Anatomy Mnemonics

Bones of the Wrist

“Some Lovers Try Positions That They Cannot Handle”
“Slowly Lower Tilly’s Pants To The Curly Hairs”

Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate

Brachial Plexus

“Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beers” or “Robert Taylor Drinks Cold Beer”

Roots, Trunks, Divisions, Cords, Branches

Branches of the Brachial Plexus

(In order from most lateral to most medial)

“My Aunt Raped My Uncle”

Musculocutaneous, Axillary, Radial, Median, Ulnar

Cranial Nerves

“Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel Virgin Girls’ Vaginas And Hymens”

Memory aid: you have 1 nose (the first “Oh” is Olfactory) and 2 eyes (the second “Oh” is Optic).

To remember whether each cranial nerve is Motor, Sensory, or Both (in order from CN I to CN XII):

“Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Big Bras Matter Most”

Extraocular Muscles

LR6, SO4, 3:

• Lateral Rectus is innervated by CN VI (Abducens)
• Superior Oblique is innervated by CN IV (Trochlear)
• All other extraocular muscles are innervated by CN III (Oculomotor)

Branches of the Facial Nerve

“Ten Zebras Bought My Car”
“Two Zulus Buggered My Cat”
“To Zanzibar By Motor Car”

Temporal, Zygomatic, Buccal, Masseteric, Cervical

Miscellaneous Anatomy Mnemonics

Innervation of the phrenic nerve
“C3, 4, 5 keep the diaphragm alive”

Long thoracic nerve innervates serratus anterior
“C5, 6, 7 raise your arms to heaven”

Relationship of the thoracic duct to the esophagus and azygos vein
“The duck is between two geese” — duck = thoracic duct; the two geese = azyGOUS and esophaGUS

Attachments of pectoralis major, teres major, and latissimus dorsi
“A lady between two majors” — pectoralis major attaches to the lateral lip of the bicipital groove, teres major attaches to the medial lip, and latissimus dorsi (the “lady”) attaches to the floor of the groove, between the two majors.

Innervation of the penis
“Parasympathetic puts it up; sympathetic spurts it out”
“Point, Shoot, Score” — Parasympathetic, Sympathetic, Somatomotor

Lateral vs. medial pectoral nerve
“Lateral is less, medial is more” — the lateral pectoral nerve passes through pectoralis major only, while the medial pectoral nerve passes through both pectoralis major and pectoralis minor.

Layers of the epidermis
“Grandpa Shagging Grandma’s Love Child” or “Brent Spiner Gained Lieutenant Commander”

Stratum Germinativum (Basale), Spinosum, Granulosum, Lucidum, Corneum

Contents of the superior orbital fissure
“Seven French Tarts Sit Naked In Anticipation”