find words in the text that mean approximately the same as these:

1. principal
2. to be composed of
3. bond
4. to be divided into
5. linked
6. stiff
7. to join
8. to imply
9. precisely
10. essential

Exercise 11. Find the opposites of the following words in the text:

1. total
2. accurately
3. rigid
4. important
5. responsible
6. to vary
7. activity
8. elasticity
9. to connect
10. superior

Exercise 12. Match the words from column A with those from column b to form collocations as they appeared in the text. Translate these collocations into Ukrainian:

Column A	Column B
sense organs – органи чуття	fusion
human	muscles
zigzag	organs
bone	elasticity
temporomandibular	skull
body	structure
facial	junctions
skin	joint
rigid	length
spinal	capacity
cranial	column

Exercise 13. Find and correct mistakes in the following sentences:

1. Muscles are responsible in facial expressions such as smiling or frowning.

2. The mandible is attached with the cranium at the temporomandibular joint.

3. The process of the bone fusion occurs on uterus to protect the brain.

4. Muscles in the head are important the process of chewing and swallowing.

5. The cranial bones fuse together zigzag junctions called sutures.

6. The head is the part of the body that contains of the brain, the mouth and the sense organs.

7. The loss of skin elasticity causes from wrinkles.

8. The human skull is made from 29 bones.

Exercise 14. Correct the misspelled terms:

scull	pariatal	uteras
craniam	nazal	fushion
frontanelle	oksiputal	acurately
zigomaic	sfenoid	fashial
mabdible	suchure	musles

Exercise 15. State if the sentences are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. The skeleton of the head is called the spine.

2. The human skull is made up of 20 bones.

3. The cranium can be divided into a skull cap and base.

4. The facial bones fuse together at zigzag junctions called sutures.

5. The process of bone fusion occurs after birth.

6. The mandible is attached to the cranium at the temporomandibular joint.

7. The skin that covers the top and the back of the head is called the sculp.

8. The head is held in the erect position by the muscles of the back.

Exercise 16. Complete the sentences using the information from the text:

1. The head contains …

2. Fontanelles are …

3. … allows the mandible to move.

4. The sculp covers …

5. … forms the back of the skull.

6. … the head is extremely large in relation to the rest of the body.

7. When a person becomes sleepy, the muscles of the head …

8. A larger cranium does not necessarily mean …

Exercise 17. Make questions to the underlined words:

1. The skull is made up of the bones that enclose the brain and the bones that form the face.

2. The cranial bones fuse together at zigzag junctions called sutures.

3. The face includes fourteen bones all together.

4. A system of muscles and tendons connects the head to the trunk.

5. Muscles of the head are important for the process of chewing and swallowing.

6. Loss of skin elasticity causes wrinkles to form in the faces of older people.

7. Neck muscles and tendons control the movements of the head.

8. When a person becomes sleepy, neck muscles relax and the head falls forward.

Exercise 18. Make the following active sentences passive:

Model: We call the skeleton of the head the skull. – The skeleton of the head is called the skull.

1. The bones that enclose the brain and the bones that form the face make the skull.

2. We can divide the cranium into a skull cap and a base.

3. The skull protects the brain.

4. We can identify the fontanelle above the forehead in newborns by touch.

5. The temporomandibular joint allows the mandible to move for such important functions as mastication, eating and speech.

6. A system of muscles and tendons connects the head to the spinal column, the collarbone and the shoulder blades.

7. The sculp covers the top and the back of the head.

8. Muscles and tendons of the neck control the movements of the head.