Surface anatomy uses external bony and soft-tissue landmarks to infer the position of internal organs, enabling non-invasive localization and clinical assessment. McBurney's point—located one-third of the distance along a line from the anterior superior iliac spine to the umbilicus—is the surface landmark for the appendix, a blind pouch at the origin of the large intestine, and palpation there is used to assess for appendicitis. The liver, the body's largest gland, lies largely protected beneath the costal margin such that its edge can only be palpated (typically during inspiration, when diaphragmatic movement displaces it inferiorly) when enlarged, illustrating the general principle that surface landmarks correspond to deep structures via consistent anatomical relationships within human anatomy.
Surface anatomy uses external bony and soft-tissue landmarks to infer the position of internal organs, enabling non-invasive localization and clinical assessment. McBurney's point—located one-third o…